Job Skills in Business



When to use a functional resume or a chronological resume?The two most popular ways to organize your resume are the functional and chronological formats:A functional resume, also called a skills resume, highlights your skills and abilities instead of your work history.The functional resume is appropriate for students with limited work experience, career changers, or people with irregular work histories.The functional format breaks the resume into several categories and highlights the talents, responsibilities, and accomplishments you can demonstrate through college classes, volunteer work, or employment.A chronological resume, sometimes called a reverse-chronological resume, presents your work experience and education sorted by date. Entries start with the most recent position held (or school attended) and work backwards.FUNCTIONAL RESUME - Do’s of writing functional resumesResume elementDo’sCategoriesUse 3-5 at the mostChoose the categories that best reflect your skills such as Customer Service Skills and Technology SkillsDevelop a bulleted list of examples for each categoryList categories by importanceSort your functional categories in order of their importance to a prospective employerOrganize the bulleted entries within each category to present your most relevant skills and abilities firstAction VerbsStart each entry with an action verbThe entries in each of your bulleted lists should be short, active, and memorableAction verbs make your lists more interesting and easier to readSearch the internet for “resume action verbs” to find examples that you can useSynopsis of your work experienceSummarize your work history in a brief list at the end of the resumeIndicate the employer, time period, and position held for each jobCHRONOLOGICAL RESUME - Do’s and Don’ts Resume elementDo’sDon’tsEmployment or education historyList education first if you are a recent graduateList employment first if your work experience is significantDon’t include all your experience if it is extensive (goes back more than 10 – 15 years)FormatFollow an outline format with bulleted lists for detailsStrive for order, clarity, and accessibilityDon’t provide long paragraphs of textDon’t use a standard, unmodified template that will be overly familiar to recruitersHeadingsStart each section with a headingUse standard text, such as Summary of Qualifications, Experience, and EducationDon’t use humorous headingsDon’t overlook headings when proofreadingWritingUse concise, concrete languageCheck for spelling and grammar mistakesStart descriptions with action verbsDon’t include vague or wordy descriptionsDon’t include even one typo or mistakeDon’t use passive verbsLengthUse one page if your experience is limitedExpand to two pages if your experience is extensive, more if you are applying for an executive positionDon’t make the resume too long or too briefDon’t reduce the margins to fit the content on one or two pagesCHOOSING A CHRONOLOGICAL OR FUNCTIONAL RESUMEScenarioChronologicalFunctionalYour employment history includes many gapsYou have changed jobs frequentlyMost of your experience has been in one fieldYour work history follows a clear career pathYou want to enter a new field of employmentYou are a college student with little experience in your chosen fieldYour new field of work traditionally does not accept functional resumesYou plan to submit your resume to an online job board or recruiting firm ................
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