There are several types of resumé, but the most common types are chronological, functional, and combination.
A chronological type highlights your entire career or job history, beginning with your latest position. If you have a strong history behind a specific position, you may want to consider this approach. For example, if you are looking for a job in the journalism industry, list all the journalism-related jobs you’ve had. There’s no need to put your other job experiences there that have no direct relationship with being a journalist.
If you do not have a strong work history that shows your lengthy experience for a particular job opening, the use of the functional type of resumé is the best option. This type focuses on your functional skills. For example, if you are applying for a restaurant manager position but have limited work experience in this post, highlight your attributes that are fit for the restaurant business. For example, highlight your good oral and written communication skills, and people skills, and be focused on details and customer satisfaction. All these functional skills are transferable and necessary for a restaurant manager position.
In some cases, it is advisable to use a combination of both the chronological and functional types.
Be Concise and Accurate
Headhunters go through hundreds of resumés each day and do not have the time, attention span, and patience to read pages and pages of applicant information. So be concise and only write the most vital details. The resumé also needs to be accurate since the accuracy, as well as the correctness, of the information you put in, reflects your personality and character. This means that you must not embellish your information and only state the facts. Experts in human resource recruitment can check your background, so be sure about the accuracy of the work history you provide. Accuracy also includes being free from grammar mistakes, typo errors, and inconsistent data. Make sure your resumé is 100% error-free.
Highlight Skills and Qualities
Highlight your best skills and qualities, if possible, at the top of the resumé. This makes it easier for the recruiter to pre-screen whether you have the skills that their company needs. Listing your skills and qualities near the top of your resumé immediately lets the recruiter know why they should hire you. Once you get their attention, it is then that they scan downwards to check your work history and other related details on the resumé.
Use Keywords
Using keywords in the resumé is also a good technique especially nowadays when recruiters use software to search the Web for candidates. For example, for a sales position, using keywords such as ‘top seller,’ ‘multi-awarded sales professional,’ and ‘consistently meets the sales quota’ are words and phrases that can help get your resumé more views in an online job portal or job applicant database.
By following these simple but important tips, getting your dream job might take just a few more adjustments on the computer and printing out a winning resumé.
Once you’re ready, take on endless overseas opportunities through Staffhouse International Resources, a trusted recruitment agency in the Philippines. Visit our recruitment services page to discover the industries we cover or contact our recruitment team to learn more.
