The Professional Resume Format Is a Way to Success
Every year we can observe changes in the labor market, which are accompanied by innovations in writing and compiling resumes. If you want to reach the heights in your profession and get a job at a good company, you need to learn how to write this type of document well. After all, it should meet all modern requirements, stand out from the rest, and represent you like the best future employee.
How Should I Choose the Best Format for Resume
When you start looking for a new job, you should take into account your strengths and weaknesses, years of work and goals. Currently, there exist three most common document formats and if you want to understand which format you need, then check the information below.
The Most Common Document Type: The Chronological Resume Format
This type of document is the most popular and preferable among employers and recruiters because it concentrates on the years of work and presents it in detail.
The necessary order of the sections:
- Personal details
- Qualifications Summary
- Professional experience
- Education
- Required Skills
- Extra Information
The first essential section of a document is personal details. Here you introduce yourself with a full name and indicate a phone number, an email address, and an address of living. Besides, if you have a LinkedIn profile, you can attach a link to it.
You should start the main body of a document with a qualification summary. It is an optional part, but it gives more information about you to an employer or a recruiter. A summary contains short info about your years of work, skills, and career goals.
The main part of the chronological resume format is employment and it is preferable to present your work experience in chronological order. Start the list with your recent job position and move to the first one. However, if this list is too long, then inslude only the most significant among them. Write the names of the positions, the years of work when you occupied them, and indicate the names of the companies. Note that you should mention your achievements, not responsibilities. Besides, if you want to give more weight to this part, then begin your sentences with strong action verbs.
Dedicate the next section to the information about your education. You should write the names of the college or university, the year of your graduation, and the acquired degrees. However, if you are a student or have recently graduated from university, then provide more information in this section. You can write about your university practice, study abroad, important academic achievements, and awards.
An equally important part of the structure is a short list of main skills. Firstly, find out what an employer is looking for and what qualities he or she prices the most. Secondly, include these qualifications with extra skills that are relevant to the desired position.
The last part should end with additional information that can include your hobbies, achievements, certifications, and languages.
Who can use this resume format?
If you are a job seeker with a solid professional background, then this document is for you. As you can put your work experiences to the forefront and present your great achievements. Consequently, if you are a student or decided to change a profession, then you should choose another one.
If You Need To Concentrate On Your Skills, Choose The Functional Resume Format
Future employees use this format to focus the employer's attention on their best qualifications. In this type of document, you pay more attention to them than to the work experience, and also provide examples of all the listed qualifications.
Follow this order of information presentation:
- Personal Details
- Qualifications Summary
- Required Skills
- Extra Skills
- Professional Experience
- Education
Your document has to start with personal details that include such information: your name, address, phone number, and email address.
Start the main body with a resume introduction, it is not an obligatory part, but it is better to have it. You should briefly present information about yourself, summarize your skills, work experience, and goals.
Next, you have to list the required skills. It is better to divide them into groups with 3 or 4 main skills in each category. Besides, you have to choose about three examples that prove the listed qualifications and your competence as a future employee.
In the functional resume format, you can include additional skills that are not required in the main list. You could indicate the computer programs you have mastered or foreign language that you know. However, additional skills should be relevant to the job position.
After the listed skills, it is time to write about your work experience. Indicate the companies, the period of work in each of them, and the primary responsibilities that you had there.
Dedicate the last paragraph of your document to education. List the educational institutions with years of study, your specialization and achievements. You can also include the training courses that match your desired job position.
Should I use this job resume format?
When you are writing this type of document, you are focusing on your qualifications rather than on your work experience and its chronological sequence. Thus, you can provide a short professional history or exclude it. Besides, instead of it, you can write the acquired experience and the achieved results from the previous jobs.
If you are a person with the limited employment experience or gaps in it or decided to change your profession, then this format is for you. Consequently, it is better to choose it when you need to concentrate on your qualifications.
Create A Mixed Document With The Combination Resume Format
This kind of format is a combination of two resumes presented above. In this document format, you highlight both your work experience and skills. However, the main body starts with the qualifications and then follows the list of your jobs.
Write information in the following order:
- Personal Details
- Qualification Summary
- Required Skills
- Extra Skills
- Professional experience
- Education
Start to write a document with personal details. Indicate your full name, address, phone number, and email address.
The first section of the main body is a qualification summary. It contains brief but essential information about you and allows the employer to know more about your candidacy. Besides, choose the right way of presentation of information. For example, you can list skills or describe what you have achieved using them, it will help to show yourself in the best light.
After it, list the required skills for the desired position. Highlight the main qualifications that can attract an employer's attention. Then, you should present the group skills, and provide the examples that confirm them.
Next, create a list of extra skills that relate to your future position and present you as an excellent employee.
Another essential part is work experience . Employers or recruiters are always interested in this information, so you should write everything clearly and in detail. Indicate the names of the positions, periods of work, names of the organizations, and write about your responsibilities and the achieved results.
The last part is your education. Provide the name of college or university, the years of studying, degrees, and relevant achievements.
Will it be a good resume format for me?
It will be a great choice in the following situations:
- when a person decides to change a profession
- if a job seeker has limited professional experience, for example, from 1 to 4 years
- when a young person graduated from the educational institution and has no work experience
If you need to specify the skills and provide the employment history chronologically, then choose this resume format. Thus, in this document, you can highlight the main information that presents you as a perfect candidate.
Write in Your Document The Best Skills
The list of skills is a vital part of any document format. Consequently, it is essential to choose the winning qualifications that will make you an excellent candidate and meet the employer's requirements.
If you have problems with defining the key skills, or you do not know what to add to this list, then check our article about the resume skills. We are sure you will find the necessary skills that will make your document look more competitive.
Get Professional Writing Help at Resume101.org
Working on the best resume format 2019 on your own may require a lot of efforts and a vast experience. Therefore, it is complicated to make a persuasive piece of art for the first time that guarantees your success or at least an interview.
If you want to get a job-winning resume and do not have enough time or experience to make it, then place an order on our website. We are available at any day and time, and will be glad to assist you at a reasonable price!Suggested Reading:
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