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Later in this series on resume writing, we will cover some very specific examples of resumes. For example, we'll talk about chronological versus functional resumes. In this particular article, we are going to cover the basics of putting together a resume outline.
Purpose of a Resume
As is the case with your cover letter, your resume is meant to leave a lasting impression on a prospective employer. The outline you put together for your resume must be able to highlight your achievements in a compelling and concise manner. The overall objective of a resume is to provide you with the opportunity to interview for a job.
Employers are looking for people who will both fit into the culture of their company and bring value to their organization. You should think of your resume as an advertisement, and you are the product for sale.
Elements of a Resume Outline
The resume outline we're suggesting consists of five or six elements:
- Contact Information (name / address)
- Objective Statement(s)
- Education
- Accomplishments / Skills
- Work Experience
- Hobbies / Interests
We're going to describe the types of information to include in the outline later in this article. But first we'd like to talk a little bit about the purpose of a resume outline.
Purpose of a Resume Outline
The reason for putting together a resume outline is to gather up your thoughts into one place, just like the outline you'd put together when writing a paper. Resume outlines should serve as a guide, or collection point, for all of the information you want to include in a resume.
When you're ready to actually start putting together your resume, you want to make sure that you choose a resume format that best highlights your career accomplishments. You also want to write a resume that is aligned with your job-seeking objectives.
Our article on How to Write a Resume can help you to figure out which resume format is best for your situation.
Resume Outline Information
The following types of information need to be gathered as part of putting together a good resume outline.
Name, Address, and Telephone
Let your name stand out at the top of the paper. After all, you want the reader to remember your name and find your resume quickly when looking back at the stack of resumes reviewed. If at all possible, use a telephone number that will be answered by a real person.
Resume Objective Statement
Your resume objective statement is standard for some resume outlines and especially cover letters. The statement should be one or two sentences that describe your career objectives.
Education
Depending on the highest level of education you've achieved, you're going to want to include where you attended high school, college courses taken or technical training, and college degrees. Dates of attendance are usually not included, unless there is a specific reason you want a potential employer to know something special about your educational history.
You might also want to include in your outline any honors, awards, licenses or professional certifications you currently hold.
Achievements / Skills
In your resume outline, you want to include a "brain dump" of everything you've learned, and all of the skills you've acquired. This can include technical training, formal schooling (classes), and experience gained while on the job.
Work Experience
Start with your most recent experience, and move back in time from there - reverse chronological order. You should emphasize the duties performed, indicating skills learned, training, responsibilities, and the results you've achieved. You need to make sure that you emphasize your leadership potential, organizational skills, communication experiences, initiative, and teambuilding activities.
Interests and Hobbies
Including a section on interests and hobbies is somewhat controversial, but needs to be addressed when talking about a resume outline. Depending on your work history, it may not be appropriate to include hobbies. Some professionals are all "business" on their resumes. For the rest of us, this is the opportunity to talk about activities that create balance in our lives.
Traditional papers describing the elements of resume outlines state that the final line on a resume is: References furnished upon request. We disagree with this approach because this statement has become so standard that is has become a statement of the obvious.
Resume Samples
If you're still not sure what kinds of information to include in your resume outline, then maybe a couple of examples will help. There are three major types of resumes - functional resumes, chronological resumes, and combination resumes. Each of these has its advantages and disadvantages.
The following three samples of each of these resume types should help you if you're experiencing writer's block when putting your outline together:
About the Author - Resume Outline
Bill Sharlow is the Editor of Money-Zine.com. Copyright © 2004 - 2010 Money-Zine.com
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