OLMIS

Published Dec-9-2011

Employment History Work History Volunteer Work/Community Service Military Service Achievements Activities Skills Personal Information References The main resume types are:

Resumes contain much of the same information as a job application. The difference is that your resume should sell you, your skills, and your knowledge to the employer. Your resume should be designed to get you a job interview.

Tailor each resume to the job you are applying for. Include the most relevant facts about yourself and your skills. Write your resume using vocabulary common to the industry, company, or occupation. You can learn that vocabulary from the people in your network and from trade journals, forums, and blogs.

Start by writing down the skills listed on the job description. Then figure out something specific that each skill connects to, such as the kinds of problems you might have to solve. When you write about your skills and experiences in your resume, show how they relate to the current job by the words you use.

Skill statements effectively describe your experiences and skills to your potential employers. Statements should answer who, what, where, and how questions. Whenever possible, include numbers and words that demonstrate your experience and show results of your actions.

Each section below has more detailed information about specific areas of your resume.

Your employment history includes any paid or unpaid work you have done, as well as any military service.

Your work history is a chronological listing of all of your paid employment, from most recent to least recent. Include the names and locations of employers, and use action words to describe your work. Tailor each description to focus on skills important to the job you are applying for.

Include at least 15 years of employment, if you have been working for that long. Depending on how many jobs you have held, it may be a pretty long list. You may want to have longer descriptions for jobs that are most relevant to the job you are applying for, and shorter descriptions for others. Since most resumes should fit on one page, use concise bullet points.

Include dates for each job, but only the beginning and ending dates by month and year. If you have any gaps in employment, be prepared to explain why and show how you used your time.

If you have performed volunteer work that shows your skills or abilities related to the job you are seeking, it is important to include it in your resume. List each organization you have worked with, and describe your role. Be sure to highlight any supervision or project management tasks you have done.

If you have served in the military, there are two ways to include this information in your resume. The first option is to add it to your work history, described above. This works well if you spent a significant amount of time on active duty, where the military was your main job.

The other option is to place your military service in a separate section. This is effective if you are a Reserve or National Guard member and held jobs outside of the military.

Awards, recognition, scholarly work, and presentations are just a few of the achievements you could list here. Any important achievement that demonstrates your knowledge, work ethic, or skill should be listed. Have you traveled around the world? Climbed Denali? Built a log cabin? These are all achievements and can go here.

List any activities that are relevant to the job or will give your employer a better sense of your skills and work ethic. Include items such as athletics, clubs, or hobbies.

It is very important to tailor this section of your resume to the job you are applying for. Include languages you speak, specialized equipment, computer hardware and software, and any other special skills.

Your name and contact information should be at the top of your resume. Include your full name, mailing address, phone number, and email address. Avoid abbreviations and nicknames. It's important that your email address is appropriate and professional.

Some applications ask for references on your resume. Only include them if asked to. Most employers will eventually ask for references so you should have them available.

Because many employers read resumes quickly, the order of the information on your resume is very important. Some industries prefer certain resume formats. Talk to people in your network to find out how you should format your resume. If you are still unsure, use the chronological format, as it is the most common.

The main resume types are:

Recent Graduate

• Includes most important educational accomplishments
  
• Provides work history in a chronological format
  
• May include classes or projects relevant to the job you are applying for

Accomplishment

• Uses the best of chronological and functional formats
  
• Displays skills related to the job at the top, while also providing work history
  
• Connects skills, experience, and work history

Chronological

• Lists work experience from most recent to least recent
  
• Good for people with recent related experience or no breaks in employment
  
• Most commonly used resume format
  
• Can make gaps in employment harder to explain

Functional-Skills

• Relates your skills to the employer's needs
  
• Good for people with a broad range of experiences
  
• Skill statements must be more descriptive as they are not presented in the context of a job

Regardless of how you format your resume, there should be no spelling or grammar errors. It should be clean, neat, and easy to read. Don't use flashy paper or odd fonts.

The length of your resume will depend on your experience and the requirements of the job you are applying for. Potential employers may be turned off by wordy or unnecessarily long resumes. Try to keep your resume to one or two pages.

There are several ways to present your resume online, as well. LinkedIn is the most popular, and can also be an effective networking tool. You can also create an attractive, professional online resume at: visualcv.com.

Source: Excerpted from Oregon Career Information System, © 2011, University of Oregon, All Rights Reserved