Weber State University Career Services

Selecting the resume format that works best for you requires an understanding of what each format is designed to do. There are basically four types of resume formats with which you should become familiar: Reverse Chronological, Functional, Combination, and Scannable.

A reverse chronological resume presents your education and work experience in a straightforward, reverse chronological order. If the majority of your work experience is related to your stated job objective, the chronological style can be effective. The functional resume is of particular help to people who:

(Suggested format for a Reverse Chronological Resume)

NAME

Street Address	Phone # (include area code)
City, State, Zip	Email address

Objective:
Be specific.

Education:
List most recent degree first, institution and date of graduation or expected graduation, major/minor. Point out specialization areas in academic work, honors, etc.

If applicable, include:
     Thesis title
      Faculty Research Advisor
      Publications

You may wish to add an addendum that identifies the courses you have taken that directly apply to the position for which you are applying. Group the courses into two or three meaningful categories.

Experience:
Your job title, name of organization, description of your duties, including the variety of assignments, amount of responsibility, number of people supervised, special accomplishments and dates. Include military service if applicable.

Extracurricular/Leadership:
Job title, name of organization, brief (optional) description of what you did and dates.

References:
State "Available upon request" (Prepare a separate list and give names, titles, business mailing addresses and telephone numbers of two or three references. Do not use relatives, friends, or other students as references.

The functional resume enables the candidate to focus on skills, aptitudes, and qualities that can be applied to a number of situations. This style emphasizes qualifications, skills, and related accomplishments. It is particularly effective if your work experience has not been closely related to your job objective. Skills are organized into categories that tell employers what you can do for them. The functional resume is of particular help to people who:

(Suggested format for a Functional Resume)

NAME

Street Address	Phone # (include area code)
City, State, Zip	Email address

Objective Be Specific

Education Most recent degree first, institution (with location), date of graduation, major/minor. GPA (cumulative first followed by major/minor GPA. i.e. 3.5/3.8)

Skills and Competencies In this section, isolate three to five of your strongest demonstrated skills. The skills you select should be essential to the type of job you have identified in your "Objective." For each skill you have chosen, summarize your accomplishments and experiences that pertain. You need not mention the specific job in this section, as you will do so in the "Employment History" section. Be specific in discussing how you demonstrated your skills and, whenever possible, concentrate on the results you achieved in using the particular skill. Cite specific examples and use quantitative terms (i.e. supervised 17 employees, responsible for $1M inventory, saved the company $50,000 in labor costs, etc).

Employment History Indicate months/years of experience, job title, employer, duties and dates of employment.

Awards and Accomplishments This is an optional section where you can identify specific accomplishments that may strengthen your candidacy.

Background and Interests This is also an optional section and the first to go if your resume runs too long. Here you can provide information about travel and hobbies you have that directly relate to the career to which you are applying. Avoid references to the following: age, gender, ethnic background, marital status, number of children, religious affiliation, etc.

References Do not include your list of references on your resume. Have a prepared list of your references when you go into the interview.

The combination format applies the strong aspects of both the reverse chronological and functional formats. The combination outlines your jobs chronologically from most recent to past, then highlights responsibilities and achievements within each job listed. This format is especially effective if you have several years of related experience in several jobs with significant responsibilities. With this format the skills section merely identifies your skills in relation to your job objective, but does not elaborate on your experiences or accomplishments for each skill mentioned. This format can be effective for people who:

(Suggested format for a Combination Resume)

NAME

Street Address	Phone # (include area code)
City, State, Zip	Email address

Objective
Be specific about the type of position desired. Use the job announcement to formulate your objective.

Education
Beginning with your most recent degree, list institution, date of graduation, major/minor, honors (if any), GPA (if above 3.0). You may want to highlight related coursework (optional).

Experience
List your job title, the organization for which you worked and a brief description of your duties, including the variety of tasks, types of responsibility, and any special accomplishments. Dates follow last.

Skills/Abilities
In a bulleted list or brief paragraph, summarize three to five skills you have that relate to your stated job objective. You should be able to use these skills with little or no supervision.

Interests
(Optional category). Avoid reference to age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, number of children, religious affiliation, etc.

References
Simply state: "Available upon request."

Resume scanning is common among many large corporations and government agencies. An optical scanner is used to read resumes thus making the "paper screen" simpler and more objective. The technology responsible for computer readable resumes operates on the principle of labeling. At the center of the technology are keywords. Employers categorize scannable resumes by these keywords. If several of your keywords match with those the computer has listed under "accountant" , for example, you will be labeled an accountant. You may fit into several categories, based on the key words in your resume. Your concern is that you USE THE RIGHT KEYWORDS and land in the right category. If the employer pulls up a candidate list and your name is not on it, it is because your resume did not contain the right keywords for that category. Supplied with the job order a computer checks a database for resumes that include these keywords.

Load your resume right from the beginning with a list of your most important key words (look for these in the job posting). Use nouns that indicate your accomplishments rather than verbs that focus on duties. Include a "Keyword Summary" below your name (see sample resume below). Use ten to twenty keywords, each separated with a period, that relate to your background and experience. Additional keywords should be sprinkled throughout the resume. If you mention a term already listed in your keyword summary, select a synonym of that word. This increases your chances for a keyword "hit."

In addition to using keywords, scannable resumes should be plain and simple to assure that the optical scanning equipment does not misread information. This means: