A resume (aka CV or Curriculum Vitae ) is a personal business autobiography.  Your resume presents a summary of your skills, knowledge and achievements and how they make you the outstanding candidate for the job. Your resume shows what you've achieved for others and what you can offer a prospective employer. 

A resume is an advertisement for yourself

Your resume will get only 10 to 20 seconds attention, at best.  You must create a good first impression and generate interest immediately.  The decision to grant an interview is usually based on a first impression.

 Types of Resumes

A Chronological Resume is the traditional structure for a résumé.  The Experience section is the focus of the résumé; each job is described in reverse chronological order starting with your latest position.  This structure is primarily used when you are staying in the same profession, in the same type of work, particularly in conservative fields.  A chronological résumé details your growth as an employee and is best suited for people who have a strong employment background and documented experience. 

A Functional Resume highlights your major skills and accomplishments from the beginning of your career.  Actual company names and positions are in a subordinate position, with no description.  Functional résumés list your qualifications at the top of the page and work experience at the bottom of the page.  The functional résumé is a must for career changers, and generalists, with spotty or divergent careers, students, military officers, those returning to the job market or someone who wants to shift their career direction.

A Combination Resume takes the focus on skills from the functional resumes and merges it with the experience of the chronological résumé for a complete package of your qualifications.  Combination résumés can be used by anyone.

A Legal Resume has the peculiar professional tradition of listing law degrees first followed by positions, listed in reverse chronological order.

 Basic Guidelines

The résumé must be visually enticing and easy to read.  Be consistent in the use of punctuation, capitalization and abbreviations and italics,  Format headings, titles and company names, in a large, boldface type.   Use bullets, boldface and rules (lines). 

 Title

Put your name and contact information at the top of every page of your resume.

Your name should always be in view

The reader needs only glance up to the top of the page to be reminded who you are.

 Summary

The purpose of a Summary (or Summary of Qualifications) is to create a specific response in the mind of the reader.  The Summary forms the image that employers have of your skills and abilities.  Use concise statements that focus the potential employer's attention on the most important qualities, achievements and abilities you have to offer.  Do not use the summary to state your career objective or the type of job you are seeking.

A well-written Summary includes the following:

• A short phrase describing your profession;
• A statement of broad or specialized expertise;
• One or more professional characteristics;
• Professional objectives or interest.

Focus on the most recent and relevant job.  Don't go into detail on the jobs early in your career.

Objective

Alternatively, use an Objective instead of a Summary if you have completed or are completing a career changing degree in a new professional field or if you are an undergraduate student or returning to the workforce and have a limited work history.  Stress your qualities and abilities.  You have to be creative in getting across what makes you stand out.  You want the employer to immediately focus on where you are going rather than where you have been.  Use in place of a Summary, when appropriate, never in addition to one.

 Experience & Skills

Your experience and skills are the heart of the resume.  Your qualifications and skills must match the needs of the prospective employer.

Put yourself in the shoes of the prospective employer.

• What skills is he looking for?
• What qualifications should the ideal candidate have?
• What image does your resume  present?

A resume is a professional business biography; a summary of skills and accomplishments, not a life history.

Don't include everything in your resume

An employer or recruiter reads hundreds of résumés.  Most people can only remember a few ideas from any one résumé.

Decide which qualifications you want the employer to remember most

List past positions in reverse chronological order with your current or most recent position first.  Expand on the most recent achievements in your most recent positions.  Use the date and job title for less important or earlier career positions, with little detail.

List what you have achieved, contributed, improved, expanded, implemented, and/or solved (See Power Words) for each position you have held to show prospective employers what you can do for them.

 Other Headings

You may feel compelled to add additional headings (or use them in place of those above).  Other possible headings include the following:

• Professional Experience or History
• Career or Professional Highlights
• Skills and Accomplishments
• Additional Skills and Accomplishments

 Education, Training and Licenses

Educational information and additional skills are noted at the bottom of the résumé.  List your educational achievements in reverse chronological order.  Set degrees apart so they are easily seen.  List selected course work only if it helps convince the reader of your qualifications for the targeted job.  If you are working on an uncompleted degree, include the degree and the expected date of completion: B.S. (expected 200_).  List only relevant training, licenses and awards (if any).

 Closing

Place References available upon request at the end of your résumé, if you prefer.  This is a standard close, but not necessary.  Do not include actual references.  Bring a separate sheet of references to the interview, to be given to the employer, only upon request.

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