Copyright December 12, 2006
CareerBuilder LLC - Reprinted with
permission.
Creating a resume is the very best way to
document your career and accomplishments. If
you build and maintain one as you move along
your career path, you'll be able to capture
key achievements and results while they are
still fresh in your mind.
Everyone who works or is thinking about
working needs a resume. Industry
consolidations, economic conditions,
earnings shortfalls, and changes in
management or ownership can alter a person's
job satisfaction or status in an instant.
Whether you are going to school,
dissatisfied with your current job, or happy
and gainfully employed, a well thought out
and up-to-date resume is your best defense
and offense.
The majority of resumes follow a similar
format by listing most recent jobs and work
experience first. This is called a "reverse
chronological" format. But there is also the
"skills-based" or "functional" format that
highlights what you can do rather than what
you have done. Some find that blending these
two formats is the best way to summarize
their experience and capabilities. Those in
teaching and scientific professions,
especially people with advanced degrees,
find the "curriculum vitae" or CV most
effective. How do you decide which format is
best? Following are some tips and guidelines
for when to use which format.
Reverse Chronological
This is the format familiar to most
employers and hiring managers. It normally
includes a career objective or summary at
the top, and is followed by a listing of
each job the person has held, starting with
the most recent, and a brief summary of
responsibilities and accomplishments.
Reverse chronological resumes should include
job titles, dates of employment, and company
names and locations. For each position you
held, you should give an overview of your
essential responsibilities and your related
accomplishments and achievements. This
should be followed by a summary of your
education and training.
Using this format is best for those who have
had a steady work history and a record of
increased responsibility and career growth.
This is also a great format if the companies
you worked for, especially your most recent
employer, are well-recognized and
well-respected within your industry.
Skills-Based or Functional Format
A functional formatted resume ignores
chronological order and focuses on your
career in terms of your skills and
capabilities. This format helps readers
focus on what you can do rather than what
you have done. By using the functional
approach, you can tailor your resume to
highlight skills and competencies sought by
potential employers. You can show how you
ideally match the requirements of a
particular job for which you are applying,
by including relevant achievements and
accomplishments related to specific skills.
The functional resume includes a career
objective that states what type of job you
desire or a career summary that encapsulates
your work history, education and strengths
in a sentence or two. The main body of the
resume provides a summary of three to five
skills you possess and demonstrates your
proficiency in the particular area through
accomplishments and measurable results
related to the skill. One added benefit of
this format is that you can include learning
from both paid and volunteer work. In its
purest form it omits dates, employers and
job titles, however, most employers expect
to see this information somewhere within a
resume.
The functional format is ideal for those who
have had gaps in employment or for those who
have changed careers over the years or had
unclear career paths. It is also great for
new graduates who don't have much paid work
experience.
Combination or Blended Format
If you can't decide which format to use, you
may wish to develop a resume that utilizes
the best of both formats. These resumes will
include reverse chronological listings of
the most recent jobs you've held in addition
to showcasing your particular skills and
accomplishments. It might begin with a
summary of qualifications and bulleted
skills, followed by a chronicled job listing
that demonstrates, through measurable
results, how you used or applied the skills
you just highlighted.
Curriculum Vitae
An academic curriculum vitae is a
comprehensive document or biographical
statement of your experience and
achievements. It is normally four to eight
pages in length and is used primarily for
those who work in a PhD-driven environment
where higher degrees, research, published
works and professional accreditation and
recognition are valued. A summary of
professional qualifications and
accomplishments are listed first. This is
followed by a detailed listing of education
and academic degrees, recognized
achievements such as major research works,
published articles in peer-reviewed
journals, and professional affiliations and
credentials. Only those who are pursuing
careers in science, such as biotech or
research, academia, think tanks and the like
should use this format.
