Resumes and Correspondence |
| Who Wants to Write a Resume??!! |
| Not many people consider resume writing much fun. Even seasoned career coaches find the process of fine tuning their own resumes a tedious task. "Just get me to the interview and I’ll be able to sell my skills and experience, " you say.
Unfortunately, getting interviews, phone or face-to-face, won’t happen until potential employers have a look at a written presentation of your key selling points. |
| Key selling points? Yes. A resume is an advertisement for yourself. It is not a job application where you fill in all the blanks about every job, dates worked and total educational history. It is your presentation of the unique traits, experiences and skills you bring to the marketplace, communicated with the sizzle of a professional ad writer. There are certain guidelines for writing a resume. However, there is no right or wrong way to write one. You need to decide which format will present your background in the most effective manner, relative to your career goals. |
| There are three basic resume styles, with many variations.
Chronological is the most common and also most accepted by employers. This type of resume presents information about experience and education in a sequential format, most recent first. The chief disadvantage of the chronological style is that it reveals gaps or weaknesses in work history. |
| Functional resumes emphasize skills and accomplishments, often grouped in skill categories, and usually contain no dates. This type works well for career changers who want to show transferability of experience to a new field or for someone who has not worked recently, but has relevant past accomplishments. Employers are sometimes suspicious of this style, wondering what the applicant is "trying to hide." |
| Combination resumes combine elements of the first two types, presenting a skills section and also a separate listing of employment history. This style works well for many job seekers because it can be easily tailored to support various employment objectives. The main disadvantage of the combination, as with the chronological, is that if you have limited work experience, it’s much harder to camouflage than with the functional format. |
| Including a "Profile", "Highlights of Qualifications" or "Summary" section at the top of your resume helps the reader focus on what you bring to the table in relation to a specific career area. This section is a variation of your positioning statement and the one-minute pitch you will use in all phases of the job search. For other ideas, attend the Career Center Job Search Success workshop "Resumes & Other Tools" and take a look at resume web sites. |
| One of the best reasons to go through the agony of writing a good resume is that you will "own" the contents. Working on how to communicate your experience in a meaningful, concise manner on a resume is the first step towards becoming skilled in networking and interviewing. |
| Web Links:
Resume Tutor – Interactive workbook
Posting Resumes on the Web
Cover, Thank You and Follow Up Letters
Letter Samples
Links to Resume Sites |
 |