Your resume
is a marketing tool that should effectively sell your skills, experience, and
educational qualifications to prospective employers. When developing your
resume, there are two different types of resume formats you should consider: a
chronological resume and a functional resume. Your decision to choose one
format over another should be dependent on your career background and personal
circumstances. The ultimate decision will be based on that format that allows
you to most effectively present your qualifications.
Chronological
Resumes
Q. What is
a chronological resume?
A. In a
chronological resume format, your employment experience history is organized in
reverse chronological order so that your most recent job position is listed
first. This type of format emphasizes your job titles and employers, as well as
your dates of employment with each employer. Your responsibilities and
accomplishments should be described in detail for each individual position.
Q. What are
the advantages to using a chronological resume?
A.
Chronological resumes are easy to read, use a logical flow, and can effectively
highlight career growth. Since this type of resume emphasizes the details of
each position, using a chronological resume will draw attention to impressive
titles and prestigious employers.
Q. What are
the disadvantages to using a chronological resume?
A. Because
of the format of a chronological resumes, this style easily undercover gaps in
your employment history and frequent job changes. It also draws attention to
the fact that you may be relative experienced in the workforce or in a
particular career.
Q. What
types of candidates should choose to use a chronological resume?
A.
Chronological resumes are best suited for those individuals whose job history
reflects steady career growth, those who are remaining in the same field, and
those whose career goals are clearly defined and in alignment with their work
history. This type of resume is also suitable for candidates who have prior
employment with a prestigious employer that they want to highlight.
Functional
Resumes
Q. What is
a functional resume?
A.
Functional resumes have often been referred to as problem solving resumes in
that they allow you to organize your resume by functional skills as opposed to
purely chronological order. This allows individuals to make sense of their work
history by matching up skills and accomplishments from different jobs that
might otherwise be overlooked by an employer in a more traditional
chronological formatted resume. The goal is to highlight specific key
qualifications which have been demonstrated through a variety of work-related
achievements. As opposed to a chronological resume, skills do not have to be
presented in the order of accomplished in a functional resume, but instead may be
presented in order of importance and relevance to the job for which you are
applying.
Q. What are
the advantages to using a functional resume?
A. Using a
functional resume keeps the emphasis on key relevant skills you possess that
make you a good fit for a position. It allows candidates to align
accomplishments from several different positions for a more powerful impact,
since these skills might otherwise be lot in the shuffle in a traditional
resume. Functional resumes also minimize the impact of inexperience in the
workforce or field, frequent job changes, and any gaps in your employment
history.
Q. What are
the disadvantages to using a functional resume?
A. The
presence of a clear career progression can easily be lost in a functional
resume, as can extended experience in your targeted industry or field.
Impressive employers or job titles are de-emphasized, which is a disadvantage
if these are strong selling points in your experience. Additionally, some
recruiters and managers dislike functional resumes due to their perceived lack
of logical flow.
Q. What
types of candidates should choose to use a functional resume?
A. A
functional resume is a solid option for individuals who are looking to change
careers, returning to the job market after a long absence, trying to minimize
fair-to-average career growth. This format is also appropriate for new
graduates, candidates with limited work experience, and individuals whose work
history is a mixed bag of unrelated experience.
Laura Adams is a qualified careers advisor with 11 years experience. Teaching Jobs Information [http://www.teaching-job.info] - Resources, News, Tips and Views to help Teachers find their dream jobs. [http://www.teaching-job.info]
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