by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., and Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D. This article seeks to be the complete compendium on the questions that are most often asked about resumes. In creating this Resume FAQ, we have created seven different sections with a total of 55 of the most frequently asked questions about resumes. Here's how this Resume FAQ is divided for navigation ease:
III. ELEMENTS TO SHARPEN A RESUME'S FOCUS
V. OTHER RESUME SECTIONS AND FINE-TUNING
VII. DESIGN AND MECHANICS
See also our special supplemental Frequently Asked Resume Questions for College Students and New Graduates. I. BASICSWhat is the purpose of a resume?
What are the absolute, unbreakable rules of resume writing? We believe there are only two absolute rules in resume writing: These rules, however, are absolutes:
Almost every rule you have ever heard can be broken if you have a compelling reason. What about "breakable rules" of resume writing? Many of the breakable rules of resume relate to the length a resume should be; all breakable rules are covered in other parts of this FAQ. Do I need more than one version of my resume?
Most likely, yes.
We include functional and chrono-functional formats because they do have their uses, but we should note that purely functional resumes are the least common, least preferred by employers, detested by recruiters... and most Internet job boards do not accept this resume format. Chrono-functional/hybrid/combination resumes can suit a variety of job-seeker needs, such as a diverse job history that doesn't add up to a clear-cut career path and situations where the job-seeker has work experience that is related but not an exact link to the desired position. Job-seekers who have large employment gaps or many short employment stints prefer this format because it downplays employment history. This type of resume has been known to work for mature workers, career changers, and job-seekers with academic deficiencies or limited experience. While the chrono-functional/hybrid/combination resume is more acceptable to employers than the purely functional format, some employers are unaccustomed to functional formats of any kind, finding them confusing, annoying, and a red flag that something is wrong in your background. At the very least, they will probably scrutinize a chrono-functional resume more closely to check for details and find the flaws that inspired the candidate to use this format. Some employers insist on knowing exactly what you did in each job. Recruiters/headhunters particularly disdain functional formats, so this approach should never be used if you are primarily targeting recruiters with your job search. Employers in conservative fields are not fans of functional formats, nor are international employers. Functional formats, even chrono-functional, also are not acceptable on many online job boards. In summary, the chrono-functional resume has very limited uses but can be a viable marketing tool if well done. See our articles What Resume Format is Best for You? and Should You Consider a Functional Format for Your Resume?
One additional delivery format to consider is a Portable Document Format (PDF) resume, which offers the advantages of being completely invulnerable to viruses and totally compatible across computer systems (requires software such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free download, to be opened and read). A resume converted to PDF, which carries a .pdf file extension, looks virtually identical to the original document from which it was created, thus preserving the resume's visual appeal, and it also appears consistently from computer to computer. A few employers specifically request PDF resume files. The downsides include the fact that it can be more difficult to perform keyword searches on PDF resumes unless they are scanned first or the text is extracted from them. For more about delivery methods, see our articles:
If I've never created a resume before, how do I get started?
Here are some suggestions for resources to get you started:
What are the most important aspects of a resume, and how can I remember them?
The most important things to remember about writing an effective resume
can be encapsulated in a six-letter acronym, FAKTSA, in which the letters stand for:
Get more details about these elements in our article, FAKTSA: An Easy Acronym for Remembering Key Resume Enhancers. RESUME COMPONENTSWhat should be included on a resume? We offer lists of the items that you absolutely must include in your resume and a list of optional items to consider including:
Resume Musts
Resume Optionals
We also offer this list of items that should never
be included on a resume:
There's nothing tricky about listing my name, is there? Use the name by which you are known professionally. If you use your middle name, for example, you can list your name one of these ways:
The same goes for nicknames. Keep in mind that some nicknames don't exactly project professionalism, but if you are universally known by your nickname, you may want to list yourself that way on your resume. With your name, list also any professional credentials (M.D., CPA, Ph.D.) that are integral to the job you seek. What if my name is hard to pronounce or it fails to clarify my gender? This issue isn't as silly as it seems. Even if you're well qualified, an employer may hesitate to phone you for an interview if he or she can't pronounce your name or even doesn't know whether to expect a male or female. For the difficult-to-pronounce name, include a phonetic pronunciation of your name in small type in the "letterhead" portion of your resume. Example: "Sally Hsieh (pronounced 'Shay')"For a unisex name, such as Lee or Dale, consider adding a courtesy title to your letterhead, as in "Ms. Lee Anderson" or "Mr. Dale Burns." Especially consider adding a courtesy title if your name is almost always thought of as belonging to the opposite gender or if it is a non-English name, and English-speakers would not know whether to expect a man or a woman: "Ms. Michael Crane" "Mr. Jocelyn Smith." You could also include a middle name that reveals your gender. Of course, you may consider your ambiguously gendered name an advantage and prefer not to reveal your gender (even though your gender will become obvious if you're called for an interview).
How should I list my address?
What other contact information do I need? Although studies have shown that employers rarely try reaching job-seekers using any number but land-line home phone numbers, do include your cell-phone number and any other option for reaching you, such as fax number and office phone number (if you can discreetly receive employer calls at your office). Also include your mailing address and, of course, your e-mail address(es). Make sure your email address is professional, not one such as SexyBabe2301@aol.com. If you have a personal web site or web portfolio, include the URL for it. If you are in serious job-hunting mode and employers who call your phone are likely to get voicemail, make sure your voicemail greeting is professional. ELEMENTS TO SHARPEN A RESUME'S FOCUSWhy does a resume need to be sharply focused? The reader needs to be able to tell in a quick glance what you want to do and what you would be good at. The reader will probably spend 20 seconds or less screening your resume, so you need to focus the reader's attention quickly.
How can you sharpen the focus of your resume?
Riskier options for sharpening your focus:
Should I include my career objective on my resume? Objective Statements have fallen somewhat out of favor. Many employers and recruiters claim they don't even read them. That's because most objective statements are badly written, self-serving, too vague, and not designed to do what they're supposed to do, which is to sharpen a resume's focus. For a very detailed discussion of the pros and cons of objective statements, guidelines for how to write a good one and samples, see Chapter 1 of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By: The Perfect Objective to Sharpen Your Resume's Focus Also see our article, Should You Use a Career Objective on Your Resume? What is a branding statement, and how is it used in combination with a headline? A "headline" atop your resume usually identifies the position or type of job you seek.
A branding statement is a punchy "ad-like" statement that tells immediately
what you can bring to an employer. A branding statement defines who you are, your promise of value, and why you
should be sought out. Your branding statement should encapsulate your reputation,
showcase what sets you apart from others, and describe the added value you bring
to a situation. Think of it as a sales pitch. Integrate these
elements into the brief synopsis that is your branding statement:
See a good discussion of branding statements and headlines, with samples, starting in this section of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By. What about a Profile, Skills Profile, Qualifications, or Resume Strengths section? Whether or not you choose to include an objective statement, branding statement, and/or headline on your resume, you may wish to present a Qualifications Summary or Profile section. In addition to Profile and Qualifications Summary, these resume-topping sections go by numerous names: Career Summary, Summary, Executive Summary, Professional Profile, Qualifications, Strengths, Skills, Key Skills, Skills Summary, Summary of Qualifications, Background Summary, Professional Summary, Highlights of Qualifications. All of these headings are acceptable, but our favorite is Professional Profile. Twenty-five years ago, a Profile or Summary section was somewhat unusual on a resume. Career experts trace the use of summaries or profiles to include information about candidates’ qualities beyond their credentials to the publication of the late Yana Parker's The Damn Good Resume Guide in 1983. For the last 20-plus years, resume writers have routinely included these sections; however, the age of electronic submissions has now caused the pendulum to swing the other way. On one hand, electronic submission means that hiring decision-makers are inundated and overwhelmed with resumes and have less time than ever before to peruse each document. That means that many of them do not read Profile or Summary sections. On the other hand, the age of electronic submissions has increased the importance of keywords so that candidates can be found in database searches. Even some of the hiring decision-makers who don't read Profiles and Summaries advise including them as a way to ensure sufficient keywords in the resume. A vocal contingent of decision-makers, especially among recruiters, strongly advocate for a Summary section -- but one that is quite succinct -- a short paragraph or single bullet point. They want to see in a nutshell who you are and what you can contribute. For a detailed discussion of these sections, including guidelines for crafting them and samples, see Chapter 3 of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By: Your Professional Profile: Bullet Points that Describe Your Strengths in a Nutshell. And use our Resume Professional Profile/Qualifications Summary Worksheet to help you develop bullet points for this very important resume section. What are keywords and how should I use them in my resume? Inundated by resumes from job-seekers, employers have increasingly relied on digitizing resumes, placing those resumes in keyword-searchable databases, and using software to search those databases for specific keywords that relate to job vacancies. Most Fortune 1000 companies, in fact, and many smaller companies now use these technologies. In addition, many employers search the databases of third-party job-posting and resume-posting boards on the Internet. Based on figures from the early 2000s, it is safe to estimate that well over 80 percent of resumes are searched for job-specific keywords. The bottom line is that if you apply for a job with a company that searches databases for keywords, and your resume doesn't have the keywords the company seeks for the person who fills that job, you are pretty much dead in the water. To some extent, job-seekers have no way of knowing what the words are that employers are looking for when they search resume databases. But job-seekers have information and a number of tools at their disposal that can help them make educated guesses as to which keywords the employer is looking for. See a detailed discussion of resume keywords and how to identify them in our article, Tapping the Power of Keywords to Enhance Your Resume's Effectiveness and use our Keywords Worksheet to help identify keywords for use in your resume. What is the Resume Ingredients Rule? Note: From Donald Asher's From College to Career: Entry-Level Resumes, Wet Feet Press.
What kinds of Licenses or Certifications should I list? Any that are relevant to the job you seek. EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
What goes first -- education or experience?
What should I always list under the Education section?
Special note to college students and new graduates: At this point in the FAQ, you may wish to take a side trip to our special Frequently Asked Resume Questions for College Students and New Graduates. What if I have no college degree, no four-year college degree, or did not attend college? If you have at least some college, list it. List an associate's degree or incomplete studies toward a bachelor's degree. For the incomplete degree, list the college, major, location, span of dates you attended, and, ideally, number of credit-hours completed. Your listing of an associate's degree, incomplete bachelor's degree, or no college at all should be beefed up with any training, professional-development, and certificate programs. In the unlikely event that you have absolutely none of these, leave off the Education section. Some employers (and most recruiters) will screen you out, but if you have succeeded in the past without educational credentials, your professional accomplishments will likely be enough to propel you to an interview. Should my other major heading be "Employment" or "Experience?" Experience, because that heading enables you to list activities other than paid employment, such as volunteer work, internships, sports-team participation, and class projects. Should the Experience section be further broken down into subsections? While a resume can sometimes include subsections, such as Relevant (or Professional) Experience and Other Experience, we find it confusing when resumes, especially those of college students, list multiple types of experience -- internship experience, volunteer experience, extracurricular experience, leadership experience, etc. How should my jobs be listed under the Experience section?
List information in this order:
Should I list company names first or job titles first? Generally, list job title first unless you are trying to call attention to the name of prominent companies for which you've worked. (Example: If you plan to enter the tourism industry, and you've had internships at Disney World, Sea World, and Universal Studios, you could list company names first).
How should I list what I did in each job?
How do I handle multiple jobs with the same employer? We recommend listing each position separately, as if it were a separate job, even repeating the name of employer and employer location each time. This approach provides more consistency throughout the resume and clearly shows your progression from job to job. It can also illustrate rapid promotions when the prospective employer sees short time periods between positions. How far back should I go in my job history to avoid age discrimination? Hiring decision-makers are split on this point, which is affected by the growing practice of conducting background checks. Many, especially recruiters, are adamant about seeing every job listed from your college graduation to the present. They argue that background checks -- or even just seeing you in person at an interview -- will reveal your age anyway, so why hide it? Others recommend going back 15-20 years, with the idea that jobs beyond that point are likely not relevant to your next career move. If you have the opportunity to contact the decision-maker before sending your resume, you can always ask his or her preference. Another option is to include your jobs that are more than 15 years old, but list them in bare-bones fashion (title, employer, location) with or without dates of employment. You may want to title this section Previous Professional Experience. Even if you opt to leave off the dates, the recipient will at least know that you have provided full disclosure by listing all jobs. A similar option is to insert a disclaimer statement to the effect that "additional employment history is available upon request." See also our article, Resume, Cover Letter, and Interview Strategies for Older Workers. What if a former employer no longer exists or has changed its name?
For the out-of-business employer, you can simply state "no longer in business,"
"ceased operations," or "defunct" after listing the employer's name. For an employer that
had a different name when you worked there than it does now, list like this:
Or, if you work in a renamed company and fear its new name won't be recognized, list like this:
What are transferable skills, and what is their significance on a resume?
How do I handle employment gaps? A chrono-functional resume is one way to deemphasize employment gaps, but as we've seen earlier in this FAQ, these formats are unpopular with employers and especially recruiters. Another approach, if you can legitimately do so, is to frame periods of unemployment as stints of self-employment, consulting, or project work. Some job-seekers quit their jobs to pursue advanced education or training; you can account for a period of unemployment by listing yourself as a Graduate Student during that period. One recruiter we tallked to called gaps "a huge red flag," so they should be explained in your resume if you can gracefully do so. Other options include explaining them in your cover letter or being prepared to do so in an interview (however, gaps may preclude you from getting the interview). See also our article, How to Handle a Gap in Your Job History. How can I avoid appearing to be a job-hopper? Job-hopping is far less a concern than it was just a few years ago. Mature job-seekers will remember a time when long-time company loyalty was expected. Those days are gone. Workers at all levels stay at their jobs for much shorter periods than they used to. That's not to say that job-hopping is no longer questioned. Very short, frequent job stints can certainly raise eyebrows. A chrono-functional resume will deemphasize job-hopping but comes with its own drawbacks. Another choice is to omit jobs of short duration. In these days of background checks, however, your omission can be risky. Most hiring decision-makers we've surveyed emphasize that nothing should be left off because jobs you've omitted will be discovered eventually in the vetting process, and you'll be eliminated. It's best to list everything, but make a strong case for your qualifications in your cover letter and top third of your resume so that you get called for an interview. Then be prepared to explain and put a positive spin on problematic or short-duration jobs face to face. What if I have no paid experience? Identify transferable/applicable skills from these areas:
College students with minimal experience can brainstorm using our College Experience Worksheet for Resume Development. Which transferable skills are most in demand by employers?
Why and how should accomplishments and achievements be incorporated in the Experience section?
What are Situation > Action > Results statements?
What is the significance of quantifying on a resume?
What is parallelism, and what is its significance on a resume?
For a detailed discussion of resume parallelism, see Chapter 6 of our e-book, The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By. OTHER RESUME SECTIONS AND FINE-TUNING
What other sections could my resume include?
Should I list Hobbies and Interests? Generally, no. These items are considered superfluous and trivial. Some job-seekers consider these items conversation-starters, while some employers feel the information humanizes the candidate and presents a fuller picture. Many recruiters and employers feel hobby and interest information can expose the candidate to discrimination. A workaholic hiring manager "could perceive the candidate as frivolous with too many outside interests," observes Alison, a corporate recruiter for a specialized information provider. As with most information on your resume, the option to list hobby and interest information is a personal choice, but it's usually more risky to list it than to leave it off. Ask yourself: Does this information add value to my resume? Space constraints may also guide your decision. Should I list References on my resume? Never list specific names and contact information of references directly on your resume. How should I handle references? If they are requested, list them on a separate sheet, the letterhead of which matches your resume (and do not volunteer this references sheet unless asked).
Should I use the line: "References available upon Request?" Consider leaving off the line "References available upon Request." This statement is highly optional because it is a given that you will provide references upon request. The line can serve the purpose of signaling: "This is the end of my resume," but if you are trying to conserve space, leave it off. SPECIAL SITUATIONSHow can I position myself for a career or industry change? A career change gives you the opportunity to sharpen the focus of your resume toward the new career or industry. Study ads and job postings in your desired new field, and frame your resume bullet points so that your skills and accomplishments in your current career can be seen as directly applicable to your new career. Use copious keywords that relate to your new career, and tailor your profile, headline, branding statement, or objective statement to your aspiration. How do I handle relocation? While you can discuss relocation in your cover letter, it never hurts to also mention it in your resume. Express in your objective statement and profile your intention to relocate. Since some employers respond much more favorably to local candidates, consider using an address in your new city (PO box, a friend's address, mail-forwarding service) on your resume. As an entrepreneur transitioning back to the workplace, how can I make the most of my resume? Emphasize the entrepreneurial transferable skills that apply to the type of job you're targeting. Many employers, for example, seek candidates who can handle startup and turnaround situations. They're also looking for professionals with experience in asset and liability management, budget development, building strategic alliances, business plan development, capital equipment budgets, competitive analysis, costing and budgeting, financial strategies, market strategy, profit and loss management/direction, new business development, operations management, research and development, return on investment, and strategic planning direction. Focus also on your entrepreneurial successes and accomplishments; avoid conveying any impression that you are leaving the entrepreneurial life because you didn't succeed at it. How can I ensure my resume will be kept confidential? Request as much in your cover letter. It doesn't hurt to display the word "Confidential" boldly at the top of your resume. Some job-seekers who don't want current employer to know they're in the hunt go so far as to list that employer by describing the organization rather than actually giving its name. DESIGN AND MECHANICSHow many pages should my resume be? Among the resume "rules" you may have heard is the one in which resumes should be limited to one page. While it's true that most entry-level job-seekers should try to limit their resumes to a single page, this length is rarely appropriate for those at senior and executive levels. Top-level job-seekers will find it virtually impossible to capture the breadth of their experience and accomplishments in a single page, and some employers expect longer resumes from those candidates, sometimes up to five pages. In a 2007 survey by Accountemps, a specialized staffing service, only 7 percent of senior executives from human resources, finance and marketing departments favored one-page resumes for executives, while 61 percent favored two pages. Respondents were receptive to three-page resumes for executive roles, with nearly a third (31 percent) citing this as the ideal length. One-page resumes can be useful for candidates in certain situations, such as networking, in which the job-seeker wants to give potential network contacts a thumbnail glance at his or her career.
A summary of guidelines on resume length:
See our article, The Scoop on Resume Length: How Many Pages Should Your Resume Be? for a variety of opinions and guidelines on resume length.
What are the most important design elements for a resume?
What kind of paper should I use?
How should I duplicate my resume?
How should I mail my resume?
Although it is becoming less and less common to send resumes by postal mail ...
How can I make sure I've covered all the bases with my resume?
Use our:
Should I hire a professional resume writer? Maybe. Many considerations go into the decision of whether to hire a professional resume writer. Read about them in our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer? Have questions about other aspects of job-hunting? Find our entire collection of answers to the most frequently asked questions in the Quintessential Careers Career, Job-Search, and Job-Hunting FAQs for Job-Seekers.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Have you taken advantage of all the many free resume tools, articles, samples, and more that we have in the Resume Resources section of Quintessential Careers?
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