My Career
Putting Together a Solid
Resume
Source: Dawn McKay,
About.com Career Planning
Putting together a resume is very serious business.
Often it is the first impression you will make
on a prospective employer. Hopefully, after looking
over your resume, the employer will grant you
the opportunity to make a second impression.
If
we look at the job search as a marketing campaign,
as was discussed in the article,
Personal
Marketing Strategy, we can then look
at the resume as a print advertisement or a
marketing brochure. If you take a look through
a magazine you will see many ads. Try to find
one that tells you to buy a product because
the company needs to increase its profits.
You will be hard pressed to find such a beast.
The ads you see tell you what the manufacturer's
product can do for you -- make your smile bright,
your hair shiny, or simply make your life better.
When putting together your resume, evaluate
the needs of the employer and then determine
how you can fill those needs. If you have access
to a computer (which you do if you are reading
this article) and a quality printer, you can
design a targeted resume for every job for
which you apply. If you have to mass produce
your resume, you will have to do a little guesswork
to come up with one that will impress everyone.
Choosing
a Resume Format
Next you must determine what type of resume
format to use. There are three basic types:
chronological, functional, and a combination
of the two. The following sections will explain
what each of these types are and when to
choose one type over another.
Chronological
Resume
The chronological resume is probably the one
with which most people are familiar. On it,
work experience is listed in reverse chronological
order (most recent job first). The period
of time during which you were employed is
listed first, followed by the name of the
employer and then the employer's location.
A description for each job is also included.
Following work history is a section on education.
If you are trying to show career growth,
a chronological resume may be the way to
go. If your most recent job is store manager,
while the one before that is department manager,
and the one before that is sales clerk, you
can show a history of promotion. However,
if your work history has been spotty or if
it has been stagnant you shouldn't use a
chronological resume. If you are changing
careers, a chronological resume is not for
you either.
Functional Resume
A functional resume categorizes skills by function,
emphasizing your abilities. This is useful
if you are changing careers and want to show
how you can transfer your skills. As stated
previously, it is important to show prospective
employers what you can offer them. A functional
resume does just that. A functional job objective
is given first, followed by several paragraphs,
each discussing a different job function.
Examples of functions are: Supervision and
Management, Accounting, and Writing and Editing.
Begin with the one you want to emphasize
most. If you are customizing your resume
for different employers, you can change your
functional job objective as well as the order
in which you list the functions. However,
if you don't list your previous jobs, the
person reviewing your resume may be suspicious.
Combination
Resume
A combination resume is exactly what it sounds
like -- it combines a functional resume with
a chronological one. An objective is listed
at the top, after your name and address,
of course. Following that are paragraphs
describing job functions. A section titled "Employment
Experience" comes next. That is where
the chronological part of the resume comes
in. List employers and dates in this section.
Do not offer further descriptions here as
you have already described your abilities
in the functional part of this resume. This
is a useful format if you are changing careers
but have a solid employment history. I also
find it useful if your job duties on a single
job were very diverse and you want to stress
your various abilities. If you spent a long
time at one job but moved up through the
company, you might want to use a combination
resume.
Common Questions
Where should educational background go?
If your education includes a college degree
it is not necessary to include information
about high school. If you have completed your
education recently (less than five years ago)
and your degree is relevant to the position
for which you are applying, you should place
your educational background near the top of
your resume. Otherwise, you may place it at
the bottom. If you completed your education
more than five years ago and worked outside
the field in which you were educated, but are
now seeking to enter that field, you should
also place your educational information at
the top of your resume.
How long is too long?
A rule of thumb is to stick to a one page resume.
Employers need only see a snapshot of your
background -- something that will make them
want to learn more about you. However, if
there is something you must include, for
example, special awards and achievements,
publications, or a grant you procured, you
can run onto a second page. This rule differs
for a curriculum vitae (CV) which is used
by academics. In general a CV is several
pages long as it includes a list of publications.
What
about personal information?
Do not, under any circumstances, include personal
information such as height, weight, age,
marital status, or religious background.
In the United States, it is not legal for
an employer to request this information.
As for other countries, you would need to
ascertain whether this information is necessary.
Where
do I put salary history?
Sometimes a prospective employer will require
a salary history along with a resume and
cover letter. If that is the case, you can
include the salary history as an addendum
to your resume.
How do I handle a brief period
of employment?
Every so often a job comes along that just
wasn't meant to be. You begin a job that
you soon discover isn't for you. Rather than
continue at the job you decide to cut your
losses and quit. If you do decide to place
that job on your resume, a short period of
employment might raise a lot of questions.
On the other hand, you should never lie on
your resume. Rather than include specific
dates on your resume, include only years.
For example, for each job you list, state
the years or year that encompassed your tenure
there. Of course, when you fill out an employment
application, you are going to have to include
the actual dates of employment.
How do I make
sense of all the advice?
You will hear the opinions of many experts,
each giving different advice. The bottom
line is that you must produce a resume that
makes you proud. Your name is right up there
on top, it represents you, and will affect
your chance of getting the interview. You
get my point. Read through all the information,
listen to what everyone has to say, and then
decide what you want to do.
Here are some final thoughts. Do not forget
to proof read your resume -- over and over
again. Have someone else do it as well. Before
you send it out, put it away for a day. Take
it out again and look it over. You will probably
pick up errors you didn't see yesterday. Also,
keep your resume up to date. Even if you are
currently employed and have no intention of
job hunting, add any new skills to your resume.
If you work on a special project add that as
well. You may not remember some important additions
if you have to write a resume under pressure.
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