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In spite of new trends, innovative and upbeat sales promotions, most employers either because their information systems require it, or for comparison purposes, prefer your resume in chronological form.  Summary resumes are not acceptable for our purposes.

Resumes should be kept to one page if possible; under no circumstances should they be over two pages. The type should be no smaller than 11, and the margins should be no less than half an inch.  Proofread your resume for typos.  Many resumes are discarded for even one error.

Be sure your name and address are at the top and centered, along with the phone numbers where you can be reached (home, cell, and work if possible) and an e-mail address if available.

For most people the next thing on your resume should be a concise summary of your experience.  This should be kept to 3 or 4 lines and will be the screener’s introduction to you, thus providing interest to continue reading rather than discarding the resume.  Incidentally, with today’s word processing capabilities a Summary can easily be changed to tailor your background to more closely fit a job’s specific requirements (without fabrications, of course!).  Include industry specific keywords (do some research on keywords that might be used to find someone with your talents –read applicable job postings to get an idea of the credentials and skills hiring managers value. Because so many resumes are now scanned into databases, a list of key words that help identify your skills not included in the Summary could be on the bottom line of the Summary headed “Skills:” (without the quotation marks).

If you are just starting out in your career, your education should come just below your name and contact information. It is usually listed in order of importance. If you have a Master's or Ph.D. degree, it is listed first, then Bachelors degree.  If you have more than one degree, then the one received the latest is listed first.  We prefer the dates of completion to be included with each degree. Also, some of your more relevant courses or important training classes can be listed at the top.  If you have worked towards a  Master's degree but have not completed it, please note that, including how much as been completed or how much is remaining.

Next comes job experience with your current or most recent job listed first.  As far as listing your work experiences, it should include your company name followed by city, state, and your starting and ending dates (month and year).  Job titles should be bolded (not the company name) and listed from current to past, and after your title should come the description of what you have done in that position. Job descriptions should include (in paragraph form): 1) If appropriate, the number of employees within the facility and if it is a union or nonunion; 2) Number of direct and indirect reports if applicable; 3) Who you report to by title; 4) A brief general description of your duties, daily activities, etc; and the 5) List your accomplishments in bullet form (using $$, %, measurements like increased production, cost savings).

If you have worked several positions within the same company, they should all come under the same company heading listing the separate titles with the dates served in each position and a separate description for each position with their respective accomplishments.

After listing all employers, titles, and descriptions, be sure to note if you have had any relevant experience (internships) during college.  Note that the position was held during college (or include the words Co-Op or Intern after the job title), and if it is relevant to your current career choice it should include a very brief description.

Education would come next if not listed earlier.  Use the format outlined above.

Military experience should also be noted, including years of service and rank upon discharge.  A brief description can be included if you feel it is relevant to your training or if that is where any supervisory experience took place.

Language skills should be listed but generally activities and hobbies do not need to be on a resume.

Typically a resume ends with a statement such as:  References will be furnished upon request. 

Please see the example if you have any questions.


 
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