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By definition, “A resume is a written document that lists your work experience skills and educational background and it is used as a marketing tool for job seekers.” Your resume is one of the most important elements of your job search. It is your opportunity to market yourself to potential employers. It can be used to open doors and make the potential employer want to invite you in to further discuss your background.
The purpose of a resume is to:
A good resume may get you in the door – a bad resume may keep you from obtaining an interview.
While the definition of a good resume can be somewhat subjective, many successful resumes follow these common guidelines:
Before you begin writing your resume, you will need to do some preparation work:
There are three basic styles of resumes:
Chronological – lists job history in reverse chronological
order.
Functional – lists experience by functional area,
followed by brief listing of work history.
Combination –
contains features of both types above
View a sample of different resumes.
Chronological Resumes
A common type of resume and the style that many recruiters and employers prefer, is the chronological resume. The chronological resume lays out your work experience by employer and job title in reverse chronological order. Your most recent experience is presented first and previous jobs are listed going back in time. The information on the following pages is focused on guiding you through the process of building a chronological resume.
Resumes are composed of several standard sections and some optional sections. In other words, potential employers expect to see certain things on your resume and may not necessarily expect others.
| Standard Elements | Optional Elements |
Heading
This is the very first section of the resume and may include:
The heading section is often a good place to be creative with fonts and layout. Graphics and photos are generally not recommended. Be sure your personal e-mail address sounds professional – avoid using less formal addresses such as iamcool@hotmail.com or pickme@yahoo.com, etc.
TIP: When posting your resume to major job boards, you may want to consider deleting your address and telephone number from your heading and leaving only your name and e-mail address. This will provide recruiters with enough information to contact you while protecting your safety. If you are going to post a confidential resume on a job board, please take all personal information off of your word document and rename it Confidential Resume.
Return to resume elements table
Professional Experience
This is a key section of your resume. This section may include information on full and part-time jobs, as well as any other experience relevant to the position you are pursuing (e.g., internships, freelance consulting). Here are some guiding principles to consider:
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Education
If you are a recent college graduate or have a limited amount of work experience, your education is one of the most important things you have to offer a potential employer. That said, you might consider listing your education section before your work experience on your resume. If you have substantial professional experience, your education section should follow your work experience section.
List your highest degree first and follow with other degrees, in reverse chronological order. Each listing may include:
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Skills
Sometimes the Work Experience and Education sections do not capture everything you have to offer. The Skills section can help convey this additional information, and can include:
Some people include soft skills here as well, such as teamwork, flexibility and interpersonal skills. These are rather subjective attributes (how do you prove you are flexible?) and you may want to think twice before including them in this type of list. Rather, your soft skills should be embedded in your work responsibilities and accomplishments. For example, if you consider yourself a strong mentor, instead of listing mentoring as one of your skills, include a bullet point in your work responsibilities section. The bullet might read, "Mentored seven junior staff members and received mentoring award for contributions."
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Summary
A summary statement is a brief overview that captures the essence of your skills and experience. It highlights what makes you a qualified candidate, as well as what makes you different (and better) than other applicants. Because resumes are often quickly skimmed, it is critical your resume gets right to work selling your credentials. An effective way to showcase your key qualifications is to include a Career Summary or Summary of Qualifications statement at the top of the first page. Your Career Summary may include brief information on your experience and key strengths, which tells a prospective employer what you have to offer and how you can help achieve their goals. The remainder of your resume should back up the statements made in the summary. Remember, first impressions are lasting impressions – make sure your summary is concise and persuasive. Your Transition Assistance coach can provide further explanation and help you compose an effective statement.
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Professional Affiliations
Memberships in professional affiliations indicate an interest in keeping up-to-date on the latest issues and trends impacting your profession. List any professional associations or organizations of which you are a member. If you have held any leadership roles, such as a committee chair, indicate that as well. Membership in college or university alumni associations are typically not appropriate for this section, unless you have held significant leadership roles. They may be better suited to the volunteer section of your resume.
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Publications and Presentations
Developing thought leadership pieces on topics impacting your profession, whether an article, book or presentation at a conference, demonstrates you have developed a deep expertise in your field through research and/or experience. In this section list the title and dates of all publications you have authored (or co-authored) and outside presentations you have delivered. You might also consider providing a link to your publication.
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Certifications
Devoting the time and effort to receive a certification related to your profession shows dedication and commitment to your professional development. List any certifications you have earned and the expiration date if applicable.
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Volunteer or Community Service Work
In this optional section you can list volunteer or community service work you have performed, including any leadership roles you may have held. Make sure the work is relatively recent (within the last three to five years) and demonstrates a commitment of time and effort on your part (i.e., avoid listing volunteer activities that require only a few hours of your time on an annual basis).
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Functional Resume
A functional resume differs from a chronological resume by concentrating on skills you have used (e.g., management, technical, sales/marketing, etc.) that relate to your stated objective, rather than on the jobs you have held. A functional resume is particularly effective if your past work experience is not closely related to your current job objective, if you are changing careers, or if you are seeking a promotion. In this format, you elaborate on the skills necessary to perform the desired job and how you have demonstrated those same skills in different types of positions. A functional resume may not be appropriate for those with a solid recent track record.
While the functional resume has some advantages, as described above, there are also a couple of drawbacks:
Tips to keep in mind when looking at the overall appearance of your resume:
One of the top concerns individuals have when they create or update their resume is length. You may be asking yourself:
The answer is simple: Use common sense and ask yourself, “Will this statement help me land an interview?” Every word should sell you, so only include information that elicits a "yes."
If you are just graduating from college, have less than five years of experience or are considering a career change, a one-page resume will probably suffice. On the other hand, some technical and executive candidates require multiple-page resumes. In general, if you have more than 10 years of experience and a track record of accomplishments, you will probably need two pages to tell your story. Any more than that and people may stop reading.
However, do not confuse telling your story with creating your autobiography. Prospective employers are inundated with resumes and are faced with weeding out the good from the not-so-good. The first step involves quickly skimming through resumes and eliminating candidates who clearly are not qualified. Therefore, your resume needs to pass the skim test. Ask yourself:
Many people are proud of their careers and feel the information on a resume should reflect all they have accomplished. However, the resume should not contain every detail – it should only include the information that will help you land an interview. Therefore, edit with a critical eye. If your college days are far behind you, it probably does not matter that you pledged a fraternity/sorority or worked at the local grocery store. The editing process can be especially difficult if you have emotional ties to your past. If you find this step difficult, show your resume to your Transition Assistance coach or a trusted colleague for an objective opinion.
Eight tips to keep your resume concise:
Job Termination
No matter how unpleasant your termination, avoid trying to explain the circumstances on your resume. You will likely have a much better chance of impressing hiring managers if you deal with this question in a face-to-face interview.
Lack of Educational Credentials
Some job seekers are concerned that their education does not measure up to the requirements of the position. If you do not have a degree, but have been participating in on-going training throughout your career, list your related courses, certifications, seminars, conferences, on-line learning and training in the Education section by creating a list called “Professional Development.” Recent training may end up being more valuable than a dated degree.
Employment Gaps
If you have gaps in your employment history, think about other activities you can use to fill the open time period. You may have experience related to your job target, regardless of whether you were paid. Volunteer activities, community involvement, special projects, consulting engagements and continuing education can be used in the Experience section.
Keep in mind short gaps might not be apparent if you refer to your experience in terms of years rather than months. When listing dates on your resume you do not need to list the month/year if you were in a position for over a year or if your position spans multiple years. For example, you could say 2004 - 2007 (rather than May, 2004 - April, 2007) which would give you some room to cover the gaps. Use the Career Summary to showcase your top qualifications. This will draw attention to your selling points and downplay your work chronology.
You can format your resume to minimize the gaps in your employment history. For example, do not bold the dates and/or use a smaller font than the one you use for the company name or job title. Start your resume with a Summary Statement and Career Highlights section so you are highlighting your skills and accomplishments, rather than when you did what.
If you were out of work because you raised a family, continued your education, cared for a sick family member or recovered from an injury, be sure your tone is not apologetic. There is nothing wrong with being out of work and a negative attitude might affect the quality of your resume. If you have been out of the working world for an extended period of time, show how you have kept (or brought) yourself up-to-date with changes in your profession and industry.
Job Hopping
The best way to handle job hopping on your resume depends on your specific job titles and companies.
Keep in mind: A resume is a marketing tool, but you will need to provide a complete work history if you are asked to fill out a job application, which is a signed legal document.
Changing Careers
It is hard for job seekers on a steady career path to get their resumes noticed, but if you are pursuing a new career path, it can be much more difficult to convince hiring managers to take a chance on you.
A common mistake career changers make is to use the same resumes that worked in their previous careers when they are pursuing a new one. Instead, resumes should be reworked to emphasize key qualifications for your new job target. The best way to get started is to research your target field to understand what hiring managers want from their workers, network with people in the industry, and review job postings. Learn about the skills and other credentials that are important in your targeted career.
After doing your research, ask yourself the question: “Why should an employer take a chance on me?” You may not have the desired experience, but you probably have skills that are transferable from your former career, hobbies, volunteer work, etc. Write down a list of your most desirable, related qualifications – these should form the basis of your resume. Then, select the most appropriate resume format based on the type of career change you are pursuing (see Resume Formats section).
Long-Term Employment
In today’s work world, it is rare for employees to stay with one employer for an entire career. Many long-term employees ask, “Am I a dinosaur?” The answer is, of course, no. You need to present your long-term work history as a positive attribute – evidence you are in for the long haul. Recruiting a new employee is an expensive endeavor, so companies are always looking for ways to promote long-term tenure. Use your longevity, dedication, commitment, loyalty and perseverance as selling points, both on your resume and in interviews.
If you have been with a company for many years, chances are you boast a long list of achievements. However, your resume should only present the experience, skills and training that relate to your current goal. Since a resume is a marketing piece rather than a career history, do not feel that your resume must cover every detail of your career. Edit down your experience so you are armed with a powerful resume that is tailored to your current job target.
Obsolete skills are a sure sign of a dinosaur, so consider omitting them. If you are not sure, ask a trusted colleague or potential hiring manager whether or not a particular skill is current in the marketplace. You can also gather this information by searching job postings – if the skill is not included in the job requirements, it should probably be omitted.
Remember that promotions illustrate your company realized your worth and offered you more responsibility. Even lateral moves indicate your employer recognized your diverse talents. Instead of grouping all of your positions under one heading, give your positions individual descriptions along with distinct time periods. If you have been in the same position for your entire tenure, show how you have grown in this position and made a difference to the organization – think about how your current job responsibilities differ from when you first began.
How do you respond to a job posting that prompts you to “send resume with salary history?”
Hiring managers and recruiters often sort through hundreds or thousands of resumes to find suitable applicants, and they use salary history as a way to find a candidate who fits the position’s pay range. Companies want to interview applicants they know they can afford. Some employers requesting a salary history might immediately discard applications that omit this information.
If you decide it is in your best interest to present a salary history, use the opportunity to market yourself. Include information about your key accomplishments, allowing hiring managers to see the real value you offer.
There are also potential drawbacks to providing your salary history:
Even if an ad requests a salary history, many employers will still consider qualified candidates who omit this information. You can bypass the salary history request by mentioning in your cover letter that you would be pleased to discuss salary information once a mutual interest has been established.
Creating a Salary History
The easiest way to create a salary history is to use your electronic resume document or file. Follow these steps: