What is a Resume?
Your resume is a clear and concise outline of your abilities, experiences, and
responsibilities in work, service, extracurricular, and academic settings.
Types of Resumes
There is no universally accepted format for preparing a resume. In fact, there
are quite a number of different formats. Some will serve your needs better than
others, depending on the job or internship. Choose the resume style that best
communicates to prospective employers your relevant experience,
skills, and potential contribution. The
choice of font or paper is entirely personal. However, a font size of 10-12
point is recommended. And there should be NO ERRORS: no typos,
no misspelled words, no grammatical errors.
- Chronological
The first and most commonly used format, it describes your experiences in
reverse chronological order. It is best suited if you have directly
related work experience or are targeting positions in industries, such as
banking and consulting, where a more traditional resume may be more
acceptable.
- Functional
The second main format is the functional resume, which highlights your
marketable skills by organizing your accomplishments by skill or career
area. This format is very useful if you have limited related work
experience.
- Achievement
The third most commonly used format is the accomplishment or achievement
resume. This is used to highlight prior work or academic accomplishments
in your background. It can be used as an alternative to a strict
functional or chronological resume when your accomplishments are centered
on a particular skill or experience category.
Resume Writing Tips
- Do your homework!- Familiarize yourself with the
industry, organization, and position in which you are interested. You
cannot write an effective resume if you do not know the qualifications of
the job you are seeking or have information about the specific company to
which you are applying. Take the time to do the research - it'll pay off.
- Format - Most resumes have the
following broad sections:
a) education;
b) work experience; and
c) activities, skills, and interests.
- Chronological resumes - For chronological resumes,
entries are always made in reverse chronological order within each section
or subheading, with your most recent experience first. You cannot change
this order simply to have your most impressive job appear at the top of
the list. Rather, look into other formats to give prominence or focus to
some particular experiences.
- Incomplete phrases- Resumes are not written in
prose ("I was a lab assistant and I performed experiments for . .
."). They are written as incomplete phrases ("Lab Assistant:
Performed experiments.") Use the past or present tense (be
consistent), using strong and clear action
verbs, as opposed to weaker or ambiguous verbs that mask your real
tasks.
- Be specific - It is important to detail you
accomplishments. Always be specific and use numbers where possible.
(Managed a $10,000 budget; recruited, trained, and supervised 25 volunteer
tutors; practiced 4 hours a day with the soccer team.)
- Necessary info - All work and educational
entries in your resume must contain the following information:
a) the name of the company or school;
b) the dates of attendance or employment;
c) the location of the company or school;
d) your position (not needed in educational section);
e) the "particulars" of your job (responsibilities &
accomplishments) and schooling (concentration, selected courses,
awards/scholarships).
- Keep it short & sweet - The length of the resume
matters most of the time (but not always). Your target for most job
applications should be a crisp, clear one-page
resume. It can be done! Just learn to consolidate and select those
activities and experiences that are most important and most
relevant to the reader (the potential employer) and the job you are
seeking.
- Develop different versions - Your resume is not a static
document. The information contained in it will change over time as your
experience grows. And, you may use different formats and versions
depending on the audience you are trying to reach and the job you seek. At
any one time, you are very likely have several different versions of your
resume, which you will use according to the goals you are pursuing.
Courtesy of Harvard University's Office of Career Services
Sample Resumes
