Quintessential Careers Press: Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates Chapter 8: Putting It All Together: Worksheets to Develop Your Resume and Cover Letter Page 70 Do give your resume as sharp a focus as possible. Given that employers screen resumes for between 2.5 and 20 seconds, you need a way to show the employer at a glance what you want to do and what you're good at. One way to sharpen your focus is through an objective statement. The objective statement can be very simple and straightforward; it can be simply the title of the position you're applying for, which can be adjusted for every job you apply for. Or you can embellish the Objective statement a bit with language telling how you'll benefit the employer. Something like: "Objective: To contribute strong ________ skills and experience to your firm in a _________ capacity." Do consider a section such as "Summary of Qualifications," or "Profile," which can also help sharpen your focus. Here's an example of such a section. Don't discount the possibility of a chrono-functional format for your resume. This format can be strategic for career changers, students and others who lack experience, those with gaps in their employment, as well as those re-entering the workforce. A chrono-functional resume is organized around functional skills clusters. After listing three to four skills clusters and showing how you've demonstrated those skills, you provide a bare-bones work history at the bottom. Don't use personal pronouns (I, my, me) in a resume. Do list your job information in order of importance to the reader. In listing your jobs, what's generally most important is your title/position. So list in this preferred order: Title/position, name of employer, city/state of employer, dates of employment. Don't leave out the locations of your past jobs (city and state). This information is expected, but many jobseekers unwittingly omit it. Do list your jobs in reverse chronological order. Previous Page Next Page Back to Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates Index Page