This blog post focuses on building a reverse chronological résumé. You can read about the three most common résumé formats in the post entitled Three Amigos: The Most Common Résumé Formats. Future posts will address other issues related to format and strategy.
Although there are many ways and styles that you can use to strategize your résumé for an effective job search, there are sections that must be included. These sections are:
Name
Your name must appear visible to employers.
Use a bigger font to highlight it, as your name is expected to be the biggest word on your résumé. Aim for a 20-point font. If you have a degree or certification, like MBA, PH.D., or PMP, put it after your name.
Contact Information
Contact information should appear right after your name.
It should include city, state, and zip code. You do not need to include your home address. After your city, state and zip code, include one phone number and a professional email. If you have a LinkedIn account, please include a link as well. If you do not have a LinkedIn account, create one: it helps recruiters to get more information about you and builds your network.
Headline
Headlines are short descriptions that help recruiters to identify in seconds who you are and what you do. They are optional, but useful in minimizing ambiguity and providing a space to use keywords related to the job description or duties. You do not need to use the heading “Headline.”
For example, if you have a degree in Spanish Education and want to be a teacher at an elementary school, you can use “Spanish | Elementary Education | Active Learning.” By doing this, you are telling what you teach, the level, and the methodology that you use.
Summary of Qualifications
This section is one of the most powerful parts of the résumé and should be written last. As the name suggests, it is a summary of your knowledge and skills. Unless you have a lot of experience, the summary should not be longer than 3 lines. You do not need to use the heading “Summary of Qualification.”
For example, if you have a degree in Spanish Education, want to be a teacher at an elementary school, and have experience teaching English in Spain, you can write:
“Recent graduate with experience teaching English to elementary students in Spain and Spanish to undergraduate students in the United States. Proven record of students’ satisfaction and extensive knowledge of active learning techniques. Fluent in English and Spanish.”
Core Competencies
The core competencies section of the résumé allows your expertise and skills to shine. For this section, you can add the headline “Core competencies:” using a 10-point font. The beauty of this section is that it guides readers while allowing you to use keywords related to the job description or duties. As a recent graduate, one or two lines are fine.
Using our previous example, you can craft the “Core competencies” section as:
Curriculum Development | Curriculum Design | Virtual and Distance Teaching | Assessment | Word | PowerPoint | Blackboard
Professional Experience
In a typical résumé, the “Professional Experience” includes the name of the company, the city and state, and the title of the position followed by three to five bullet points describing accomplishments. In some cases, you can include a short description of the job duties. You need to include the heading “Professional Experience.”
As an undergraduate (or graduate) student, you might not have a lot of professional experience. Or, as someone leaving academia, you might not know how to frame your skills for the target job. However, you can strategize your résumé by leveraging coursework, internships, and volunteer opportunities.
Imagine for a moment that a student has taught Spanish at a lower level to cover their graduate school tuition. In this case, the student can frame the experience as:
Teaching Assistant | University of Greatness | 2020-present
- Recruited to teach beginning-level Spanish to undergraduate students. Develop grade assignments, design lesson plans, and assist students in different aspects of their language learning.
- Maintained a GPA above 3.95 while teaching one course per semester and completing other service duties.
- Selected to promote language learning on the program’s social media platform.
- Scored an average of 4.5 out 5 in teaching effectiveness during the academic year.
In this example, the student is providing “metrics” or numbers to measure success. The student does not focus that much on the duties, such as designing a lesson plan, teaching a lesson, or creating a PowerPoint. However, this information is important for an interview. Get in the habit of keeping a record of accomplishments and duties.
What about if you did not volunteer, do an internship, or have a job?
You can always frame coursework—projects, presentations, and research—as work. Keep in mind that even if you did not receive a salary, you were still working. Be careful that the way you frame the experience does not give a false impression that you had a salaried job. Recruiters know that you might not have a lot of working experience.
Education
Usually, the “Education” section comes last. If you are an undergraduate student, you can put this section before the “Professional Experience” since you are highlighting your knowledge, skills, and degree. You need to include the heading “Education.”
Unless you did something impressive as an internship, do not include information about High School. Your professional life starts with a Bachelor’s Degree or a Professional Certification.
Some Considerations...
If you do not have experience writing résumés, it is highly recommended that you hire a professional or certified résumé writer who can help you translate your achievements into an effective job application. The money will be well spent even if it is more expensive than buying a book.
In the end, what you are paying for is to learn how to brand yourself and develop the mindset of a professional willing to invest in a career. In other words, you pay for the résumé and, at the same time, you pay for acquiring a new skill and a new way of defining success.
Do you have a draft of your résumé? What information did you include? How did you frame your accomplishments?