Deciding the Types of Resumes that right for you.

The most important thing about resumes isn't the design or the type but what it's supposed to get accomplished. That is, it's design should be such as to make someone you don't know want to meet you. Get you in the door for a face to face interview.

So unlike all those sites and "professionals" that tell you which is better, I'm going to tell you what works.

Basically a chronological resume works when you have a robust work history and want to showcase where you've been. Or a pedigree as it were. So the types of resumes are less important as the delivery of what the HR staff at the company is looking for.

the Functional Resume works when you know what the hiring company is looking for. Here you want to show yourself as meeting or exceeding their expectations and needs. You identify the need then outline your skills that meet that need.

The last of the big 3 is a combination of the 2 above.

What works is based on what you see as your assets and what you know about the company you want to work for.

Your assets might include:

Work history

Education (though this is much more critical if you're under 30.

Skills

Certifications

Abilities obtained through other jobs (experience)

As with everything however, differences exist in opinions about resume length, what is included in each of the resume types, and even what the disadvantages and advantages are of each type.

The following does not intend to compete with the other information or contest it, only to clarify it.

LENGTH For many job searches, such as those in the business arena, the efficiency of the one-page resume is best.

FORMAT Here’s where the types of resumes come in:

STYLE = Neat. Standard or popular font. Adequate spacing. Action verbs. Your personal/professional contact information.

Here's the real meat however:

A great majority of larger companies are moving to machine screen initial resumes. If the company asks for your resume in TEXT or plain format, this is a big tip off that they use software to do the initial review of resumes.

What that means is that you don't need to design your resume for a person but a machine.

What that means is that you CAREFULLY read the description of the job or position then include the words and phrases that were used in the job duties outline in your resume.

The reason for this is that the computer will then score your resume based on criteria of the job as outlined by the description. This allows you to make it past the initial screen and into the consider these candidates pile.

It's at this point where the types of resume really comes into play. If your goal is engineering, then you need to impress engineers. Remember that many jobs that "officially" require a college degree do so to provide a measure of justification for the people already doing the work.

That is, the work may not demand an advanced degree but if the hiring people allow someone just as competent to have the position without the education requirements, they run the risk of the company recognizing that the position is to highly leveled in the organization.

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