HOW TO WRITE A GOOD RESUME
The resume is a primary tool in
finding a good job. When writing a resume, one should pay particular attention
to its overall structure. There are several different guidelines that can help
in doing this.
SELECT YOUR FORMAT
Selecting your resume format is a
major strategic decision. Real and compelling differences characterize the two
most common formats, which have impact on the receptivity employers have to
your initiatives.
No universally "right"
format is appropriate for all people. Your review of your own objective and
background will be your most effective guide to selecting the best format for
you.
THE CHRONOLOGICAL FORMAT
Your employment record is the
primary organizing principle for this format, a job-by-job historical narrative
of your work effectiveness.
Merits:
This format accentuates your
formal qualifications for the work you are seeking. Appropriate for directly
qualified candidates with linear progression paths, it showcases the track
record of clearly pertinent, often increasingly responsible experiences.
Seasoned judgment in grappling with job challenges is emphasized.
Recruiters and some hiring
managers are accustomed to, and often prefer, a traditional format. Many find
it familiar, straightforward and easy to use when making preliminary decisions
of inclusion and exclusion.
Drawbacks:
For candidates who are starting
or changing a career, this format emphasizes the lack of direct, in-depth
experience in the targeted career area. It underscores past identity rather
than future potential.
Gaps in employment, conspicuously
brief or long affiliations, and time periods elapsed since certain qualifying
experiences are spotlighted.
Rather than accenting
accomplishments on the job, it lends itself to a somewhat dry, repetitive
recitation of job responsibilities.
Criteria for Use:
The chronological format is
particularly effective for people with clear-cut qualifications, who are
continuing or advancing in a particular career direction. It is acceptable for
other, less overtly qualified people. This format can be productive if you cite
relevant skills and tasks that support your objective within the job-by-job
description.
THE FUNCTIONAL FORMAT
Your key skills, knowledge and
related accomplishments are the primary organizing principles of this format,
citing relevant examples of effectiveness as proof and prediction of your
ability to contribute.
Merits:
This format provides an
opportunity to establish the transferability of skills and accomplishments for
candidates who are starting or changing a career. Grouping these items in
self-contained categories builds a case for your ability to function in a new
situation. The conventional resume format dilutes or contradicts this talent.
Not limited to paid employment,
you can give status to qualifying experience from every area of life. This
format widens the scope of informal experiences supportive of your career
objective, including special projects, internships, community service and
relevant leisure pursuits. It eliminates distinctions that discount their
importance.
Drawbacks:
For directly qualified candidates
with a linear progression path, this format challenges the standard
presentation of personal strengths. Executive recruiters and other employment
professionals prefer a job-by-job description to trace with clarity exactly
what has been done, for whom, where and when.
Some employers assume that this
format hides background information of importance.
In a purely functional resume,
key time/space anchors that employers expect are not given. This information
can be essential to credibility.
Criteria for Use:
The functional format is
particularly effective and highly recommended for people without direct
experience in the area of their career objective. Since it accents skills and
achievements, it is effective and often desired by people who are well
established in a career.
THE COMBINATION FORMAT
The combination format recognizes
the inherent drawbacks of both the chronological and functional formats used in
their pure forms.
• The pure chronological resume
is too mundane, a bland work autobiography. It is descriptive, but tends not to
be persuasive about personal qualifications.
• The pure functional resume is
too free-floating and reads like a set of assertions about abilities, unlinked
to verifiable sources of confirmation.
• Whether you prefer the
chronological or functional format, the most effective resume blends the best
elements of each.
The Chronological-Combination Resume:
This format retains the structure
of a job-by-job delineation of experience and emphasizes accomplishments, the
hallmark of the functional resume.
The Functional-Combination Resume:
This format retains the structure
of key skills, knowledge and accomplishments, incorporating a distilled
EXPERIENCE section, which denotes career-related time/space anchors, the
hallmark of the chronological resume.
All References to Resumes in This
Guide Assume a Combination Format:
Chronological-combination resumes
and functional-combination resumes will be referred to simply as chronological
and functional resumes.
After deciding on the appropriate
format, the way to organize the information is equally as important. Below are
some guidelines to assist you in creating the best resume.
CREATING A DAMN GOOD RESUME
I. A DAMN GOOD RESUME HAS FIVE ESSENTIAL PARTS:
A. A clearly stated JOB
OBJECTIVE.
B. The HIGHLIGHTS OF
QUALIFICATIONS.
C. A presentation of directly
RELEVANT SKILLS and EXPERIENCE.
D. A chronological WORK HISTORY.
E. A listing of relevant
EDUCATION and TRAINING.
II. GETTING STARTED
A. Work
History - Create a "Work History Master List," keeping in mind
that not everything on your "Master List" will necessarily appear on
THIS version of your resume. For paid and volunteer jobs or positions, list the
dates started and ended, your job title, and the name and city of the company
or organization. Put these jobs in chronological order.
B.
Education and Training - Create an "Education and Training Master
List," this time including :
1. Schools you attended, with
dates, degrees honors.
2. Personal study in your field
(classes, workshops, and other informal ways you have learned).
3. Any other credentials or
certificates.
C. Job Objective
- Compose a clearly stated Job Objective, using a minimum number of words. Ask
yourself these questions:
1. WHAT do I want to do?
2. FOR WHOM or WITH WHOM do I
want to do it?
3. WHERE do I want to do it?
4. AT WHAT LEVEL OF
RESPONSIBILITY?
D. Relevant
Skills And Experience - What you want to create - contrary to everything
you've heard in the past about resumes - is a word picture of you in your
proposed new job, created out the best of your past experience. Steps include:
1. So first, get out your Job
Objective and ask yourself what are the five or six major skills required for
that job.
2. Get out a sheet of paper for
each of those skills or special knowledge areas, and label each page.
3. Then ask yourself, "When
did I use those same skills in the past?"
4. Under each of the skills
listed, begin to write action-oriented "One- Liner" statements that
clearly and concisely describe how you used or developed those skills in the
past.
5. Then you can assemble the
Relevant Skills and Experience section of your new-job resume by putting those
five or six skills paragraphs together on one page.
E. The
Highlights of Qualifications - The essential message of the highlights
is two-fold:
1. First, that you are QUALIFIED
- you have the experience, credentials, and basic skills needed for the job.
2. Second, that you are also
ESPECIALLY TALENTED (perhaps even gifted) in the areas that really matter - in
other words, for THIS job you're "hot".
3. A typical group of Highlights
might include :
1. How much relevant experience
you have.
2. What your formal training and
credentials are, if relevant.
3. One significant
accomplishment, very briefly stated..
4. One or two outstanding skills
or abilities.
5. A reference to your values,
commitment, or philosophy if appropriate.
III. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
A. Assemble the five parts of
your resume - Job Objective, Highlights, Relevant Experience, Work History,
Education - and type up a draft copy.
B. Omit anything personal and
unrelated to your Job Objective (age, marital status, height/weight, hobbies).
C. Omit the details of less
important past jobs that create an image you don't want to take with you.
D. Keep it to one page if you
can.
E. If your resume is on two pages:
1. Present your "aces"
on page one (job objective, skills, accomplishments).
2. Use page two for the work
history and education.
3. Be sure to write
"continued" on page one, and "page two" PLUS your full name
on the second page.
4. Print it on two sheets of
paper, and don't staple them together (the two pages can be placed side-by-side
to view the whole resume at once).
There are still several important points to remember while writing your
resume.
HOW TO WRITE A BETTER RESUME
OFFICE TEAM
A good resume cannot get you a
job; but a bad resume can prevent you from getting the interview - and without
the interview there's no chance of getting the job.
The new rules for better resumes
start with the fact that there are fewer rules. There's an opportunity for some
creativity, but not for gimmicks. What works today is conservative style and a
focus on a key achievements - especially those that are of particular interest
to the reader.
Remember what interests an
employer, for let's say an executive assistant position , may not interest the
employer hiring a desktop publishing specialist. That's why it is essential
that people who qualify for several different jobs (and most do) have several
different resumes. All resumes should be accurate and truthful, but each should
highlight different strengths as they relate to the job opening.
Better jobs have become more
competitive than they were in the 70s and 80s. And they will continue to get
more competitive in the 90s, as these better jobs require increased specialized
skills.
Since the resume is a primary
tool in finding a better job, extra time spent on its preparation is a good
investment. In fact, some astute people constantly update their resumes, even
though they may never use them to get another job. A reminder of your talents
and accomplishments, a current resumes can provide you with clues to getting a
better job in your present company or the ammunition to prove you deserve a
salary increase.
We believe the best way to
explain the new "rules" of resume writing is to explain what you
should always do and also what you should never do.
We wish you success!
ALWAYS
• Always print your resume on
standard letter size, white or ivory rag paper.
• Always have the resume
professionally typed, but not typeset, with plenty of space between paragraphs,
and allow for adequate margins.
• Always use conventional
English. Stay away from multi-syllable words when a one or two syllable word is
clearer.
• Always use short paragraphs -
preferably no longer than five lines.
• Always make sure the resume and
the cover letter are error-free. Proofread, and have others proofread to.
• Always rewrite a resume for a
specific company. It's extra work, but may well pay off.
• Always include your significant
contributions at each one of your jobs.
• Always allow the most space to
the jobs that are most relevant to the job you're applying for.
• Always list your activity with
professional, trade and civic associations - but only if they're appropriate.
• Always keep a permanent file of
your achievements, no matter how inconsequential they may appear to be. This is
the basis for a good resume, and it is also essential information to get a raise
or promotion.
• Always give each of your
references a copy of your resume.
• Always send a brief, customized
letter with each resume.
• Always send your resume by
messenger overnight mail if you're applying for a high salary level job and
you're reasonably convinced you fit the job specifications.
• Always re-read your resume
before interview - chances are the interviewer did just that too.
NEVER
• Never give reasons for
termination or leaving a job on the resume. In almost all cases, the reader can
find negative connotations to even the best reason. You're far better off
explaining it in person.
• Never take more than two lines
to list hobbies, sports and social activities. When in doubt, "leave them
out".
• Never state "References
Available On Request". It's assumed, and clutters up the resume. Other
things to leave out include your social security number, your spouse's
occupation and your personal philosophies.
• Never list references on the
resume.
• Never use exact dates. Months
and years are sufficient.
• Never include the date your
resume was prepared. If your search takes longer than a few months, the resume
will appear outdated.
• Never include your company
phone number unless your immediate boss is aware of your departure.
• Never include your height,
weight or remarks about your physical appearance or health.
• Never list your high school or
grammar school if you're a college graduate.
• Never state your objectives on
your resume unless the resume is targeted to that job or occupation.
• Never use professional jargon
unless you're sure the resume will be read by someone who understands the
buzz-words,
• Never use the so-called
"action words" like sparked, accelerated, and streamlined. They're
passe.
• Never provide salary information
on the resume. Save it for the interview. If you are required to give that
information, reveal it in the cover letter.
• Never lie.
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This article was
written by Robert Half, Office Team specializes in providing highest quality
administrative support professionals for temporary and permanent positions.
