personal (respected community member(s) who can attest to your personal character)
You will need 3 to 5 refferences; some employers may ask for more. If youhave good work references and the employer doesn't specify the types of references, it is best to give the work references.
Before using people as references , you must ASK FOR THEIR PERMISSION! This gives your references time to consider what they will say. This also gives you the oppertunity to tell them the type of work you are considering so they can formulate their answers to the employer's questions to your best advantage. It is a good idea to give your references a copy of your completed resume to review before they are contacted by potential employers. In addition, you might want to write a letter of recomendation that you can present to future employers. Don't assume people who said you could use them as references years ago wil remember-ASK THEM AGAIN!
Be sure to include the folling information in your references:
- name of person
- phone number and extentions
- address (where they prefer to be reached)
- job title (if they are employed)
- company name (if they are employed)
Most references who are employed prefer to be reached at work!
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Select the Resume Type (format)
That Meets Your Needs Best
An important decision to be made when constructing your resume is which format or style should be used. The 4 most common formats are chronological, functional, combination, and targeted.
Chronological
The chronological resume is the traditional format used in many resumes. This style focuses attention on dates and work experience. However, it is important to find an attractive typographical layout so that the dates will not dominate. Dates do not sell your ability. Your qualifications and skills are described under the positions you have held. This type of resume works well for people with strong and steady work experience related to their career objectives. Another benefit from this format is that your advancement into increasingly responsible positions are
documented. See the examples below to see how the information is organized.
Functional
A functional resume contains clusters of skills organized under subheadings. These skills have been aquired through previous jobs, education, and leisure activities. A functional resume does not emphasizejob history. In fact, it may not even list employers at all! If you have no work or volunteer experience, you may want to use a functional resume. If you do have work, volunteer, or military experience , it is advised that you use the chronological or combination style since employers desire to know the history of your experience.
If you have never seen a functional resume, it may be difficult to picture. Look at the sample functional resume below to compare the appearances with that of the chronological resume.
There is one possible drawback with a functional resume: employers may suspect you are hiding something if you do not include previous jobs. The possible solution is to use the combination format.
Combination
If one or more of the following statements describes you, you may want to use a combination resume.
- little or no work experience OR
- long gaps between jobs OR
- few major long term jobs OR
- skills developed outside of paid work experience
Combination resumes use the best features or chronological and functional formats while eliminating many of their weak points. A major portion of the resume resembles the typical functional resume which contains skills listed under subheadings. In addition, your previous jobs are listed, but there is little or no description of your duties under each job. The skills, devoloped from your work experience that demonstrate your qualifications for the job, will be included in your skills section. You should stick with a functional resume if you feel that including your employment history will draw attention to details you prefer not to reveal.
There are two basic types of combination resume. In one type experience is arranged by functional skills catagories with employers and dates listed in a separate section. The second type of combination resume has experience clustered by career area: e.g., sales experience, accounting experience, etc. Employers are listed along with experience within the functional career area. This type is useful if your most recent experience does not relate to your job target, but prior experience does relate. The sample combination resumes below should give you an idea of how functional and chronological formats can be arranged.
Targeted
A targeted resume is a specific type of combination approach which emphasizes capabilities and achievments related to your job target.
See the example below.
Next step
Typical student resumes are given as examples. These are chronological resumes. With any resumes done outside of school you may want to consider one of the other formats.
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Refine Your Materials
What information should I include in a resume?
Any information that demonstrates your qualifications to an employer should be included in a resume. The following is a description of the typical information included in most resumes. Depending on your resume format and background ,you may decide not to use some sections and/or to create some additional sections.
Name: (complete, full name)
Address: (street, city, state, zip)
Phone: (include area code and message number if you are not home during business hours)
Employment objective:
This brief statement describes the type of job or occupational area you are seeking (i.e., position as a Quality Control Engineering Technician). If you cannot name a specific occupation or you are pursuing employment in several different fields, you may want to focus on the skills you can bring to a job. For example: "seeking a position in which I can utilize my communication, sales, and computer programming skills." However the more specific and clearly foccused the statement, the better chance you will have of impressing employers that you know what you want to do.
Education:
List your degrees, diplomas, and professional or educational certifications, your academic major, and date of graduation. If you possess any acedemichonors, or your GPA is 3.0 or better, include this informationafter the appropriate educational experience. For example: "Associate of Arts, Jamestown Community College, Jamestown, New York; Human Services Major; Dean's List, Spring '89." High school education is not
typically included if you have a college degree.
Work Experience:
List employer name, city state and your job title. Follow this information with a concise description of your responsibilities in that particular position. Use short phrases and lots of action words. Be certain to mention IF YOU WERE PROMOTED OR HAD SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS. List each work experience separatly, in reverse chronological order.
Military Service:
This section of your resume is usually listed after your educational experience unless your military experience relates directly to your Career Objective, or you have recently been discharged. Usually only provide basic information such as dates, rank, station, and type of discharge.
Extra Curricular Activities:
Briefly list any activities not directly related to work or education. Be certain to include any activities that required leadership, organization or team membership, civic responsibility, etc. If you have not participated in formal activities , you can list hobbies or interests.
Honors and Awards:
List any scholarships or formal recognitions of outstanding achievments. If you do not have any, simply leave this section out of your resume.
References
Normally you do not list your references on a resume. They should be typed on the same quality paper as the resume and presented separately. Most people include a statement that the references are available upon request at the botom of the resume.
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Decide on the Appearance of Your Resume
How should I organize information in my resume?
It is usually best to put your strongest job-related qualifications first and personal information last. If you have more than related work experience, put educational experience first. Other information such as professional memberships, research, etc., should be in the middle. However, different occupational fields and companies stress different information, so check with the Guidance Department to determine what is most suitable for you.
What are some common mistakes I should avoid?
Don't
- list salary requirements
- indicate reason for leaving a job
- use "I" on a resume
- use abbreviations -unless it aviods confussion.
- forget to include a cover letter when you mail your resume
- crowd information
- list personal information such as age, height, weight unless they are
related to your career objective
What can I do to make my resume stand out?
There are some special techniques you can use to make your resume professional and easy to read.