08-02-2013, 12:54 PM
How to Write a Resume
How to Write a Resume.doc (Size: 57 KB / Downloads: 24)
Resumes are the personal summary of one's professional history and qualifications, including information about one's career goals, education, experience, awards, skills, etc. A resume should briefly and clearly convey one's expertise and generate enough interest to capture the attention of the reader. The primary purpose of a resume is to get an interview.
Resume Formats
A resume is not intended to list every task performed or every skill or award one has received and employers know this. When trying to decide what format to use remember the purpose of a resume is to showcase one's skills and abilities, not to list them all. There are three main resume formats, chronological, functional and combination. Each format highlights different areas of information.
Chronological
Chronological is the most popular resume format. It lists work experience at the beginning or near the beginning of the resume and lists job in order starting with the current or most recent position. This format is preferred by recruiters because they can quickly and easily see the candidates experience. This format may not be the best choice for someone who has changed jobs frequently, has gaps in their employment history or for students you have limited experience.
Functional
Functional resumes focus attention on a candidate's skills instead of on their past employment. This format groups skills and accomplishments in special categories, like supervisory and management skills or retailing and marketing experience. In this format candidate's abilities are highlighted, but some recruiters are suspicious of this format because they may think the candidate is hiding something, like an employment gap.
Combination
Combination resumes combine the best features of both formats. This format can emphasis a candidate's skills and abilities and include a complete job history. For recent graduates or students about to finish school this format enables them to express their talents and what they can do for a potential employer.
Sections of a Resume
The following are sections that can be included in a resume. It is just a general list of the most used section titles, not all of them need to be included, others can be added or the titles can be changed to reflect what is placed in the section.
Main Heading
The main heading contains the candidate's name and contact information, including address, email, and phone number. Make sure this information is clear; it should be easy for the candidate to be contacted by a potential employer.
Career Objective
Career objectives are most appropriate for specific, targeted positions. They may hurt a candidate if they are used in broad job searches. There are three different approaches to objective statements:
Q Omit the objective.
Q Write a general statement that can be used for a broader job search. For example, Challenging position in urban planning.
Q Write a specific objective to match the job description for the position being applied for.
Education
This section should come first if the candidate has limited work experience, is still in school, or has recently graduated. Begin with the highest level of education and for each school listed, include the name and location of the school, dates of attendance, major fields of study, and any degrees received. If no degrees have been received yet, it is acceptable to say, degree expected month year. GPA (grade point average) and class rank can also be listed in this section. It is acceptable to calculate the GPA of just the classes in your major, as long as that GPA is labeled as such.
Work Experience
If this section is more noteworthy it should come before education. This section should list work experience starting with the current position or most recent position and then work backwards. Both paid and volunteer positions can be listed here. It is acceptable to include only the jobs that are most relevant to the position being applied for, if this done it may be better to label the section relevant work experience, so the recruiter knows what is being listed. For each position include the following:
Q Employer's name, city and state
Q Dates of Employment
Q Most important job title