Resume Writing
Need For A Resume
Resume Writing Basics
Writing A Great Resume
Chronological Resume
Functional Resume
Hybrid Resume
Resume for First Job
Electronic Resume
Internet Resume

Writing a Chronological Resume

Contact information

1. Center your full name at the top of the page. Include your middle initial, if appropriate, but not your middle name, unless you use it at work.
2. After your name, add the appropriate acronym for any certifications you have received from recognized independent certifying organizations (for example, CPA for Certified Public Accountant).
3. Add the appropriate acronym for any doctorate-level degrees you have been awarded by accredited educational institutions (for example, Ph.D. for Doctor of Philosophy), but not degrees at the master's level or below, unless you are in the education field.
4. Provide your complete mailing address. Position this information one space below your name, on the left- hand side of your resume. Put your street address on one line; the city, state, and zip on a second, as follows:

   4451 Elm Street
   Andover, MA 02158

5. If possible, provide two methods by which an employer or recruiter can contact you. Position this information one space below your name, on the right-hand side of your resume. Place the preferred method first and the backup method directly below it, so that the contact information looks like this:

   day - (203) 659-2136
   Sam@erols.com

   Contact methods include (in order of their effectiveness):
   A private daytime telephone number that you answer
   A private e-mail address that you can check during the day
   A private daytime telephone number that another adult answers
   A nighttime telephone number that you answer
   A private e-mail address that you can check at night

Profile

1. Review your employment materials and identify 3-5 key attributes or qualifications that best support your objective statement. These capabilities usually are your strongest credentials for the job you seek.
2. Check recruitment ads, job postings on the Internet, and position descriptions, if you have access to them, to determine the terms typically used by employers to express your key credentials.
3. Using the words and phrases favored by employers and recruiters, summarize your qualifications in 3-5 bullets or short phrases.

Education

1. List the education degrees you have earned, using the following format: degree/major, educational institution, location, year awarded.
2. List any certificates you have been awarded, using the following format: certificate, certifying organization, year awarded.
3. List major training programs you have completed, using the following format: training program, training organization, year completed.
4. List any educational course or training programs in which you are currently enrolled, citing the course or program, the institution or training organization that is providing it, and the term "ongoing."

1. List any professional societies or associations in which you are a member and/or have held an elected or appointed position. Begin with the term Member or the name of the position held and then identify the organization by its complete name.
2. List any license you have earned from a state licensing board, using the following format: License name and number, granting organization, year awarded.
3. List any awards you have received from professional societies or associations or from your employer, using the following format: Name or brief description of the award, organization that granted it, year it was presented.
4. List any conference presentation you have made, paper you have had published, or program you have helped organize, using the following format: Title of the presentation or paper, meeting or publication name, date.

1. State your employer's name and location and your dates of employment on one line, followed by the title of the position you held on the next line. Put your position title in bold.

   ADEMCo Enterprises         Malden, MA
   1991-Present
   Project Manager

2. Use action verbs (such as completed, directed, developed, conducted) and short, but complete sentences to describe your principal tasks in this position. Limit the information you present to a paragraph of no more than 4-5 lines in length. Focus on activities that support your objective and illustrate the strengths you highlighted in your profile.
3. Identify 2-3 achievements you accomplished in this position. Clearly relate these achievements to the activities you described in Step 2. Describe them using quantitative measures (for example, money saved, goods sold, profits earned), wherever possible.

All other previously held positions - in reverse chronological order

1. Repeat Steps 1-3 in the previous section for each position in which you've been employed. If you held several different positions in the same organization, describe each separately, including the dates you held the positions, but don't repeat the name of the employing organization. For example:

   ADEMCo Enterprises         Malden, MA
   1991-Present
   Project Manager         1997-Present

   One-paragraph description of your activities List of 2-3 accomplishments

   Senior Analyst         1991-1997

   One-paragraph description of your activities

   List of 2-3 accomplishments