The purpose of a resume is to market your qualifications in a professional interesting manner and obtain an interview. The most popular format is a chronological resume containing a listing of all previous employers (from most to least recent) and related accomplishments. It works well for skilled candidates as it emphasizes dates, employers, and your experience in specific positions. Recruiters prefer this style; it is easy to match up skills with actual job titles. The chronological resume may not be the best option if you have gaps in your work history, too many or too few employers, limited experience in the field, or want to de-emphasize your age.

A skills-based (or modified functional) resume highlights your abilities rather than work history. Experience is listed in skill clusters relevant to the position you are seeking. This allows you to showcase skills that you have acquired in non-related and/or unpaid positions. These transferable skills may not be obvious in a traditional chronological format.

Your bulleted statements should focus on your accomplishments and the results or impact of those accomplishments. Provide specific examples of achievements relevant to the position, such as projects you completed, professional goals you met or exceeded, programs you developed or implemented, and commendations you received.

Some employers dislike functional resumes because they want to know what you did in each job. You can (and should) minimize this objection by including the company name in each bullet describing a skill or achievement:

"Successfully coordinated registration, set-up and presentation of over 25 compliance training sessions at XYZ Corporation."

By providing context within the description, the employer can match the skills up with the position. At the end of the skills-based resume, provide a summary of your job history. Include your job title, employer name, and dates of employment.

Career changers, those re-entering the job market after an extended time, and those who have a variety of unconnected positions in their work history should consider utilizing a modified functional format. If you would like help developing a targeted resume in this style, the Gray Resume Assistance package includes one-on-one assistance from a CEO staff member. Contact the CEO (614-292-3503 or 292-8493 or careerexploration@osu.edu) for more information.

The Buckeye Job Board is a job posting site offered through the Career Exploration Office. Ohio State alumni, continuing education students and other clients of the CEO are invited to view full-time career opportunities with employers seeking experienced candidates for open positions. Employers/recruiters are invited to post open positions for 30 days. There is no fee to use this service. For more information, visit www.careers.ohiostatealumni.org.

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Career Exploration Office, 152 Mount Hall, 1050 Carmack Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1002
(614) 292-8493 or (614) 292-3503, www.careers.ohiostatealumni.org, e-mail: careerexploration@osu.edu.