Tips For Effective Resumes

A resume is a communication vehicle. It is your best method of selling yourself to an employer. It also serves as the first impression a potential employer develops about your abilities and suitability for a job. In career design, the effort that goes into the preparation of your resume will play a major role in the outcome of your campaign. What you write about yourself should convince the employer of how much you have to offer his/her organization. Your resume should entice the employer to set up a personal interview so that you can demonstrate in person that you are the right person for the job.

There are two generally accepted formats for resumes, Chronological and Functional.

Chronological Format

The Chronological resume is the most common and readily accepted form of presentation. It is also preferred by employers because it can be reviewed quickly. The chronological resume is like a history of yourself. Start with your current or most recent job and work backwards. Under each job you should focus on what your responsibilities were, and on your accomplishments while you were at the job. Depending on what "sells" you most effectively, you may choose to start with education or work history after your name and address.

Functional Format

The Functional resume is a good choice for someone with gaps in their employment history or for someone who is making a career change. Job titles and employers play a minor part with this type of resume. The attention is always focused on the skill rather than the context or time of its acquisition. Headings such as Technical Skills, Supervisory Skills and Communication Skills create the format while dates of employment, employer names, job titles and education are usually found at the bottom of the resume.

Regardless of the format, a resume should only be one or two pages in length. You should be sure to include your full name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. White space should be left for ease of reviewing the resume and for a better presentation. Visual appearance is very important. It is acceptable to use bold typeface, underscoring, bullets, etc. to draw the employer's eye to key selling areas, but be sure to use these features sparingly. A resume covered in bold type and underlined text does not look appealing to an employer.

And, most importantly - don't forget to have someone else proofread your resume to look for mistakes you may have missed!