Resumes
Two Formats: Pick the one that serves you best.
CHRONOLOGICAL – Shows sequence of work history
- Begins with most recent job and works backward
- Emphasizes progress and development
Advantages:
- Accepted as most easily understood and read format
- Indicates record of stability and progress
Disadvantages:
- Calls attention to instability, job changing
- Focuses too much on last position
FUNCTIONAL – Stresses skills and accomplishments over work
history
- Lists qualifications in terms of objectives, accomplishments
Advantages:
- Good for those switching fields
- Hides inconsistent work history
- Detailed emphasis on skill
Disadvantages:
- De-emphasizes career progression and growth
- Creates suspicion by avoiding chronology
- Sometime disliked by employers due to wordiness
WHAT TO PUT IN
- Full name, address, home telephone number
- Objective – the more specific, the better
- Experience – in reverse chronological order
- Achievements, Honors – employers want tangible accomplishments
- Education – college, significant professional or trade schooling
–leave out high school unless
- no other education. Include
honors.
- Interests – include things that show service, commitment,
diversity
WHAT TO LEAVE OUT
- Personal references
- Reasons for leaving a job
- Salary history or expectation
- Irrelevant outside activities (e.g. summer basketball)
- Photographs
- Personal data – such as age, marital status, children, health
- Typographical errors – none whatsoever
- Irrelevant data – stick to the essential facts
PITFALLS
- Devoting too much time to old jobs
- Gaps in employment history – periods of unemployment should be
explained, for example, “2004 to 2008, full time student”
- Overemphasizing education – unless a recent graduate, focus on
work experience
- Using fancy paper or type – business typeface on good white bond
paper is best
- Too many pages – one if possible, two if needed
- Having a resume service prepare it with little involvement by
you
- Being dishonest – background checks reveal lies, lead to firing
- Using words you don’t ordinarily use
REMEMBER
- Use active voice, e.g. “created” vs. “involved in creating”
- Give statistical facts that support accomplishments, e.g.
increased sales 26%
- Choose functional if inexperienced, or have spotty work history
- Choose chronological if experienced with a sound work history
Effective Cover Letters
An effective cover letter will do the following
things:
- Introduce you to us.
- Draw attention to the resume and your qualifications.
- Reveal excellent writing skills.
All letters have three parts:
- Introduction: State your purpose and the specific job
you seek. Explain how you learned of it.
- Body: Express your skills, training and experience in
terms of the job at hand, as you refer to the resume.
- Conclusion: Clearly tell how you may be contacted and
say you look forward to hearing from us soon.
Guidelines:
- Use bond paper that matches your resume.
- Proofread to eliminate all typographical errors.
- Sell yourself by being confident, yet professional.
- Keep it to three or four paragraphs:
- Introduction
- Experience
- Training
- Close
- Sign and send the original.
- Use your best style – it should appeal to both the eye
and the ear.