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The Resume

The major purpose of the resume is to get a job interview. Unlike the application, the resume is designed by you to highlight your strongest points. You can also send it to a broader range of potential employers, and thus expand your job search.

Even when applying for trade and hourly positions, a short resume can give you a competitive advantage. A well designed resume does a number of things:

Before writing a resume, you first need to choose an appropriate format. Format refers to the type of information you include about yourself and the order in which it appears. There are three basic resume formats: chronological, functional and a combination of the two.

Chronological

    The chronological is the most common resume format. It lists your most recent job at the top of the page, then continues down to your earliest job. Chronological resumes can range from a simple career summary to a more elaborate description of work responsibilities. This format is effective when you have a continuous employment history and your past experience relates directly to the positions for which you are applying.

    The functional format highlights your skills and accomplishments rather than your work history. It lists things you're good at and things you've accomplished at the top of the page, then summarizes the jobs you've held at the end. The functional format is effective when you are switching fields or industries.

    The combination resume uses aspects of both the chronological and functional formats. It lists your jobs from most recent to earliest, then highlights responsibilities and accomplishments within each job listed. This combined approach is effective when you have held several jobs with significant responsibilities and accomplishments.

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