Resume Layouts
There are 2 basic type of resume layouts - chronological and functional.
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Chronological lists your jobs and education by date while functional highlights the skills you have without placing an emphasis on when you acquired them.
Coming from a high tech business, I am used to the chronological format. In a business like that, the technology changes very rapidly so a skill acquired 5 years ago can rapidly become outdated. I think if you are in any type of business that requires constant update of skills or licenses than chronological makes more sense.
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If, however you are applying for a job with very little experience, changing careers or re-entering the work force a functional resume might serve you better as it will highlight what you know while de-emphasizing your lack of experience.
No matter which of the resume layouts you use, you should always make sure your resume is grammatical correct and don't forget to check for spelling! Every resume should be typed in an easy to read font (this is not the time to be fancy!). Included with your resume should be a cover letter that is geared for the particular job you are applying for.
The chronological format of resume layouts lists your employment and education by date with the most recent date first. It typically has a brief paragraph about each job with the date and place either above or over to the left in a 2 column format. It should briefly list your accomplishments and be no longer than 2 pages.
The functional format of resume layouts lists the most important skills first. If you are changing careers, then this might be the time to highlight the skills learned in your last career that apply to the new career. Again, be brief and list in a organized manner.
Some things common to all resume layouts include a cover letter, career goals or objective, skills assessment, and education. The cover letter should accompany
each resume submitted for a job and be geared towards that particular job. List why you want to work for the company and how you think your skills will fit their needs. The career goals or objective should list what you expect to achieve during this new job and any long range goals you have, the skills assessment is a list of relative skills – this is a good change to fit in some resume key words that will peak interest. All of these should be tweaked to be relevant to each job that you apply for - a resume that most closely matches the job description will be the most likely to get picked for an interview!
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