1. Resumes Part II: Formats

2. FORMAT OPTIONS  Resume organizational style:  Chronological  Functional  Combination  Resume Sections: choice, order, format  Traditional (paper) vs. scannable by ATS (electronic)  Individual “problems” to accommodate

3. Today we are discussing resume styles that are preferred in the United States. These same suggestions may not apply, even for English- speaking countries like Australia & the UK.  In some countries, a resume = CV (Curriculum Vitae)  In the US, resumes are acceptable to applying to most businesses. CVs are used for academic and research positions, especially for applicants with PhDs (for MA/MS, depends on employer field). DISCLAIMER: U.S. PREFERENCES

4. CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME  Most common layout, and usually preferred/expected by employers  Ordered by time, usually in a reverse chronological order  Most recent experience first, oldest experience last  Variations in order of sections, but each section still organized by date  Note for CVs: sometimes presented in forward chronological order (this is a personal, departmental, or job field preference)

5. SAMPLE: CHRONOLOGICAL

6. FUNCTIONAL RESUME  Least popular with businesses  Organized by function areas and accomplishments within those areas  Does not link skills/tasks to specific position held  Minimizes or omits specific work history  Good for career changes, large gaps in time without work or school  Targeted to specific job and shows how your background can be reimagined to fit a new career

7. SAMPLE: FUNCTIONAL

8. COMBINATION RESUME  Combines chronological and functional formats  Benefits of both styles  Has function based organization first, then brief work history  Good option when your past work history does not clearly fit the requirements of a particular position, but you have transferrable skills

9. SAMPLE: COMBINATION FORMAT

10. OUR RECOMMENDATION  Tailor your resume to your background and the specific job  Consider format based on job goals, needs & the basic standards for all resumes  Choose variations for key sections based on your needs  The ordering of sections is governed by what is most important when applying to that specific position

11. REQUIRED RESUME SECTIONS All resumes must have your:  Contact information  Education  Work History/Experience

12. OTHER SECTIONS You will also probably include:  Objective  Skills or Summary of Qualifications (in list or narrative style)

13. OPTIONAL SECTIONS Consider adding these if they apply to you and they support your objective:  Activities  Leadership  Special Projects (class or club)  Community Service  Travel (study abroad/volunteering)  Presentations/Publications/Poster Sessions  Awards (not financial)  GPA (if asked, or in engineering)

14. ORDER OF SECTIONS Top to bottom, left to right in order of importance:  Contact information must be 1 st  Objective is 2 nd  Education is 3 rd (if you are a student now, a recent graduate, your degree is related to your job search, or your degree/school is important to the employer)  Skills or Summary next, but only if you have strong skills (if not, can be moved lower)  Experience  Additional sections come last

15. FORMAT OF SECTIONS  See Career Resource Manual for options  Most are about personal and/or industry preference  Mixing and matching is fine

16. ONLINE & ELECTRONIC RESUMES For many online resume submissions use a PDF For example:  Craigslist  Email You may use an electronic resume for:  Employer website application systems  Job Boards  Monster  Simply Hired  Indeed  Agcareers  Social media  LinkedIn (profile and PDF)

17. APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM [ATS] A software application that scans for key words in resume to determine eligibility ATS used by:  Large job search sites (e.g. Monster.com or Indeed.com)  Large (and sometimes medium) employers who use online application submission systems

18. “SCANNABLE” RESUMES & ATS  Save resume as plain text or text file (not.doc or.pdf file)  Cannot handle formats that include:  Underlining or lines  Bold, italics  Tabs, columns, centering  Only use:  Hyphens or dashes  Simple symbols (above numbers on keyboard)  Space bar to indent  60 characters per line  11-12 point font  Save and send it to yourself to check format

19. KEY WORD SEARCHES  Key words = important words often found in the job description  Key words are basis of ATS/electronic searches  ATS searches for nouns  Traditional resumes prioritize verbs  Key words may focus on:  Skills  Tools  Education  Location

20. SCANNABLE SAMPLE

21. GENERAL TIPS  Consistency is rule #1  Make sure style and size of font are consistent—use only one style  If you use CAPS or Bold or Underline or Italics for headings, be consistent throughout  Spell check and have a 2 nd good proofreader look it over  Vegetarian vs. Veterinarian, There vs. Their vs. They’re, Fish vs. Fishes, Redding, CA vs. Reading, CA)  Tense matters – use past tense for all verbs except current position  Print out variations and see how they look  Mistakes on resume = employer thinking you are careless, sloppy, a poor writer, or don’t have attention to detail

22. GENERAL TIPS  Formatting can be manipulated to put emphasis on your strengths  Skills summaries help highlight your abilities in a noticeable way  Option: break your “Experience” section into “Relevant” and “Other” to get older but more critical to the job items towards the top  Not sure what to write? Look up the position on O*NET (onetonline.org) and use that as a starting place

23. NEED MORE HELP?  Bring a printed version of your resume to:  Resume Review on Wednesday (tomorrow) from 1:00-3:30pm  Sign in at ICC Reception Desk, 2 nd floor of South Hall  Drop-in, first come first served basis  Summer Drop-in Hours at the ICC  Keep in mind that it is normal to need about 3-4 edits for a strong and finalized resume

24. THANK YOU! UC Davis Internship and Career Center Open Mon-Fri 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, South Hall 2 nd floor Summer Drop-In Advising: Mon-Thurs, 1:30 – 3:30 pm Appointments with Coordinators Available: Call (530) 752-2855 Visit icc.ucdavis.edu