The resume is your primary identification in the professional world. Companies can look at your resume and decide if you are fit for a certain position or not. As an applicant, you should create your resume properly, or else applicants with better resumes will have a definite edge over you.
Main Types of Resumes
The proper organization of facts is important when creating your own resume. A well-organized resume is easy to read and interesting to browse. Many companies prefer specific resume arrangements over others, depending on the nature of the job. You must know these arrangements to have an instantly competitive application:
Chronological resume
Functional resume
Combination resume
The Chronological Resume
The chronological resume focuses on the chronological order of job experiences. The list of experiences must be arranged from the most recent to the earliest. Each experience listed should also bear supporting information such as:
Company Name
Office Address
Nature of the Job
Duration of Stay
Reason/s for Leaving
Ideally, every experience should have a complete set of backup information but in some cases, applicants purposely leave some of the details blank so that they will have more things to say during the interview. Just weigh your conversational skills for interviews and the overall length of your resume. Remember, an ideal resume should have a maximum of two or three pages.
You should write a chronological resume if…
You have much experience in your field. Since this resume gives a detailed account of your entire professional journey, it is the logical choice of experienced employees. Companies can judge your worth as an employee by simply looking at the companies that you have previously worked for and the duration of your entire professional life. Experienced HR officers readily determine the skills that you have acquired through your experience.
You are playing it safe. The chronological resume is the most commonly used among the four general types. If you are not too confident with your job skills, you can simply create a chronological resume and aim for the job interview. HR officers can easily overestimate your skills based on your experience. Chances are, you may get into the next stage of the application process — the initial interview.
You have an exceptional college career. For honor students, the chronological resume appears as a good choice. Indicate your GPA and your scholastic awards to show your prospective employers your tremendous potential. If you are applying for an entry-level position, your list of grades and honors can almost assure you of getting the job.
Writing a Chronological Resume
Writing the chronological resume can be a little tedious since you just need to list your job experiences chronologically. Word processors make the job even easier since they have templates for all types of resumes.
Materials Used:
computer
word processor
printer
bond paper
Procedures:
Open the word processor on your computer.
Look at the templates offered before creating a new document.
Select the template of your choice for your chronological resume.
Follow the format for all of your job experiences. Keep the information accurate.
Omit unnecessary information or some minor experience if you feel that your resume is going to exceed three pages.
Print your resume.
The Functional Resume
The functional resume prioritizes the job skills of the applicant. In place of the chronological events found in the chronological resume, the functional resume points out the primary strengths of the applicant and supports them with appropriate information. This type of resume is perfect for companies that have job openings for technical or specialized jobs.
You should write a functional resume if…
You do not have much experience. If you do not have a great deal of experience, you can focus on your skill set as an employee. Instead of enumerating your work experience, you can list all of your skills and how you achieved them. You can also indicate in your resume the projects where you have used your skills. Build on your skills by showing how each of your characteristics contributed to the success of those projects.
You’re looking for a technical job. Companies looking for technical jobs prioritize the ability of applicants to do special skills over one’s work experience. If you fail to properly demonstrate the level of your technical skills in your resume, chances are your slot will be taken by someone who has done more prestigious projects in the past. Examples of fields that require a functional resume are programming, graphic designing, and blue collared jobs.
You are switching careers. A new career path means that you have limited experience compared to some of the other applicants for your coveted position. A well-written functional resume can work wonders since your probable employers can instantly see your strengths. Through proper skill documentation, you can get an edge over your rival applicants. Just be prepared to ace the skills test that is often included in the application process for technical jobs.
Writing a Functional Resume
The functional resume is simple. You just have to enumerate your professional competencies and personal traits. You will then provide information to build on your skills or competencies.
Procedure:
Open a word processing program on your computer.
View the templates and click on your choice to create a new document.
Type in your personal information as stated by the template.
List all of your technical skills that can help you with your application. If the job that you are applying for is computer-related, indicate all of the programs or programming languages that you have mastered.
List your previous jobs where you used your technical skills and traits.
Under each skill or trait, explain the extent of your capabilities. You can slightly exaggerate your skills if you do not feel confident with your current skill set.
Make sure that the resume does not go over two pages.
Edit then print your functional resume.
The Combination Resume
Having the characteristics of both the chronological and the functional resumes makes the combination resume your most versatile option among the bunch. You should carefully select the information that you’re going to include because you can easily go over the two-page standard for resumes. To make your resume more competitive, you can eliminate unnecessary information and a few minor details, if necessary.
The combination resume contains the detailed timeline found in chronological resumes and the comprehensive list of skills and traits seen in functional resumes. Normally, the resume shows the list of skills first, then it is followed by the chronological list of employers.
You should write a combination resume if…
You are not sure what type of resume to write. Since the combination has the main characteristics of the other two resumes, you can submit a combination resume for any type of job. You must make the information concise so that the HR officers will not have a hard time reading it. Remember, resumes that are not readable often get tossed in the trash bin.
You’re applying for jobs that need a perfect balance of skills and experience. Some companies are not satisfied with a clearly defined skill set. Sometimes they opt to check if an applicant knows how to get around rough situations, which is often displayed by experienced employees. A nicely written combination resume will show that an applicant has all the tools to flourish in his field.
Writing a Combination Resume
The trick in writing a combination resume is to know the sequence. Normally, the list of skills go first since it is the first thing that HR officers look at. The reversed chronological account of work experiences comes next. The list of skills are completely justified, if the chronological account is comprehensively written.
Procedure:
Open a word processor on your computer.
Select a resume template to open a new document.
Follow the format for the personal information section.
Enumerate your professional skills. Support each skill with the necessary information.
Write the chronological account of your work experience.
Remove some information from the chronological account if your resume will go over two pages.
Edit then print your resume.
Your resume can boost your chances of starting a career. Make it your ally by making a perfect one. Otherwise, it will certainly doom your chances of nabbing your dream job.