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Writing A Resume: Structure & Format
Having a hard time putting your resume together? I don’t envy you. Writing a resume is difficult enough. Laying it out to get you the best results is a quite the ambitious prospect.
Unlike many forms of writing, resumes work best when they follow a rigid structure. Many of the best English writing software I’ve seen usually include resume templates, which you can use to pattern your own material after. Which style you choose to house your resume will depend, for the most part, on the things in your qualifications that you want to put forward. Here’s a quick guide to the two most popular resume format.
Chronological. Just as the name implies, a chronological resume lists down your work experience in a timeline fashion, starting from the most recent down to your earliest jobs. A resume fashioned this way usually works best when your most recent work experiences slot you as a qualified candidate for the position you’re trying to get. It’s also a great way to show potential employers how you have progressed in your career. If you’re currently working as a sales manager and are looking to apply for a similar position, for instance, a chronological resume should work amazingly well.
Functional. If you’re applying for a position that your current employment doesn’t directly coincide with, a functional resume should help you bridge the gap. Instead of focusing on direct work experience, functional resumes show off skillsets, qualities and capabilities, instead of actual work experience. A scriptwriter applying for a marketing job, for instance, may want to focus on past entrepreneurial pursuits, marketing experience with charities and volunteer programs or other similar non-job related experiences that can paint them as qualified candidates even without the current job title.
Of course, you can write a combination of the two. Always remember, though, that resumes are meant to establish yourself as a perfect fit for the opening. As such, try to keep it as focused as possible to the job requirements instead of jumping around over scores of unrelated facts.
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