Employers prefer crisp-looking résumés that get to the point. By using the example on this page as a template, you’ll improve both the style and the substance of your résumé.
Layout
Add interest and clarity by using bullets, indents and varying font styles (such as bold and italic letters). Avoid using unconventional fonts or adding photos or graphics.
Length
Ideally, the résumé should be no longer than three pages.
Job Data
Provide the reader with relevant detail about your past and present employers, such as your job title, size and location.
Measurables
Quantify your job duties, reporting relationships and achievements with actual numbers. Also, include additional skills such as foreign languages, computer software fluency, or specialised training.
Job and Education Dates
Make sure the dates are clear and without gaps. If there are gaps, say why.
Degree Credentials
Please be accurate—and honest. Misrepresenting your degree is unethical, and could result in consequences that are embarrassing—or worse.
Professional designations that carry weight in your field. If you’re licensed or certified in your chosen profession or belong to a specialist panel or trade organization, by all means let the reader know.
Choosing the Best Résumé Format
Your résumé can be arranged in one of two basic formats: summary or chronological.
The summary (or functional) résumé distills your total work experience into major areas of expertise, and focuses the reader’s attention on your accumulated skills.
The chronological résumé presents your skills and accomplishments within the framework of your past employers. (Actually, it should be called a reverse chronological resume, since your last job should always appear first.)
Although the information you furnish the reader may essentially be the same, there’s a big difference in the way the two résumés are constructed, and the type of impact each will have. My experience has shown that the chronological résumé brings the best results, since it’s the most explicit description of the quality and application of your skills within a specific time frame.
The summary résumé, on the other hand, works well if you’ve changed jobs or careers often, and wish to downplay your work history and highlight your level of expertise. If a prospective hiring manager is specifically interested in a steady, progressively advancing employment history (as most are), then the summary résumé will very likely work against you, since the format will seem confusing, and might arouse suspicions as to your potential for longevity.
However, if the employer’s main concern is your technical or problem-solving ability, the summary résumé will serve your needs just fine. Either way, you should always follow the guidelines mentioned earlier regarding content and appearance.
Please click here for Format of a Well Written Professional Résumé