Resume Formats

[mlm668]

I was looking through a resume book at Books A Million Friday night and came across a format I'd never seen before.  I retyped my resume using it yesterday and I was able to get my two page resume down to one page.  It basically went like this:



Objective

Education

Summary of skills and duties performed on previous jobs (I listed it at a Summary of Skills and Experience)

Listing of previous employment with no details other than name, city and dates of employment.



I was wondering if anyone else had seen or used this, what they thought of the format, and if they had had any success in using it.



Personally, I think the format it great since it allows you to sum up in one place everything you can do - focuses on your skills and not where you worked before.



Michelle

[Katie G]

Haven't seen it before, but it sure makes sense.  I like it because it's more forward looking, ("Here's what I can do for you in the future.") than backward looking ("This is what I've done."). I think any reasonably organized, concise format is acceptable now, unless you're applying to a real "old school" company.  

[andrea843]

Yep I've used one for years, in fact have a template for one which is labeled "experience relevant to this position" which then weeds thru my skillset to pick out those things that will be important to an employer looking to harvest talent for a particular job title, and picks up the most unique things from my rather eclectic skillset.  I love it! And it does get your resume down to the suggested single page, while not leaving out things you think are really important to a potential employer with respect to a particular position.

[radaro]

This is a good format if you have gaps in your employement.  The resume puts the focus on your skills rather than where and when you were.

[juspeachy]

We used this format for DH's resume after he retired from the Navy.  We were able to concentrate on the skills that he would use on the job he was applying for, rather than all his duty stations.  We sent it with a cover letter that further highlighted what he thought he could do for that company.  BTW...he got the job.



Vickie

[donnap99]

Sounds like a great idea.  Now, can we start a list of OUR skills, to use as an example for each other?  



 

[mlm668]

Thanks everyone.  This is just what I was hoping to hear about this format.  Now I just have to work on improving how I present my skills and abilities.



Donna,



As for skills, one thing I point out on my resume is my ability to learn new and unfamiliar software quickly and with little problem.  



Anyone else have suggestions on good selling points?

[mcbethers]

I've always been told to describe things using active verbs and present tense instead of passive verb and past tense. That way you're focusing how your talents can boost the place you're interviewing at instead of resting on your past glories.  I wish I could think of an example, but my mind has gone blank.    

[daisylee]

One of my favorites is pretty much all encompassing "Have the ability to think quickly, and thus able to handle situations that may require immediate resolution."  Sounds better, but still means the same thing as "performs well under pressure". And of course anything that states how well you carry out tasks, especially those that require constant attention. (Follow through, attention to detail) These two statements really do pertain to almost anything that would crop up in the line of duty.  



Hope this helps!



Daisylee