If you’re planning to write your resume, there are specific resume formats to be followed that you need to know. Always keep in mind that the hiring manager who is going to review your resume has already been through lots of resumes. So it is very essential to take care of your writing style to impress the employer at the initial stage itself, just by looking at your resume. Always highlight your achievements with a clear and powerful use of language and at the same time easy and catchy to read.
This isn’t that easy, though. You need to master the art of selling without looking like you’re trying to sell. The best pattern or format to write an impactful resume is to stick to the facts. Attach a slight benefit to the sentence, which reflects how it applies to the company you are applying for. The importance is to realize your product (you), and your market (your possible new employer). Match their requirements up with your strengths, and you should be plain sailing!
A professional resume is easy to draw one’s attention. Use short and clear sentences and in a readable font. Make use of white space to carefully draw attention to key areas. However, the job market is impulsive these days and your situation could change instantly. Come what may, you will gain from thinking about how to present yourself in a fine manner. There are basically two types of resume format, ‘chronological format’ and ‘skills format’.
The chronological format presents your work information chronologically. This is a good format to use if you have a concrete employment record with a stable career growth curve. In this format, you can reveal your reliability and professional development.
If you have just passed out of a school or returning to the workforce, or if you have gaps in your work experience, you may try the skills format for your resume.
In this format, highlight the skills you offer, using your work history to hold these skills rather than as the core of the resume. This format will allow you to list the time spent performing a variety of skills described with no listing the exact dates you worked the jobs.
Many resumes are actually a hybrid of both resume forms. Remember that there is no permanent rule for how to place together with your resume. Your key criterion is to create a resume that works and will capture the employer’s attention and present you as a serious candidate for the position you are seeking.
Beatrice Cox is a writer and stylist with a passion for the intersection between biology, technology and design. High in Swedish Bali and Heritage, it travels around the world encouraged and informed a global perspective on the future of fashion and its relations with planetary health. She is currently working for a sustainable fashion label in Bali, Indonesia.