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8.1 Building Your Résumé

We recommend the following situations in which combination functional and reverse chrono-
logical résumés should and should not be used:

Recommended

• When you are entering the job market for the first time or your work experience is
minimal
• When you are reentering the job market after a long absence
• When you are changing careers
• When you want to emphasize skills not used in your most recent jobs
• If your career growth in the past has not been progressive or you have had frequent
job changes
• If you have a variety of unconnected work experiences
• When much of your work has been temporary, freelance, or consulting
• When you are a specialist in several fields or skill areas

Not Recommended

• In highly traditional fields where you often are expected to begin at an entry level
and progress one step or level at a time to positions of increasing responsibility
• Where the names of specific employers you have worked for are of great interest
(e.g., in industries such as high-tech) or your most recent employers have been
highly prestigious
• When you are a specialist and have performed a limited number of job functions

Should I Make My Résumé Scanner Friendly?

In this digital age, many employers
scan résumés they receive to turn them
into digital files. Other companies use
an applicant tracking system, special-
ized computer software that scans
résumés for key words and phrases
and provides a statistical calculation
of whether your résumé should go on
to the next phase of the hiring process.
The font—a specific size and style
of type or printed characters within
a type or font family—you use can
affect your potential employer’s abil-
Photosindia.com/SuperStock
ity to scan your résumé. Pay particular There are some general formatting and styling rules
attention to how the employer wants for creating résumés. Which font and page format
your résumé to be submitted, and you use can affect a potential employer’s ability to
make your font choice based on the scan your résumé.
employer’s requirements, whether the
résumé is to be submitted online or through the employer’s electronic hiring system, or if you
are asked to submit your résumé as an e-mail attachment or by mail. Note: If you are asked
to submit your résumé as an e-mail attachment, consider saving the document as a PDF file

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