building your resume
Resumes can seem terrifying and not worth the effort, but we promise it’s easy once all the details are broken down.
We’ve written out pointers for two different types of resumes for you to follow while creating your own.
A chronological resume is a resume that lists your work history, schooling, volunteer experience, etc. in order from most to least recent. Because it emphasized work history, it is best for those who are established in the workforce. A skills-based resume focuses less on chronology and more on spotlighting skills and experience related to the position you’re applying for. A hybrid resume combines traits of both.
A chronological resume is often incorrectly assumed to be the “default” resume, but there are many cases where a skills-based or hybrid resume would be better. To choose which resume format is best for you, read below and decide which fits your experiences best.
Choose a Chronological Resume if you:
- have had consistent employment for over 10 years, and you have made obvious growth and advancements
- are not switching to a different career field,
- have a strong list of education, work, and achievement history, or
- have several past jobs with the same job description and field.
Choose a Skills-Based Resume if you:
- are switching careers entirely to a field you have little experience in,
- are a recent high school or college graduate with little work history,
- do not have a strong education/academic history
- have large gaps in your work history,
- have only held short-term jobs or internships, or
- have several past jobs with the same job description and field.
Choose a Hybrid Resume if you:
- have job experience for a handful of years (about 3 to 9),
- are applying for a promotion or another position within the same company,
- want to hide gaps in your employment,
- are changing career fields, or
- do not have a strong education/academic history.
If you do not know which format to choose still, I recommend choosing a hybrid.
I suggest making two resumes: a master resume and the resume you will turn in to potential employers. Start with your master resume, which lists everything that you’ve done and skills that you have regardless of whether or not it pertains to any specific career or job. Then, make a copy of your master resume and weed out the irrelevant information for the position you want to apply for. (If you decide to make a master resume, make it a chronological resume instead of a skills-based resume as it does not focus on any specific skillset.)
Having a master resume helps you to remember what education, experience, training, certifications, etc. you have. That way, when you apply for something new, you won’t have to rack your brain for anything relevant you can put on it. It’s all right in front of you!
Open the PDFs below for guidelines and worksheets to help you create your own resume.
Lillian LeCompte, Reference Department