How to Make a Personal Resume to Apply for a Job
A personal resume sells your experience and qualifications to potential employers. You have a few options when creating a resume, including chronological, functional and combination resumes. The type of format chosen will depend on where you are at in your career. For example, a jobseeker changing careers will select a different format from a person with gaps in employment.
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Instructions
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Use a chronological resume format if you have a consistent work history. According to the Department of Labor, the chronological format is the most widely used format. Include an objective statement summarizing your qualifications in three sentences or less. Then, detail experience and responsibilities for the past three or four employers. Include a section that summarizes education, including degrees and any special training.
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Employ the functional format if you're changing careers or have a relatively short employment history. Include a qualifications summary of your professional experience, then note your "experience highlights," including two or three different headers ( administrative support, customer service and management, for example) that describe your experience. Include bullet points under each header, providing more information about each skill. Create a section titled "employment history," documenting your past four or five employers; for example, Marketing Specialist, ABC Company, Portland, Oregon. Compile a final section titled "education and training," listing degrees and any special training.
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Choose a combination resume if you have large gaps in your employment history. Include four main sections: objective, skills, professional experience and education. The objective should be a short paragraph, detailing your professional experience and accomplishments. The skills section should include specific assets (two or three), including, for example, marketing, media planning and product planning. The professional experience section should list your previous two or three employers and your job title. The final section should detail your education, including degrees and training.
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Tips & Warnings
Check out samples before choosing a format. The Department of Labor has samples on its website.
Do not choose a chronological resume format if you have large gaps in employment. This format will make those gaps obvious.
