PRDV102: Resume Writing

At one time there was just the simple chronological resume…and everyone had one. It started off with your contact information across the top, an objective statement, a reverse chronological listing of your career history, and your college education, and maybe closing with organizations or awards. This format accounted for over 95% of all resumes about 10 years ago. It was clear, easy to read, and structurally simple to format. But times have changed…and so must the classic chronological resume.

Let me first state that the basic chronological format has not changed much over the years. General improvements in resume writing and formatting have kept this classic resume style alive. That, and the numerous online job search sites that request, store, and present your resume in their preferred chronological layout, keep this format the most popular. Still, we can make some slight improvements over the old tried-and-true format and have a very nice looking resume!

Your resume starts with your contact information, which is usually kept simple and clear. Include your first and last name, your phone number, your e-mail address, and at least your city, state, and zip code – your street address is optional. The layout is not predefined, but centering your name with the other elements all on a single line below your name would be a fine start.

In most cases today, the objective line has been done away with unless you are writing the resume for a specific job or if the objective line is used more as a mini-summary statement (which I like). If you are open to a variety of positions and are going to use a summary statement (below), you can leave the objective line off.

The summary statement is the newest piece of information in this format. It is either a multi-sentence or a multi-bullet section – it is just four to five lines that provide a mini-commercial of your skills, talents, and successes. This section was taken from the functional resume format (we will discuss this format later) to help the reader get a quick idea of who you are and your strengths. Note that some online resume systems do not have a place for this summary, so you may need to make sure that you address these points carefully within the respective career history sections.

Career history, presented in reverse chronological order, is the next section and this format's namesake. You list your title, your company, the time you were with the company (mm/yyyy – mm/yyyy format is preferred), and optionally the city and state of the job, all on one or two lines and usually in bold print.

Then below this is where you point out your major activities, the successes, and any measurable accomplishments – preferably using a STAR writing style. It can either be paragraphs or bullets, but I suggest using a little of both – a two-to-three-sentence paragraph followed by two to four bullets. List your jobs back at least eight years, but not more than 15. Yes, this is important…the old stuff is not generally something that will sell you…save it for your cover letter or your interview.

Your degree information will follow your career history. Before you are all done, you might also add the optional sections of awards, groups, activities, or other job-related, career-related, or industry-related information (no hobbies, no personal stuff, etc.).

My suggestion is that everyone should have a chronological resume. Even if you are inclined to use a different resume format for various reasons or situations, there will always be a need to have your resume available in a chronological layout.

Source: C.J. Trayser
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