The Resume
What is the purpose of the resume? It is an extremely important document in the job search process, that shows employees what you have accomplished, what skills you have, what education you have attained and, pretty much, who you are as a potential employee!
Types of Resumes
Remember, how the cover letter should be tailored to the specific job that you're applying for? Well, resumes need to be tailored from time to time, but usually they are created for general use. Since no one has the exact same background of experience and education, no two resumes are exactly alike. However, there are generally three main types of resume templates that job seekers use to show their qualifications and apply to job openings: chronological, functional and combination.
Chronological Resume - A chronological resume starts by listing out your work history, beginning with your most recent position first and continuing in reverse chronological order. To supplement each position listed, key accomplishments and qualifications are included to give potential employers a sense of the kind of work you have done in the past and what you are capable of doing. An Education section follows, including the schools you attended and when, degree(s) earned, your major(s)/minor(s), and any honors or awards received. For new grads: list Education first, then Experience. In addition, you will typically also include a Skills section which will include computer skills, laboratory skills or languages spoken, etc.
Employers typically prefer this type of resume because they can easily scan which jobs you have held, when you held them, and what you accomplished there. Chronological resumes benefit job seekers with a strong work history.
Click here to view a sample chronological resume via About.com.
Functional Resume - A functional resume focuses more on the skills you have acquired rather than a listing of positions you have held. Functional resumes usually highlight a few key areas of experience and list responsibilities and accomplishments for each experience area. These skill clusters should be specific and filled with lots of context, as well as targeted to the jobs you are applying for.
You may want to consider a functional resume if you are a new graduate without much professional experience or if you have noticeable gaps in your work history. In addition, a functional resume can benefit those job seekers who are changing careers to a field very different from their previous experience. However, keep in mind that many recruiters and employers do not prefer functional resumes and they are not accepted on most online employer career pages and job sites.
Click here to view a sample functional resume via About.com.
Combination Resume - A combination resume is a hybrid of chronological and functional resumes. Skill clusters with accomplishments are listed first, followed by a work history section in reverse-chronological order. The work history section need only be your job titles held, name and location of the companies, and your dates of employment. You do not need to list what you did at each job because that information is already included in your professional skills section.
Click here to view a sample combination resume via About.com.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Write or Revise Your Resume
Now it is your turn to either: (1) write a completely new resume; or (2) edit and update your current resume. Be sure to employ the suggested strategies, including a spell check, and at least 3 to 4 reviews of the resume. It is also helpful to have other people review your resume, as they may find things that were overlooked by you.
Types of Resumes
Remember, how the cover letter should be tailored to the specific job that you're applying for? Well, resumes need to be tailored from time to time, but usually they are created for general use. Since no one has the exact same background of experience and education, no two resumes are exactly alike. However, there are generally three main types of resume templates that job seekers use to show their qualifications and apply to job openings: chronological, functional and combination.
Chronological Resume - A chronological resume starts by listing out your work history, beginning with your most recent position first and continuing in reverse chronological order. To supplement each position listed, key accomplishments and qualifications are included to give potential employers a sense of the kind of work you have done in the past and what you are capable of doing. An Education section follows, including the schools you attended and when, degree(s) earned, your major(s)/minor(s), and any honors or awards received. For new grads: list Education first, then Experience. In addition, you will typically also include a Skills section which will include computer skills, laboratory skills or languages spoken, etc.
Employers typically prefer this type of resume because they can easily scan which jobs you have held, when you held them, and what you accomplished there. Chronological resumes benefit job seekers with a strong work history.
Click here to view a sample chronological resume via About.com.
Functional Resume - A functional resume focuses more on the skills you have acquired rather than a listing of positions you have held. Functional resumes usually highlight a few key areas of experience and list responsibilities and accomplishments for each experience area. These skill clusters should be specific and filled with lots of context, as well as targeted to the jobs you are applying for.
You may want to consider a functional resume if you are a new graduate without much professional experience or if you have noticeable gaps in your work history. In addition, a functional resume can benefit those job seekers who are changing careers to a field very different from their previous experience. However, keep in mind that many recruiters and employers do not prefer functional resumes and they are not accepted on most online employer career pages and job sites.
Click here to view a sample functional resume via About.com.
Combination Resume - A combination resume is a hybrid of chronological and functional resumes. Skill clusters with accomplishments are listed first, followed by a work history section in reverse-chronological order. The work history section need only be your job titles held, name and location of the companies, and your dates of employment. You do not need to list what you did at each job because that information is already included in your professional skills section.
Click here to view a sample combination resume via About.com.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT: Write or Revise Your Resume
Now it is your turn to either: (1) write a completely new resume; or (2) edit and update your current resume. Be sure to employ the suggested strategies, including a spell check, and at least 3 to 4 reviews of the resume. It is also helpful to have other people review your resume, as they may find things that were overlooked by you.