Fundamentals
of a Good Chronological Resume
by
Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
You probably
have about 30 seconds to convince a potential employer that you deserve
an interview. A resume summarizes your accomplishments, your education,
and your work experience, and should reflect your strengths.
What follows is an outline of a typical chronological resume — best
suited for entry-level job-seekers or those who have stayed in the same
field. Career changers and those job-seekers with varied work experiences
and accomplishments may want to utilize a functional resume style.
Here are
the key components of a standard chronological resume:
Identification
It is essential that a potential employer can reach you.
This section should include your name, address, phone number(s), and
e-mail address. If a college student, this section might also include
a school address and a permanent home address.
Job Objective
A job objective is optional and should only be included for new college
grads and those changing careers. Otherwise, use your cover letter to
show your career interests and job objective.
If you do use an objective, make sure your objective explains the kind
of work you want to do, and keep it between two to four typed lines.
Key Accomplishments
Some resume experts are suggesting adding a section that highlights
your key accomplishments and achievements. Think of this section as
an executive summary of your resume; identify key accomplishments that
will grab the attention of an employer.
This section should summarize (using nouns as keywords and descriptors)
your major accomplishments and qualifications
This section can also be labeled "Professional Profile," "Summary
of Accomplishments," "Key Skills," "Summary of Qualifications,"
or "Qualifications."
Education
For new college grads, this entry should be your next. For others with
full-time work experience, this section should follow your experience
section.
This section should include school(s) attended (including years of attendance),
majors/minors, degrees, and honors and awards received.
For new grads only: There appears to be a growing trend of employers
wanting your GPA in this section. If you decide to do so, make sure
to use the GPA that puts you in the best light — either overall
GPA, school or college GPA, or major GPA.
Professional Experience
This section can also be labeled "Experience, "Work History,"
or "Employment." We like using experience — especially
for new college grads, because experience is broader than work history,
allowing you to include major school projects that showcase your skills
and abilities.
This section should include company name, your job title, dates of employment,
and major accomplishments. List experiences in reverse chronological
order, starting with your most current experience.
List your accomplishments in bullet format (rather than paragraph format).
Avoid discussing job duties or responsibilities.
If you don't have a lot of career-related job experience, consider using
transferable skills to better highlight your work experience.
Finally, make sure to make use of action verbs when describing your
accomplishments.
Affiliations/Interests
This section is optional; include only if you have room on your resume
for it. Items from this section are often used as an ice-breaker by
interviewers looking to start an interview on an informal basis.
This section should only include professional memberships and non-controversial
activities/interests.
References
Many experts say this section is passe, but if you have room, include
it. If nothing else, this section signals the end of your resume.
This section should only include a statement saying references are available
upon request.
Do not include the names of your references on your resume.
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Dr. Randall
Hansen is currently Webmaster of Quintessential Careers, as
well as publisher of its electronic newsletter, QuintZine. He writes
a biweekly career advice column under the name, The Career Doctor.
He is also a tenured, associate professor of marketing in the School
of Business Administration at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.
He is a published career expert -- and has been for the last ten
years. He is co-author, with Katharine Hansen, of Dynamic Cover
Letters. And he has been an employer and consultant dealing with
hiring and firing decisions for the past fifteen years. He can be
reached at randall@quintcareers.com.
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