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Resume Writing
What is a Resume?
A resume is a concise personalized statement of your qualifications, skills, experiences and interests designed to "sell you" in the job market.
Purpose of a Resume
- To catch the attention of a potential employer
- To make potential employers view you as a potential employee
- To obtain an interview
What are the Types of Resume Formats?
There are many different types of resumes. However, we suggest you use one of the following:
- The chronological resume
- The functional resume
- The combination/creative resume
The Chronological Resume - The chronological resume focuses heavily on employment history, job responsibilities, accomplishments, and related experiences that support your career path. This format lists all of your occupations and employers, beginning with your most recent job. The chronological resume is the most common and easiest to read.
The Functional Resume - The functional resume emphasizes your qualifications summary, skills, and accomplishments, omitting the employment history completely. After listing personal data and the qualifications summary, this resume lists major functions, citing specific accomplishments under each functional topic.
The Combination/Creative Resume - This resume is a mixture of both the chronological and the functional formats. It includes a chronology of jobs while highlighting accomplishments as they apply.
How is a Resume Evaluated?
The resume is evaluated according to three major criteria:
- Experience and Qualifications - These include part-time and full-time work experience; related experience, such as community work; educational background; acquired skills, personal skills and abilities.
- Proven Track Record - The best predictor of future performance is past performance. That is why you must portray your past performance effectively in your resume.
- Potential - A person who reads your resume projects strengths about you and begins to form a general impression of you. Therefore, your resume must create a picture that matches your personality, attributes, appearance and abilities. It must also describe what you did in your various jobs, not what a person in those jobs was responsible for doing.
Resume Writing Guidelines
- Use the standard size, 8½" x 11" paper.
- It is extremely important that your resume be free of errors - edit, edit, edit!
- It is recommended that your resume does not exceed two pages. Your goal is to select the appropriate accomplishments and information that will sell you.
- Single space the information on your resume, but use double spacing between major headings.
- Use underlining only to highlight the most important points. Use capitalization for headings, and for your name at the top of the resume.
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