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All resumes share similar components in three, common formats.
Chronological - Presents job history and education by date. It'sorganized in reverse order by employer, with the most recent first.
Functional - Also called a skills resume, it's a summary of qualifications typically organized by education, experience and skills, with little emphasis on employer history.
Combination - Also called a hybrid resume, it's a composite of the two above.
Resume formats are only guidelines and there are an endless number of variations. Which format is best and in which order the components appear depends on your career situation. But always place your contact information first, followed by your objective.
Submitting Your Resume:
First and foremost, be meticulous. It's not a good idea to submit your resume with typos and other blatant mistakes. You don't get a
second chance.
Do tailor your resume for each employer's job description whenever possible. It shows that you've done your homework and might be the ideal candidate for the job. If responding to an ad or job posting, use the job title and/or noted reference number as the subject of your message.
For example, if an employer is looking for a Quality Analyzer, state in your resume objective that you are specifically seeking "a career position as a Quality Analyzer rather than generically, "a position in an MT department." Under appropriate headings in the remainder of your resume, emphasize your education, skills and experiences that are in tune with the employer's job description.
Describe your experience with concrete words rather than vague descriptions. For example, it's better to use "managed a team of medical transcriptionists" rather than "responsible for managing, training..." Be concise and truthful.
Keep track of where you submit your resume, so you don't submit your resume more than once to the same place. You also know where to go to withdraw or modify your resume and can determine from which resources your best recruiting responses are originating.
Besides the URLs, also record your user IDs and passwords.
Never attach your resume to an email unless specified. With the proliferation of computer viruses most recipients prefer that you include your resume directly in the body of your email, not in a file attachment where macro viruses can hide. If you send attachments without permission, recipients may delete your messages without even reading them. Never assume you can attach a word-processed document to an email message, as you do not know which word processor they are using. Bottom line is, if recipients don't request it, don't do it. Ask first.
Email resumes aren't very pretty. Even so, they are widely accepted and the quickest way to get your qualifications in front of hiring personnel. Plain ol' text is the preferred format for email resumes, so "Rewire Your Resume for the Internet":
- Remove all formatting codes (e.g. bullets, underlining, boldface,
or italics) from your resume.
- Start your resume with a flush left margin of 0, keeping your
right margins at 65.
- ASCII files usually appear on-screen in a Courier-like font, so doing your typing in Courier will help you see your resume as your recipient will see it.
- Paste the text directly into the body of the e-mail message.
- If the file is to be transferred as unformatted text and was created in a word processor, use its "Save As" feature to save it as an ASCII text file.
- If attachments are acceptable, send the file as a "text only" file.
- Never type your resume in all UPPERCASE characters. The Net-savvy call it shouting and consider it rude.
When you get down to writing, remember the key points:
1) write what the HR Manager wants to hear about you;
2) make the résumé easy to read; and
3) provide substance and depth to areas of your background in which the HR Manager is interested.
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