Posts Tagged ‘Functional Resume’

 

The Free Form Resume

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

If you want to apply for a job and need a free resume form, a simple search on the Internet should solve your problem. Free information is available with lots of web sites that provide professional assistance for resume writing. The use of the free resume form represents the must- have aid when you lack experience or skill with words. Not anyone is born to be a writer, which is why most people prefer ready made resume samples to the ones they’d create individually.

The great part is that a free resume form will get your through all the content items that need to be dealt with. Depending on the kind of form you choose, you will see that most of them are the fill in type. Other items on a basic free resume form cover general experience, work history, qualifications and education. And the resume parts that will get most of the scrutiny are the work history and the skills, as very little emphasis is put on personal details for instance.

And here, the advantage of using a free resume form is that it guides you step by step through all the stages of creating an optimal statement for the employer. If former jobs and training experience can be of interest for the job in question, then highlight the skills as much as you can. An employer will look into this kind of information and choose the applicants accordingly. Special accomplishments and awards received during your career could also be highlighted so that your value in the work field is well rendered.

With a free resume form you won’t have to worry about where to write the resume profile or the objective paragraph because you’ll be guided through these too. Moreover, the presentation of the educational details is often simplified by the use of an organized format with bullets and numbers so that a reader can easily get through it. Last but not least, make sure not to use any slang words or informal formulas because this would ruin the impact of the resume and will send a negative message about yourself.

Be as accurate as possible, and don’t use too many fillers or words without value for the context. Sentences that tell nothing relevant about yourself will give a bulk look regardless of how concise the free resume form may be. Minutely check your text for spelling mistakes and don’t hand down the application without asking a friend to read it out loud.

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When the author isn’t updating her own resume, she’s a fan of best psychics, the Seattle HCG Diet Center, and the Mercedes Benz windscreen windblocker wind deflector.

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The One-page Wonder – My Resume

Monday, June 15th, 2009

I recently turned 56.  I recently had a job at a local Madison furniture store.  I more recently lost that job.  I recently updated my resume.I more recently figured out that there's a whole, new world out there for all of us faced with the new challenge of finding a new career at our age.   

So here goes!  I wanted to share what I learned about what makes a good resume. 

1)      Reason:  You want the resume to attract the reader sufficiently enough for them to want to meet and interview you.

2)      Decision time:  You must decide on the style of resume.  The experts say the Chronological Resume is the employer favorite but I found the Functional Resume was better suited for me.   The chronological style lists your jobs in order, starting with the most recent (a problem for a person like me who worked for just one company for 36 year). The Functional Resume allowed me to list all of the skills I had in the job I left, those skills that I could transfer to another job/career.

3)      Be brief:  Most, if not all resumes, should be one page long.  Yes, they must be accurate, logical, and well-phrased but they must also be concise and to the point.With millions of people unemployed imagine the number of resumes any given employer has to wade through.  The reader should be able to read it in 60 seconds. 

4)      The objective:  You may start with an Employment Objective (but it’s not necessary), especially if you’re like me and would be willing to try something new.   But you have to know your objective while writing the resume or you will appear unfocused and indecisive.  The Employment Objective could say nothing more than “To secure employment as a delivery driver” or “To find employment as a Medical Transcriptionist”. 

5)      Choices, choices:  Choosing the functions to use on your Functional resume is the meat and potatoes of this process.  Again, let me share with you the skills I have that I feel can be transferred into many other jobs out there.I worked in furniture.  I kept the books, completed the inventory, handled service claims, sold furniture, and even helped with deliveries when we were short-handed.  I chose as my Major Skill Areas: Bookkeeping, Inventory control, and Customer Service (three is enough).

6)      Lights, action:  Then under each of the three Major Skill Areas I gave a brief description of my responsibilities and results.   Each sentence should begin with an Action Verb (never start sentences with “I”).  Some examples that I used were, “Responsible for Accounts Receivable and Payable, which included reconciling sales from the previous day and closing out paperwork on sales”.  Or, “Completes inventory adjustments on damaged furniture or furniture returned to the manufacturer”.  Under Customer Service I had, “Handles service claims through open communication with wholesale companies”. 

7)      More on results:  Don’t forget to include some of your great results under each Major Skill Area.  Under Bookkeeping you might include the fact that you “created a worksheet that cross-referenced furniture that was delivered vs. commissioned.  This helped the company avoid errors when figuring sales commissions for the month”.  Or how about under Inventory Control the fact that you “negotiated (yes, yet another action verb) with a furniture wholesaler, who was going out of business, to take on their excess inventory at reduced prices, saving my company thousands of dollars”.  These items show that you are one who takes initiative.This is something any boss would value!

8)      Where have you been?:  There is a section after the three Major Skill Areas that can be titled, Major Work Experience” where you can list the jobs you’ve had over the past 10 years (or in my case the one job I held for 36 years).

9)      Finishing up:  Under references I recommend always listing, “Available upon request”.  With the one-page wonder there really isn’t room anyway to list the three or four good references you want to have ready if they’re requested. 

So, these are some things I was presented with when I wrote my own resume.  I know I could have had help, but you are the final judge on the format and information included.  And, after all, who better than you, to sell you?Make this the greatest job-hunting tool ever! 

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