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Six Steps to a Blockbuster Resume> STEP FIVE: Professional Experience

In the Professional Experience section you will list your employers, job titles, and dates of employment in a reverse-chronological order; that is, your most recent job comes first, followed by your next most recent job, and so on.

This format is standard and is expected by all hiring managers and admissions directors. With regard to employment dates: Generally speaking, hiring managers prefer years of employment, rather than months and years (i.e. 1999 - 2003 as opposed to May 1999 - April 2003). However, some college admissions programs want specifics when it comes to dates, so it’s best to use precise dates when applying to graduate school.

In the Professional Experience section you will also include daily tasks and responsibilities beneath the appropriate employer listing. If you’ve included a Career Accomplishments section in your resume, you should not repeat that data here. Once data is presented in a resume, it must not be repeated.

To ensure that your daily tasks are presented in an interesting and easy-to-read manner, you should do the following:

• Begin each sentence with an action verb. This quickens the pace of your writing and makes the text more enjoyable to read. This is such an important point that we named our site after it! For a comprehensive choice of action verbs, review the list of resume action words on our home page.
• Use a bulleted format. This breaks up large blocks of text that could prove daunting to a hiring manager.
• Delete unnecessary articles and adjectives. Your sentences should be short and snappy. Be succinct and edit for brevity.
• Watch your verb tense. For those jobs where you are still currently employed, write your job duties in the present tense. For those jobs in the past, write the responsibilities you held in the past tense.

Additionally, Professional Experience can be captured and showcased in three formats:

• Functional
• Chronological
• Combination

In the functional format, you are stressing what you know over where you gained your experience. This works for those who have strong skills, but a weak employment record.

In the chronological format, you are providing a work history dating back from the present. The chronological format is the most common format and is generally preferred by hiring managers.

In the combination format, you are stressing what you know in one section, while also providing work history dating back from the present in another. This is another highly popular modern format.

Continue on to STEP SIX ->

STEP SIX: Education and Training Education: Data provided in this section should be prioritized (and included) according to: Your current career level (entry-level as opposed to professional) The purpose of your resume The country in which your resume will be distributed Your current career level: If you’re an entry-level candidate with little or no professional experience, your education should be presented immediately after the Qualifications Summary and/or skills area. The reasoning for this is that education is currently your most marketable asset. Here, you would include: GPA (if 3.5 or above) Awards/scholarships Dean’s list Coursework relevant to job search If you’re a professional with five or more years of experience, Education should be listed last on your resume. GPAs, awards or scholarships, and mention of dean’s lists are not generally provided in a professional or executive resume, except for those used for entrance into graduate school programs. The purpose of your resume: Resumes sent to admissions directors for graduate school can list Education before Professional Experience or after, depending upon these factors: If the applicant has just recently completed his bachelor’s degree, it should be listed before Professional Experience. If the applicant has real-world experience related to the graduate degree she is seeking, the Professional Experience should be listed first. The country in which your resume will be distributed: If you are distributing your resume within the US, high school education is not included. The only exception to this rule would be if you’re applying for a job with the federal government. In that case, you would include high school data. When distributing a resume outside the US, then high school education is included. Training: Include all specialized training that is transferable to your new job target. If you have not attended college, include all specialized training in your target field. Hiring managers generally prefer to see some post-secondary education.