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Three Types of Resume
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| In her book, Finding a Career that Works for You, Wilma Fellman helps readers prepare resumes for their job search. There are three types of resumes: chronological resume; functional resume; and combination resume. Below we describe each one and give examples of each. |
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What is a Chronological Resume?
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Chronological resumes are the easiest to write and most commonly prepared. They contain a list of work experiences in reverse chronological order (most recent to least recent) and describe the responsibilities required in each job rather than the specific abilities, skills, and accomplishments you possess to perform the job well. This type of resume tells the reviewer what you did in the past, but tells little about what you can do in the future. Advantages: • Highlights a record of steady employment. • Expected by many employers. • Easiest to prepare. • Highlights companies you have worked for that have a good reputation. Disadvantages: • Often does not focus on skills. • Emphasizes job hopping. • Emphasizes large gaps in your work history. |
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What is a Functional Resume?
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| The functional resume emphasizes qualifications—skills and accomplishments as opposed to dates, positions, and responsibilities. The content focuses on the objective indicated at the beginning, the applicant’s skills, and the prospective employer’s job needs. It essentially tells prospective employers what you can do for them. Functional resumes are very useful for individuals who do not have a great deal of work experience, for individuals who have job hopped, and for individuals who have large gaps in their employment history. A chronological resume would accentuate the fact that you have moved from job to job or have not worked steadily, which may not be to your advantage. Skill resumes are more difficult to prepare because you need a good understanding of both your skills and the skills that would interest a prospective employer. Advantages: • Emphasizes skills and accomplishments. • De-emphasizes spotty job history or frequent job changes. • Focuses on what you can do (future) rather than on only what you have done (past). Disadvantages • Is not familiar to employers, who may feel something is missing. • Provides no opportunity to highlight certain employers. • Offers no clear work history. |
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What is a Combination Resume?
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| This combines the best characteristics of the chronological resume and the functional resume. The combination resume may be more difficult to write. It contains a brief employment history presented chronologically, and stresses skills and competencies, including job titles and dates. This type of resume allows you to stress your qualifications by work history in chronological and functional terms. Advantages: • Provides what employers are used to seeing—a work history as well as skills and accomplishments. • Provides employers with dates in your work history so they can determine how long you have stayed at different jobs, and if there have been any significant gaps in employment. Disadvantages: • A little more difficult to prepare. |
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Three Sample Resume Styles
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Chronological Resume Style
Objective: Position as Administrative Assistant Work History 1995-Present ABC Corporation, Oakland, CA Administrative Assistant. Set up systems for new business accounts. Direct work of seven account executives. Record all business in and out. 1993-1995 RCA Steam Engines, West Coast, CA Secretary. Responsible for typing, filing, answering phones, directing mail, etc. 1990-1993 Rainbow Building Corp., Santa Clara, CA Office assistant. Arranged assignments and logged them into work schedules. Quoted bids. Typed proposals. 1989-1990 Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI Office assistant. Answered phones, bookkeeping, typed programs, sent materials to printer. Education & Training 1994 Associates Degree. Oakland Community College, Oakland, CA 1991 Certificate-Business Systems. Oakland Community College, Oakland, CA 1990 Diploma. Riverside High School, Oakland CA References furnished upon request |
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Functional Resume Style
Objective: Position as Administrative Assistant Summary of Qualifications • Responsible for the work of several people, keeping track of each • Capable of multi-tasking without losing effective details • Excellent follow-through skills • Highly dependable and self-directed • Received outstanding performance reviews from employers Professional Experience Administrative • Successfully coordinated the work of seven account executives, responsible for recording all aspects of their sales. • Organized new computer system to maximize efficiency and cut down on errors. • Updated all records, setting up new filing systems for whole office. • Developed plan for increasing turn-around time with account executives, resulting in more business each month. Office Skills • Demonstrated excellent bookkeeping and record-keeping skills. • Prepared high quality reports and brochures. • Quickly learned several business computer systems, training others on the staff in how to use them. References furnished upon request. |
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Combination Resume Style
Objective: Position as Administrative Assistant Summary of Qualifications • Responsible for the work of several people, keeping track of each • Capable of multi-tasking without losing effective details • Excellent follow-through skills • Highly dependable and self-directed • Received outstanding performance reviews from employers Skills & Abilities Administrative • Successfully coordinated the work of seven account executives, responsible for recording all aspects of their sales. • Organized new computer system to maximize efficiency and cut down on errors. • Updated all records, setting up new filing systems for whole office. • Developed plan for increasing turn-around time with account executives, resulting in more business each month. Office Skills • Demonstrated excellent bookkeeping and record-keeping skills. • Prepared high-quality reports and brochures. • Quickly learned several business computer systems, training others on the staff in how to use them. Work History 1995-Present ABC Corporation, Oakland, CA Administrative Assistant 1993-1995 RCA Steam Engines, West Coast, CA Secretary 1990-1993 Rainbow Building Corp., Santa Clara, CA Office assistant. 1989-1990 Tiger Stadium, Detroit, MI. Office assistant. Education & Training 1994 Associates Degree. Oakland Community College, Oakland, CA 1991 Certificate-Business Systems. Oakland Community College, Oakland, CA 1990 Diploma. Riverside High School, Oakland CA References furnished upon request |
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| From: Finding a Career That Works for You by Fellman. Specialty Press, Inc. All rights reserved. This form may be copied for personal use by active members of myADHD.com. For further information refer to: www.myADHD.com. |