Writing Several Kinds of Resumes

You may want to write several kinds of resumes, each of which has a specific usage. The main types of resumes are:

Accomplishment or achievement resumes. These are short resumes in which you give only a tantalizing look at your achievements, your work experience, your education and the most important of your skills. The accomplishments are not arranged chronologically, but according to importance. An accomplishment resume is essentially a "broadside," or ad. It should be restricted to one page, or at most two. Accomplishment resumes are most useful as inserts in letters and should go to people and/or industries which you have identified as having either High D or High I characteristics.
Chronological resumes. In these resumes, you arrange your jobs in declining time order, most recent to most distant. For each position, you summarize the duties and responsibilities (or provide a thumbnail job description). Also included is information about your education, honors, professional memberships, a minimal amount of personal information, and either a job objective or brief summary statement about your strengths. You must send a chronological resume (or a combination chronological/accomplishment resume) to executive recruiters, human resources departments and when responding to any ads that detail the minimum requirements for the position. Use one when applying for a position requiring technical skill such as an accountant, physicist, chemist, financial analyst, mathematician, statistician or engineer. Also, give chronological resumes to people you think exhibit High S or High C communications styles. Chronological resumes might also be best if you have a strong record of achievement and job advancement in a single field.
Functional resumes. In these, you arrange your experience in terms of the kinds of job functions you performed. For each major function, you describe what you actually did, regardless of when you did it. Functional resumes are especially valuable if you've had several kinds of job experiences, although if they're not done carefully, they can give the impression that you're a job jumper. Functional resumes are also good for generalists and when you're applying for a position in a small company in which you might have to wear several hats. Also included in the resume are listings of employers, education, honors, personal information and a job objective or summary statement about your strengths.
Combination chronological achievement resumes. These resumes list each job you had, in descending chronological order. For each position, a short summary of the duties and responsibilities is written, then under each job summary are listed the notable achievements which set apart your performance on that job from what others might have done. Also included: education, honors, professional affiliations and some personal information. The combination resume can be given to a person with any communication style, since it provides information in the right form for every style. However, this resume is difficult to keep under control in terms of length and can get too long to be effective.
Professional/technical resumes. Professional resumes may be used effectively by engineers, scientists of all kinds, computer analysts and programmers, consultants, construction workers, and anyone else who works on a project basis. It is similar in feel to the achievement resume, but the information is placed in a different order: name and address; a brief summary or thumbnail description of your strengths; a full listing of professional skills and special professional abilities; and a listing of projects you have worked on that required your special contributions, education, professional affiliations and licenses. No personal information is given. If you have a number of publications and patents, these may be listed before the projects.
Curriculum vitae. This is a special kind of resume used primarily by educators and research scientists. The usual name, address and a brief description of your strengths come first; next is listed your education, with any honors included; then a brief listing of jobs held-employer, job title (which in education tells what the job is), and the courses taught or type of research; next are listed publications (if any); important presentations before professional groups; membership in professional organizations and offices held; certifications; and brief personal information. Extracurricular activities which relate to the position desired or show your versatility should be included (almost the only kinds of resume where this type of information is included).
Letter resumes. These are resumes in letter format tailored to answer specific needs or to fit the special requirements of a particular job.
Biography. This is technically not a resume, but a selling document used almost exclusively by consultants. It is a one-page summary of your special qualifications, written in narrative style. It describes your background briefly, your education, major consulting achievements, and the names of a few clients who can be counted on to give you a good recommendation.

450

89

Writing Several Kinds of Resumes