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What information should I use for a resume?

Home » Careers » Resumes » What information should I use for a resume?
Posted by Your Guide on October 12, 2005 5:18 PM

In general, resumes take one of two formats—chronological or functional. A chronological resume lists an employee’s education and work history in a reverse chronological order. This is the most standard and safest resume format because it allows employers to quickly recognize your relevant career experience.

A functional resume focuses primarily on an employee’s skills and provides a list or brief summary of past jobs at the end of the resume. There are also resume formats that combine chronological and functional formats in some manner. The format you choose is important, but regardless, you want to provide employers with the following information:


  • Contact information: Make sure you state at the top of a resume your name, address, phone number and email address so that employers have that information readily accessible.
  • Education: Provide information on any education you have received and degrees you have earned, including any specialized education and certification you have received. It is acceptable, though not essential, to provide your GPA as well.
  • Work experience: Don’t simply list the jobs you have held, but provide the responsibilities you had and the skills you gained at each of these jobs. Even if you have had scores of different jobs, limit yourself to discussing the three to six most relevant and impressive.
  • Skills/Experience: Provide specifics on the skills you have gained through experience and education. Do you have language skills? Proficiency at certain computer programs? What about experience in training, hiring, or accounting? Highlight tangible skills that apply to the specific job for which you are applying.

These are the basic ingredients that will be on every resume. In addition, however, many employers recommend providing an objective, lists of honors, activities, or publications, or a list of references as well. Employees can decide on a case-by-case basis whether to include this information or simply make one resume to use for all jobs.



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