The optimal resume format is one that is uniform throughout, is well organized, and is easy to read. Today, resumes have to be perfect to attract an interview. Make sure to use spell-check and pay strict attention to what words are in caps, bold or italics. Resumes be two or three or even four pages in length, depending on how many years of experience you have. A person who has a one-page resume should have about five years or less experience.
Start with an CAREER OBJECTIVE. Do not say something like, "Seeking to work with a progressive company in which I can realize my full potential..."
On the one hand, a highly specific objective could prevent you from getting an interview if the position is slightly different than your stated objective. This may be true, but it does not mean you should leave an objective off of your resume. A properly written objective can greatly influence the reader. Your goal is to let them know that you are qualified for the position. You may want to reduce the specificity of your objective to cover a broader field of expertise. You may want to be very specific to exclude any confusion. (ex. "Seeking a position as Vice President of a start-up company....") Additionally, variations of your resume can be created simply by rewording the objective.
Formal EDUCATION should be next if it is a technical position, or at the end of the resume. Do not list high school education.
The SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS should come next. A well-written summary can save the reader several minutes of trying to figure out what you do as they read through your resume. Do not make the reader scan through the whole resume to form a basic understanding of what pertinent experience you have.
The main purpose of a summary is to tell the reader what your most important qualifications are. If you are an expert at one or more particular things, this is where the reader gets that information. The summary gives you the option of saying exactly what you want the reader to know about your expertise and experience. You can write it in narrative form, or use columns of bulleted comments, or a combination of both. You may use all of the technical buzzwords that are appropriate in this section. The end result should be that if the reader only saw your Objective, Education, and Summary, they could conceivably make a decision to interview you for the position.
The PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE section follows. This section show where you have worked, the duration of your stay at each company and position, your job titles and progression, and the responsibilities and duties you performed.
Do not to get lost in saying what you know, but rather to say specifically what kind of assignments you have been given, and the complexity of the projects you have worked on. Caution: Do not be vague as to what role you played in a project. You should convey what you do or did rather than what the charter of the organization or your group does or did. Of course, never use the first person.
Depending upon how you word your summary, you could add a section called SKILLS, after the experience section. This is where you show buzzwords/acronyms pertaining to technical knowledge, such as software languages/tools and computer operating systems, etc.
Other sections which come at the end of a resume are subjects like PUBLICATIONS, HONORS, and ACHIEVEMENTS. Sections like PERSONAL or HOBBIES are okay, but not necessary. I think that is a matter of personal taste.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me directly at: donn@searchforpros.com.
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