Today we’ll discuss the resume. A resume is a selective record of your background — your educational and work experience, your certifications, abilities, and so on. You send it, often accompanied by an application letter, to colleges or potential employers. There are three different types of resume formats you can use. They are:
the Chronological resume, which is appropriate if you've had steady work experience with little to no breaks;
the Functional resume highlight skills found outside of work experience; it's useful if have little to no work experience;
The most commonly used format is a COMBINATION FORMAT. This type of resume combines the chronological and the functional formats by joining your skills, experience and job history together. The combination resume works well by letting a strong area make up for a weaker area. For example, if your job history is limited, but you have tremendous skill at the task you will perform if hired. So we’ll focus on the combination format.
A COMBINATION FORMAT includes the following sections:
1 The name
2 The address
3 The Contact Info Section
This section of your resume is definitely the easiest to write, but you do have a few options for design and content.
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What is a contact information section? |
Unlike other sections of your resume, this section does not have a special heading like "Contact Information." Instead it simply lists the information below at the top of the page:
your full name
your permanent address
your local or campus address (if applicable)
your phone number(s)
You may also include
your e-mail address
your web address/URL
your fax number, etc.
Of course, as with the rest of your resume, you'll want to double-check that all the information you include is current and accurate. Mistyping your phone number could easily cost you an interview! Also, if you list an e-mail address, be sure to check your e-mail regularly or you may miss an important message.
Sample:
Firstname m. Lastname
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Campus Address 123 Resident Hall Anytown, IN 12345 555-555-5555 lastname@email.com |
Permanent Address 987 Main Street Anytown, IN 12345 555-555-5555 http://webaddress.com | |
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Why write a contact information section? |
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to provide employers with essential information so you may be contacted for an interview or to answer questions
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Questions to ask |
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About you |
About the company or organization |
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What are the different ways you may be contacted? How do you prefer to be reached? |
What means of contacting you would be most convenient for the company or organization? |
4 Portrayal
Here you give a description of yourself, like –
an efficient office manager with the aim of having a firm of her own
5 Key skills
Most important skills for the position you apply for. You write them in the gerund form for an American resume (writing user manual) and in the Past Indefinite form for a British resume (wrote user manual for Mail-X mailer in technical writing course). There should be not more than 5 of them.
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Making your descriptions parallel |
Since resume readers are busy, you'll want to do everything you can to make your their job easier. One way to do this is to use parallel structure in your descriptions. If you set up a pattern and stick with it, your readers will be able to process information more quickly. Notice how the all the verbs in the parallel example below "agree" with one another. Because all descriptions are in past tense, readers don't have to struggle to make sense of them. Similarly, if you use present tense verbs or gerunds (-ing words), try to do so consistently.
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not parallel |
parallel |
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6 Your Objective Statement
An objective statement is a 1-3 sentence summary of your qualifications for a specific position. You might think of it as the thesis statement for your resume. Everything contained in the resume should work to prove that what you have said in your objective statement is true and that you are qualified for the position you want. Although objective statements are not technically required elements of the resume, they are essential for readers to be able to understand what position you want and what your qualifications are.
Relate your career objective directly to the job you want. Be as specific as possible so that your reader will understand what job you are seeking and the way in which you can contribute to the organization. This statement should forecast the remainder of the resume by noting skills gained through your education, work experience or activities.
Your objective statement should include:
the length of the position you are seeking
the job title you for which you are applying (if possible)
the field or industry in which you wish to work
your most relevant skills or qualifications
Here are some examples of objective statements.
A full-time position involving the development of management information systems on mini or microcomputers, using my communication and problem solving skills, and leading to responsibilities as a systems analyst.
A summer internship as a project engineer with a construction company that will utilize my experience in field engineering, cost controlling and estimating.
A position as a systems analyst which will allow me to use my programming, technical writing and supervisory skills to lead a group of dynamic employees.