My Career Voyage! Charting The Course

By Patty E. Shaver
Career Development Facilitator

A résumé is a marketing tool that can help you get your foot in the door of a potential employer. A résumé should be designed to present your personal inventory of skills, experience and accomplishments and education. It should emphasize your job qualifications and personal strengths.
The job seeker uses a resume to make a good impression on a potential employer in order to get called in for an interview.
Employers use the resume to identify candidates who possess appropriate skills and qualifications that are needed for the job.
Résumés styles are: chronological, functional or combination formats used in both conventional paper and electronic forms.

Chronological Résumé:
The chronological résumé emphasizes work experience in reverse chronological order. This is the most commonly used résumé style. Employers prefer this format because it gives them the information they want to know in a format similar to an application. Chronological resumes are good to use if you have the experience and skills that are needed in the job you seek and you have a consistent work history and shows growth.

Functional Résumé:
The functional résumé emphasizes key skills, qualifications and accomplishments rather than a chronological listing of work experience. Skills are organized into categories that identify the functional skills you have. Some employers may not like this format because it can conceal a job seeker's weaknesses or gaps in job history. Professionals may use the functional resume to emphasize a particularly strong skill area.

The functional résumé is appropriate for job seekers who:

• have a variety of experiences
  
• are re-entering the workforce
  
• have been unemployed for a long period of time
  
• change jobs frequently

Combination Résumé:
A combination resume combines the chronological and functional résumés. Information can be arranged to highlight functional skills within a chronological format; experience can be organized around skill areas while chronological work history is organized separately; or a qualifications summary can be used within a chronological résumé format. Use the style that stresses your strengths best.

Tips for conventional paper résumés:

• Use quality paper, preferably white or off-white.
  
• Font should be 10-14 point Times New Roman or Helvetica.
  
• Use boldface, underline or capitalize headings and job titles.
  

Electronic résumés have quickly become the norm. You can either send it by e-mail or cut and paste it into an online form on a job search or employer Web site.

Tips for electronic résumés:

• Use white background.
  
• Font should be 10 to 14 point Times New Roman or Helvetica.
  
• Use boldface.
  
• Avoid boxes, lines, italics, and graphics because they do not scan well.
  
• Eliminate tabs and bullets.
  
• Use asterisk, dash and equal sign to format resume.
  
• Save at a text file (.txt).
  
• Incorporate keywords that accurately describe your qualifications
  
• Add a descriptive subject line with your message.
  
• Send resume as an attachment only if the employer requests it this way.
  
• Proofread before sending.
  
• Send a copy to yourself first to be sure your formatting transmits properly.
  

Cover Letters

Always include a cover letter with your résumé. A carefully crafted cover letter can be the key that opens the door to an interview. The cover letter is used to sell yourself to potential employers and to prompt them to read your résumé and call you in for an interview.

An effective cover letter:

• Is addressed to a specific person.
  
• States how you heard about the job.
  
• Is tailored to a specific position in an organization by matching your qualifications with the requirements of the job.
  
• Demonstrates your knowledge of the hiring organization and the job.
  
• Is straightforward, businesslike, and positive.
  
• Is typed neatly, error free and on good quality paper.
  
• Is no more than two pages.
  

For detailed information about resumes and cover letters take a resume tutorial or participate in an online resume workshop.

References
List personal and business references.
List their name, title, phone number, address and e-mail address.