Components of a Chronological Resume

Name header includes your full name, your post/e-mail address and fax/phone number. If you decide to use an answering machine, record a professional outgoing message and state your full name or phone number, so employers know they’ve reached the right number.

Job objective. If you deseed to use an objective, put it right under the name header and use a heading, such as ‘Objective’, ‘Job Objective’ or ‘Career Objective’. State exactly the type of position you want in 12 words or less, e.g.: ‘A computer programmer for an aeronautics firm’.

Summary of qualifications/skills. The skills summary, although optional, provides an excellent opportunity to summarize your qualifications and convince the employer to read the rest of your resume. The summary should be targeted to your job goal and highlight specific experience, skills and training related to the position you are seeking. You may also call it ‘Skills Summary’, ‘Summary of qualification’, or ‘Experience Summary’. It can be in a paragraph or ‘bullet’ form. If you are deciding to use a paragraph, keep it two or three short sentences, e.g.: ‘Award-winning graphic artist with five years experience with state-of-the-art technologies on Microsoft and Macintosh systems. Also skilled in video production and computer-generated images. Software knowledge includes Adobe Photoshop, Aldus Freehand and Aldus Page Maker’. If you decide on a ‘bullet’ format, list four or five points. Remember to put your most important and most relevant qualifications first, e.g.:

- 10 years legal experience in products liability, medical malpractice, contacts, real estate and personal injury litigation;

- trained and experienced in photography, investigation and interviewing techniques;

- strong computer skills, including detailed knowledge of World 2000.

Professional experience section can be headed as ‘Work Experience’ or ‘Employment Experience’ and is likely to take the biggest part of resume. It is the section most employers are interested in. Starting with your present or most recent job, list the jobs you have held. Give the description of your duets, accomplishments, and a sample of something significant that you did. Use phrases instead of complete sentences (for current job responsibilities in the present tense, for past job responsibilities in the past tense) spell out acronyms and abbreviations, write different action verbs so none appears more than twice. Avoid phrases ‘responsibility for’,;duties included’, heading ‘position’, ‘job title’ which are obvious and redundant.

Education generally follows the experience section. However, your education background can come before your experience if:

- you’re a recent university graduate with little job experience;

- you’re changing your career and your education is more relevant and impressive than your work experience.

Experience as a foreign exchange student is also worth noting. Although it may not be related to your career goal, the fact that you studied abroad shows you enjoy a challenge and are willing to try new experience, e.g.:

- One year foreign study at Athens University, 2001, Greece.

In Special skills section include the name of the course and the date you completed the training, e.g.:

- CAD-software: 2-month training programme, NASA Computer Training Center, Hampton, September 2011.

If you possess any other special skill such as knowing a sign language, you may also mention it there. But it would be better if it is related to your prospected job.

Membership and activities: your activities do not necessarily have to be career-related, but if most of them are, you may use the heading “Professional Affiliations”. If you have several professional or social memberships, do not try to include all of them. Just focus on the ones that are related to your career. Otherwise, list any community or civic activities you think to be important. Employers are looking for ‘doers’ – productive people. Your activities will show this you are a well-rounded person with interests outside of work. In addition, a list of your activities reflects your ability to manage a busy schedule. One final note: your listing in this section should be current and brief.

References can be supplied by a candidate’s former employer, supervisor, teacher, university professor or colleagues.

I. State what is wrong with the following job objectives rewrite them in s more professional way:

1. Position with professional growth.

2. Well-paid job in a foreign firm.

3. Job as office manager/secretary.

4. Serious full-time, part-time job.

5. Position with western organization.

6. Serious job, preferably in western company.

7. A job in international marketing.