Business Writing in Action
These sections emphasize how your written business communication represents you and your company. It should be clear, concise, and professional. These sections also discuss the importance of netiquette in the workplace; common examples include memos, business letters, business proposals, reports, resumes, and sales messages. After you read, try the exercises at the end of each section.
Résumé
Learning Objectives
- Describe the differences among functional, reverse chronological, combination, targeted, and scannable résumés.
- Discuss what features are required in each type of résumé.
- Prepare a one-page résumé.
A
résumé is a document that summarizes your education, skills, talents,
employment history, and experiences in a clear and concise format for
potential employers. The résumé serves three distinct purposes that
define its format, design, and presentation:
- To represent your professional information in writing
- To demonstrate the relationship between your professional information and the problem or challenge the potential employer hopes to solve or address, often represented in the form of a job description or duties
- To get you an
interview by clearly demonstrating you meet the minimum qualifications
and have the professional background help the organization meet its
goals
An online profile page is similar to a résumé in that it represents you, your background and qualifications, and adds participation to the publication. People network, link, and connect in new ways via online profiles or professional sites like LinkedIn. In many ways, your online profile is an online version of your résumé with connections and friends on public display. Your MySpace and Facebook pages are also often accessible to the public, so never post anything you wouldn't want your employer (current or future) to read, see, or hear. This chapter covers a traditional résumé, as well as the more popular scannable features, but the elements and tips could equally apply to your online profile.
Main Parts of a Résumé
Regardless
of the format, employers have expectations for your résumé. They expect
it to be clear, accurate, and up to date. The
elements of résumé style: Essential rules and eye-opening advice for
writing résumés and cover letters that work. AMACOM. This document
represents you in your absence, and you want it to do the best job
possible. You don't want to be represented by spelling or grammatical
errors, as they may raise questions about your education and attention
to detail. Someone reading your résumé with errors will only wonder what
kind of work you might produce that will poorly reflect on their
company. There is going to be enough competition that you don't want to
provide an easy excuse to toss your résumé at the start of the process.
Do your best work the first time.
Résumés
have several basic elements that employers look for, including your
contact information, objective or goal, education and work experience,
and so on. Each résumé format may organize the information in distinct
ways based on the overall design strategy, but all information should be
clear, concise, and accurate.
Contact Information
This
section is often located at the top of the document. The first element
of the contact information is your name. You should use your full, legal
name even if you go by your middle name or use a nickname. There will
plenty of time later to clarify what you prefer to be called, but all
your application documents, including those that relate to payroll, your
social security number, drug screenings, background checks, fingerprint
records, transcripts, certificates or degrees, should feature your
legal name. Other necessary information includes your address, phone
number(s), and e-mail address. If you maintain two addresses (e.g., a
campus and a residential address), make it clear where you can be
contacted by indicating the primary address. For business purposes, do
not use an unprofessional e-mail address like sexiluvr93@hotmale.com or
tutifruti@yafoo.com. Create a new e-mail account if needed with an
address suitable for professional use.
Figure 9.7 Sample Contact Information
Objective
This
is one part of your résumé that is relatively simple to customize for
an individual application. Your objective should reflect the audience's
need to quickly understand how you will help the organization achieve
its goals.
Figure 9.8 Sample Objective
Education
You
need to list your education in reverse chronological order, with your
most recent degree first. List the school, degree, and grade point
average (GPA). If there is a difference between the GPA in your major
courses and your overall GPA, you may want to list them separately to
demonstrate your success in your chosen field. You may also want to
highlight relevant coursework that directly relate to the position.
Figure 9.9 Sample Education Field
Work Experience
List
in reverse chronological order your employment history, including the
positions, companies, locations, dates, duties and skills demonstrated
or acquired. You may choose to use active, descriptive sentences or
bullet lists, but be consistent. Emphasize responsibilities that
involved budgets, teamwork, supervision, and customer service when
applying for positions in business and industry, but don't let emphasis
become exaggeration. This document represents you in your absence, and
if information is false, at a minimum you could lose your job.
Figure 9.10 Sample Work Experience
Table 9.5 Types of Résumés
Type | Function | Advantage | Disadvantage |
---|---|---|---|
1. Reverse Chronological | Reverse chronological résumés (also called reverse time order) focus on work history. | Demonstrates a consistent work history | It may be difficult to highlight skills and experience. |
2. Functional | Functional résumés (also called competency-based résumés) focus on skills. | Demonstrates skills that can clearly link to job functions or duties | It is often associated with people who have gaps in their employment history. |
3. Combination | A combination résumé lists your skills and experience first, then employment history and education. | Highlights the skills you have that are relevant to the job and provides a reverse chronological work history | Some employers prefer a reverse chronological order. |
4. Targeted | A targeted résumé is a custom document that specifically highlights the experience and skills that are relevant to the job. | Points out to the reader how your qualifications and experience clearly match the job duties | Custom documents take additional time, preparation, analysis of the job announcement, and may not fit the established guidelines. |
5. Scannable | A scannable résumé is specifically formatted to be read by a scanner and converted to digital information. | Increasingly used to facilitate search and retrieval, and to reduce physical storage costs | Scanners may not read the résumé correctly. |
Maximize Scannable Résumé Content
Use Key Words
Follow Directions
Insert a Key Word Section
Make It Easy to Read
Printing, Packaging and Delivery
Use a laser printer to get crisp letter formation. Inkjet printers can have some "bleed" between characters that may make them overlap, and therefore be misunderstood. Folds can make it hard to scan your document. E-mail your résumé as an attachment if possible, but if a paper version is required, don't fold it. Use a clean, white piece of paper with black ink; colors will only confuse the computer. Deliver the document in a nine-by-twelve-inch envelope, stiffened with a sheet of cardstock (heavy paper or cardboard) to help prevent damage to the document.Figure 9.11 Sample Format for Chronological Résumé
Key Takeaway
Exercises
- Find a job announcement with specific duties that represents a job that you will be prepared for upon graduation. Choose a type of résumé and prepare your résumé to submit to the employer as a class assignment. Your instructor may also request a scannable version of your résumé.
- Conduct an online search for a functional or chronological résumé. Please post and share with your classmates.
- Conduct an online search for job advertisements that detail positions you would be interested in, and note the key job duties and position requirements. Please post one example and share with your classmates.
- When is a second page of your résumé justified? Explain.
- Conduct an online search for resources to help you prepare your own résumé. Please post one link and a brief review of the Web site, noting what features you found useful and at least one recommendation for improvement.