Resumes

Sioux-Hudson Employment Services

TIPS ON RESUME WRITING

A resume is a promotional piece that sells you to a prospective employer. Its main purpose is to get you the interview.

Basic Guidelines in Writing a Resume:

What to Include?

Resume Heading - name, address, phone number (do not include the title Resume or Curriculum Vitae ... everyone should know what it is)

Career or Job Objective - a focused statement about your immediate career goal (optional for a chronological resume, a must for a functional or combination)

Work Experience - include all full-time, part-time and volunteer experience

Education/Training - include secondary and post-secondary education and any other special training

Summary of Qualifications - include skills related to the job (i.e. computer skills, equipment operated, etc.) and any accomplishments worthy of being noted (i.e. decreased costs by 12%)

Interests/Activities - you can include hobbies, interests, involvement in community groups especially if it relates to the job (optional)

References - In most cases put available on request. Make sure that you have a separate page listing them in case someone asks for them. You should have 3 references including former employers, supervisors or co-workers. Get permission first, never assume that you will get a good reference from someone.

Different Types of Resumes:

Chronological This is the most common resume used and is the one that employers are most familiar with. Work experience is listed in chronological order with the most recent job first.

Pros: Cons:

-easy to write -employers are familiar with this style -shows steady employment -helpful when staying in the same field -clearly shows prestigious employers		-announces gaps in employment -reveals many job changes -because all jobs are listed, emphasizes skills you may not wish to continue using -difficult to highlight skill categories for a specific job target
Functional This style focuses on your overall accomplishments instead of listing your experience under each job title. In a pure functional resume, specific employers, date and titles are left out. As this tends to cause suspicion, it is recommended that you still list your employment history, but to de-emphasize it, place it at the end of the resume, without specific details for each job.

Pros: Cons:

-disguises gaps in employment -disguises a work history that has little experience in the area to which you are applying -helps to de-emphasize skills that you no longer use -emphasizes selected accomplishments that you wish to market		-doesn't highlight employers, some of whom might be prestigious -doesn't emphasize professional advancement
Different work backgrounds call for different styles of resumes. Sioux-Hudson Employment Services can help you find the one that is right for you. Please ask for more information on assistance with resumes.

FUNCTIONAL RESUME WORKSHEET

Name: __________________________ Address:______________________________________

City, Province, Postal Code: ______________________________________________________

Phone Number: _____________________________

CAREER OBJECTIVE:__________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

SUMMARY OF SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS:

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Area 1 Heading: __________________________________

Area 2 Heading: ___________________________________

Area 3 Heading: __________________________________

WORK HISTORY:

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

Date ______________________________Course ____________________________________

Institute _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Course ____________________________________

Institute _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Course ____________________________________

Institute _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

ACTIVITIES/INTERESTS: _____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

REFERENCES:

____________________________________________________________________________

CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME WORKSHEET

Name: __________________________ Address:________________________________

City, Province, Postal Code: ______________________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________

SUMMARY OF SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS:

WORK HISTORY:

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Employer _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Institute _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Institute _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

Date ______________________________Position ____________________________________

Institute _____________________________________ City, Province ____________________

ACTIVITIES/INTERESTS:

REFERENCES:

____________________________________________________________________________

This web site was developed by Diane Martin