To write an effective resume, you must first understand the purpose of a resume. A resume is the key that opens the door to an interview. Your resume is the "advertisement" that excites the "buyer" the hiring official,) to examine and evaluate the "product" you.)

The first step is to define the product. What do you have to offer the prospective employer? You should let the reader know immediately. And how do you do that? You pull the reader in with a headline called a "Summary" or "Profile". Sometimes the heading "Objective" is used: In most cases you should avoid this category, because it tells what you want to do. The reader does not want to know what your objectives are, he wants to see if your skills can help him reach his objectives. A Summary will provide your implied objective. If this is what you are emphasizing, it must be what you want to continue doing. This implied objective is a much stronger presentation in a Summary than in an "Objective" because it shows what you can do for the employer, rather than what the employer can do for you.

You may have always been in Widget Manufacturing and all of your widget related experience can be listed as proof of your ability. However, in this age of corporate downsizing and transition from a manufacturing to an information based economy your widget-industry experience may not be as valuable in the current marketplace as it once was. It is very important to determine what talents you should emphasize. There are many sources available to assist you in determining what skills will be in demand now and in the future. Your local library almost certainly has a business reference department. The State Employment Services are becoming much more sophisticated, and Executive Recruiters and Career Counselors have an intimate understanding of the job market an d can tell you what's hot and what's not. Define who you are so you can better sell your experience. You must present your strengths in a clear and concise manner. Get them excited about you!! Remember, the purpose of a resume is to get the interview.

If we used a car sales analogy, the next step would be to focus the customer's attention with a flashy advertisement perhaps in a television, radio or print advertisement. First you have to get the car buyer's attention. This interest gets the car buyer through the showroom door, and it can get your resume out of the slush pile and get it read.

So a heading called "Summary" or "Profile" is good "advertising" strategy, especially for professionals with extensive experience in well-defined areas. You are selling yourself, just like the car in our example, based on what your features are. Remember that the reader of your resume may have 50 other resumes on their desk, so they may just scan the "Summary" initially. If the hiring official sees that your strengths are x, y and z he or she can take the obvious leap to asking themselves if your strengths meets up with the company's needs. This "strengths" summary is your "hook" that gets the buyer to the next step.

Remember that the first 30 seconds are critical. If the reader gets a negative first impression, that impression will have to be fought as they read the rest of it (if they even bother to read the rest), but if someone is impressed by your "Summary", they have a frame of mind that says, "This is somebody I want to see - he (or she) can solve my problem." As they read it they will tend to reinforce their opinion of their good judgment. If you were dealing with a car buyer they would be on the way to your showroom!

But first the hiring official will want to look at the rest of your resume, which ought to be on white or off-white paper (no crazy colors) in a single conservative font such as Times Roman, Arial or any other clear and easy-to read typeface. Resume readers do not take kindly to additional eyestrain, so avoid very small or very large print, constant changes in point-size and italics. Use bold lettering sparingly, so it does not lose its impact. Put your name at the top of each page with a page number. Keep top, bottom, left and right margins at about one inch each. And keep the resume between one and two pages - any additional information can be provided at the interview.

If your field warrants it, you might also have a separate "Technical Profile" of hardware, software, protocols, and/or programming languages. This is especially a good idea for those in high-technology fields. As a general rule, the hotter a skill, the earlier on the list it should go. And if you happen to know what skills a job requires you can put them first of all. These lists can be placed directly after the "Summary", or after the body of your resume (Work Experience) and before the "Education" section. But first you need to decide if your work experience should be listed in the format of a "Functional Resume" or a "Chronological Resume." Both formats have their place.

A "Functional Resume" centers on your skills and accomplishments. This might be a good choice if your work was as a contract worker or a consultant. This style of resume focuses on results and accomplishments. In our example the candidate uses a list of areas where he saved businesses money or solved problems on the job. You could also list publication credits, courses taught, sales goals exceeded, whatever. But this is not the most common form of resume.

The most common resume format is the "Chronological Resume". Starting with the most recent position you work your way back to about twenty. In our example you will note that the months from employment date to end of employment are not listed. It is OK to skip small time periods of inactivity between jobs (up to six months), because a resume is not a legal document like an application for employment is. Just be ready to explain any apparent discrepancies to your interviewer.

The section outlining your "Education" should be placed at the bottom of your resume, highest degree first, followed by lesser degrees, certifications and relevant coursework. The exception is when you are a recent graduate with no work experience, in that case your education should go right under the "Summary". But as soon as you have even six months to one year of work experience place your education at the very end. Your education, not references, should usually be the final piece of information you share.

*A note on references - it is assumed that you have them. The phrase, "references available on request" is optional. You can always save this information for the application if it is requested there.

Congratulations! The good impression created by your well-written resume has gotten an employer sufficiently interested to want a closer look.

Resumes:
FUNCTIONAL RESUME
FUNCTIONAL RESUME
"SUMMARY": Seasoned Professional with 20 years of Widget Manufacturing experience. Familiar with high speed Widget fabrication using SPEW software. Past president of the Standards Committee Of Widget League (SCOWL - 1993-1994). Conducted a complete overhaul of existing manufacturing facilities for 20 global widget manufacturing companies as a consultant.

"TECHNICAL PROFILE":
Hardware: IBM Pcs, Sega Genesis and Super NES.
Software: SPEW, CNC, Windows, Lotus, Super Mario Bros. and Tetris.

Publications:
"Global Positioning of the New Generation of Widgets" published in Widget World Magazine

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

• As Senior Consultant for the Widget Consulting Group, reported to VP Global Operations and responsible for the opening of new plants in Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico.
   

• As a consultant supervised the refurbishing and restructuring of operations in Widget plants in the US and UK.
   

• Oversaw Wunda-Widget Co. implementation of SPEW software for discrete manufacturing operations Worked with software developers to get the transition on track and had the project completed on time, under budget with no extra charges from vendors disputing delivery terms.
   

• In 1987 part of team that invented the "Pocket Midget Widget", Wunda-Widget's best known product. Was responsible for feasibility of manufacture study, ran the Midget Widget implementation group and oversaw the 3,600 square foot expansion of their manufacturing facility.
   

• As VP of Operations oversaw the opening of new Wunda-Widget plant in Sri Lanka.
   

• Implemented quality control measures that cut the percentage of rejected widgets from nine percent to two percent.
   

• Re-designed widget templates to reduce scrap by 10 to 15 percent.
   

• As plant manager responsible for up to 175 people (Union and Non-Union).
   

• My department at GidgCo consistently won quality and safety awards.
   

• Reduced labor by 21 to 47 percent while increasing production.
   

1989 - to present The Widget Consulting Group, Senior Consultant (Reengineering)
1981-1989 Wunda-Widget Co. Inc., VP Operations
1976-1981 Gidget's Widgets (GidgCo.), Plant Manager & Mechanical Engineer

EDUCATION:
MBA Harvard School of Busyness, 1988
Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering Whatsamatta U., Frostbite Falls MN, 1981

CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
John Q. Public
123 Maple Avenue
YourTown,NY 12345
(516) 555-1234 home
(516) 555-9876 business

SUMMARY:
Seasoned Professional with 20 years of Widget Manufacturing experience. Familiar with high speed Widget fabrication using SPEW software. Past president of the Standards Committee Of Widgets League (SCOWL - 1993-1994). Conducted a complete overhaul of existing manufacturing facilities for 20 global widget manufacturing companies as a consultant.

TECHNICAL PROFILE:
Hardware: IBM Pcs, Sega Genesis and Super NES.
Software: SPEW, CNC, Windows, Lotus, Super Mario Bros. and Tetris.

Publications:
"GIobal Positioning of the New Generation of Widgets" published in Widget World Magazine

("CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME") EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:
1989 - to present The Widget Consulting Group
Senior Consultant (Reengineering)

As Senior Consultant, reported to VP Global Operations and responsible for the opening of new plants in Indonesia, Malaysia and Mexico, and the refurbishing and restructuring of operations in Widget plants in the US and UK.

1981-1989 Wunda-Widget Co. Inc.
VP Operations 1988-1989
Operations Manager 1985-1988
Senior Plant Manager 1981-1985

When I joined them the Wunda-Widget Co. was in the process of implementing SPEW software for discrete manufacturing operations and the transition had bogged down. Worked with the software developers to get the transition back on track and had the project completed on time, under budget with no extra charges from Union vendors. In 1987 I was part of a team that invented the famous "Pocket Midget Widget", Wunda-Widget's most famous product. Was responsible for feasibility of manufacture study, ran the Midget Widget implementation group and oversaw the 3,600 square foot expansion of their manufacturing facility. As VP Operations I oversaw the opening of a new plant in Sri Lanka.

1976-1981 Gidget's Widgets, a division of GidgCo.
Plant Manager
Mechanical Engineer

Implemented quality control measures that cut the percentage of rejected widgets from nine percent to two percent. Re-designed template to reduce scrap by 15 percent. As plant manager responsible for five direct reports and a department of 75 people. My plant consistently won quality and safety awards from parent company. We reduced labor by 21 percent while increasing production.

EDUCATION:
MBA Harvard School of Busyness, 1988
Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering Whatsamatta U, Frostbite Falls MN, 1981