Composing a resume can seem overwhelming. We have tools available to assist with creating a great resume. Read through the following information, utilizing the steps and resources to write your resume.
The written documents you will utilize for your job search consist of a resume, cover letter and list of references. The resume will be a presentation of all of your work experience, your education, and other information relevant to the job you are seeking.
The cover letter will be a short letter expressing your interest in the position and will highlight your qualifications for the position. Your references are those people that can best talk about you and your ability to perform the job.
This is to ensure that you target your resume to the job.
Sending a general resume in response to a job posting will most likely ensure you NOT getting an interview.
By targeting your resume, you tell the prospective employer that you are VERY interested in the job because you took the time to prepare an appropriate resume. This, however, will not get you the job – you do that in the interview!
There are three kinds of resume formats: Chronological, Functional and Combination. Click on one of the resume types below to view an example.
This type of resume is organized on your employment history. Actually it is a reverse chronological format because it contains a list of jobs held from the most recent backwards. This format is especially good if you have a strong work history that is related to the job for which you are applying.
Employers tend to prefer the chronological resume.
This resume contains elements of both the chronological and functional resume. It is useful if you have work experience and are changing careers. To create a combination resume, you list your employers chronologically and within each job, show your skills by functional area.
This resume is organized on your skills and qualifications.
For example, if you are applying for a job that requires “supervisory experience”, under this heading you would enter your experience and accomplishments as a supervisor. This could be from a variety of employment or other situations, without reference to the organization where you gained the experience.
The functional resume is more difficult to prepare than a chronological resume. Also, some employers are not as comfortable with this format. It is not used as often as the chronological and employers cannot easily see where and when you gained your experience and accomplishments.
On the other hand, if you have limited work experience, are changing careers or have considerable gaps in your employment, the functional resume may be the appropriate approach.
Many on-line databases and resume posting services utilize keyword recognition criteria for selecting resumes. If you are applying to positions on-line or posting an electronic resume on a service such as Monster.com, then make sure you consider these rules.