Getting your player ready...
A resumé alone will not get you a job. However, a well-written resumé can provide enough information to interest the employer in interviewing you. While it is no substitute for an interview, your resumé should be prepared in such a manner that it will stand on its own and provide enough information about you to enable an employer to make an intelligent decision. Remember, all candidates being considered look alike. Your resumé needs to present your accomplishments in a manner that makes you stand out over the competition and catches the employer’s attention.
Counselors at Challenger, Gray & Christmas recommend three types of resumés for their clients: short chronological resumé long chronological resumé functional resumé Each has a different appearance and purpose. The Short Chronological ResuméA short chronological resumé summarizes the last 10 years of your career in reverse, briefly listing your accomplishments from the most recent to the much older. It is possible to summarize as much as 25 years of career experience within two, 8-1/2 by 11-inch sheets of paper. This type of resumé should be used whenever you are forced to go through a screening process instead of a decision maker. Brevity is important, because many firms still sort through resumés manually. It should contain enough information to get you into the “will interview” pile, but not so much that it overwhelms reviewers. Increasing numbers of search firms, executive recruiters, and personnel managers initially use computer software to scan resumés for history, education, location, and so forth. By including the right key words in your short chronological resumé, you can increase the chances that it will pass the screening process. While accomplishments are paramount, you should also stress responsibilities, position titles and your education. Although it does not contain as much detail as a long chronological resumé, the shorter chronological resumé should summarize your ability to make bottom-line contributions to an employer. This resumé should open with an extensive one-paragraph summary of accomplishments that accurately reflect a solid track record in the specific field of application. Then, for each previous position held, provide a summary of responsibilities and accomplishments. Phrases like “Recruited 2,000 resellers” quantify accomplishments and their value.
Use the long chronological resumé when you meet with the hiring decision maker. Its goal is to distinguish you from other contenders whose backgrounds resemble yours; therefore, focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities. This is your chance to provide a comprehensive summary of your career accomplishments. For example, your path to divisional sales manager may not be unique. To set yourself apart from the competition, provide details about what you did to earn each promotion. Did you win every sales contest during your first five years in the business? Say so. Did sales in your division double under your leadership? Put it on paper. Include all your milestones. Each work entry on this resumé should start with a summary (a paragraph or two) of responsibilities, followed by specific accomplishments and results. Using bullet points to set off the accomplishments is a good idea. The Functional Resumé
A functional resumé stresses abilities such as purchasing, marketing, selling, managing or analyzing. Resumés organized by function rather than chronology give you an opportunity to gloss over a gap in job history or frequent job hopping. If you have many skills, this kind of resumé can market you as a sort of utility infielder. (Be sure to summarize your career chronology at the bottom.)
