Tips On Formatting Your Resume
We live in a real world where there are real interviews. More often than not people tend to undermine the appearance of their resumes. Formatting your resume is one of the most important things when applying for a job. Think of it like dressing up your resume. The two forces that will make your resume be picked from all the others is ‘The What and The How’. You should design your resume in a way that highlights the best of your abilities in the most readable way. Resume formats ensure that your greatest achievements appear right on top of the page.
One of the most commonly used and preferred resume format is the Reverse Chronological format. This resume format highlights your career profile, educational summary or professional profile as it may seem fit for the job. However, you should think carefully on what to place first among the three. Place first what you want the interviewer to see first. If not sure, kindly seek professional help as these very things play a vital role in the final decision.
The Reverse Chronological Resume Format
The accepted reverse chronological resume format is:
1. Contact Information
This includes your name, contact number, and email address. You can also add your LinkedIn account details on this section. LinkedIn plays an important role in the hiring process and more often than not job seekers appreciate that information. In addition, mention any personal website if any.
2. Resume Introduction
While the reverse chronological resume format offers candidates the liberty to be flexible it also gives an additional responsibility of being careful of what you place. Ensure that the placement of your professional profile, education qualification or career highlight is correct and as per the requirement. If not sure, do not hesitate to seek professional help.
3. Professional Experience
Apart from your key responsibility, mention any decision you made that benefitted your previous organization. Add anything that helped you get a promotion or made you stand out in the crowd. You can use bullet points to highlight your achievements. Interviewers notice bullet points and the numbers of action verbs.
4. Educational Qualification
If you have spent a considerable time in the industry, you can give a quick summary of your degree and college. If you were a backbencher then keep it brief. Note that regardless of how cool you were in college, people view that very differently in the real world. Remember that your career flow and professional experience takes over your education details once you start your career.
5. Additional Skills
A man is known by what he does in his free time. Be open and highlight all your additional skills, hobbies, and what makes you stand out. The additional skills can be in accordance with the job or completely different.
Functional Resume Format
Stick to the functional resume format if you have any inconsistencies in your career flow or want to change your industry. The main purpose of this format is to refute the ill effects of the above mentioned. Note that hiring managers are trained to look for inconsistencies in your resume and you do not want to give them that chance. The industry uses the term, "High risk Hire” and you shouldn’t let your resume be categorized in that list.
The Functional Resume Format is as follows:
1. Contact Information
Apart from the above mentioned, in case you are changing cities it is advisable to arrange for a local number of your target city. Place your name, email address, LinkedIn profile and a personal website under this category.
2. Qualification
Begin your resume with your qualifications especially if your work experience is not your key highlight. This not only takes away the highlight from the specific dates it also adds to the ploy of concealing the inconsistency.
3. Personal Achievement
Highlight your personal achievements in detail. Remember that your achievements will help cover the gaps during the interview. Your resume format is built on the idea that your achievements are more important than your work history.
4. Relevant Skills
What are you bringing to the table that will likely benefit the organization? Come up with at least three relevant skills. For instance, if you are applying for a sales job your relevant skill include your present contacts, previous sales figure, and your social networking skills. Relevant skills vary from job to job. Use bullet points to highlight each skill since they help display a candidate’s confidence.
5. Using the Break
If you have a legitimate reason for taking an employment break then you have a better chance of getting a fair hearing. You will get an even better chance if you can show how well you utilized the time off. The key here is to put forward your additional and relevant skill of organizing, discipline, and research.
Combination Resume Format
This resume format is for the rock stars. This is for someone with a vast amount of experience whereas the highlight in on the skills and abilities. You can use this format to seek jobs within or outside the industry.
The content is more or less similar to the other formats but has a different arrangement and highlight. It begins with the usual contact, professional profile or education summary, skills and highlights, relevant skills and personal experience. Note that it is advisable to seek professional help while making this resume.