How to Create a Professional Resume

Your resume needs to be professional and polished, because if you don't have a professional resume, your application materials probably won't get a second glance from any hiring manager.

Professional (and Unprofessional) Resumes

I've seen resumes that are riddled with typos. I've seen resumes that are inconsistent - bullets in some places, dashes in others, bold in some headings, plain text in others. One of the worst examples of a supposedly professional resume was a resume on bright green neon paper. That one was sent via FedEx, so I would be sure to notice it. Your resume, to be effective, needs to be consistent, concise, and clear and easy to read. 

How to Create a Professional Resume

Use the Best Resume for Your Situation

There are several basic types of resumes used to apply for job openings. Depending on your personal circumstances, choose a chronological, a functional, combination, or a targeted resume. Taking the time to target your resume is well worth the effort.

Types of Resumes:

There are several basic types of resumes used to apply for job openings. Depending on your personal circumstances, choose a chronological, a functional, combination, or a targeted resume.

Chronological Resume:

A chronological resume starts by listing your work history, with the most recent position listed first. Your jobs are listed in reverse chronological order with your current, or most recent job, first. Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it's easy to see what jobs you have held and when you have worked at them. This type of resume works well for job seekers with a strong, solid work history.

Sample Chronological Resume - Retail

=============

Paul Jones
6 Pine Street
Arlington, VA  12333
555.555.5555 (home)     566.486.2222 (cell)
phjones@vacapp.com

                                                     
Experience
Key Holder, Montblanc
April 2001 - February 2005

• Opened new specialty boutique
• Placed orders to restock merchandise and handled receiving of products
• Managed payroll, scheduling, reports, email, inventory, and maintained 

clientele book and records
• Integrated new register functions
• Extensive work with visual standards and merchandising high-ticket items

Sales Associate, Nordstrom  - Collectors and Couture Departments
July 1999 - April 2001

• Merchandised designer women's wear
• Set-up trunk shows and attended clinics for new incoming fashion lines
• Worked with tailors and seamstresses for fittings
• Scheduled private shopping appointments with high-end customers

Bartender                                                                      
Jigg's Corner
February  1997 - July 1999

• Provide customer service in fast-paced bar atmosphere
• Maintain and restock inventory
• Administrative responsibilities include processing hour and tip information 

for payroll and closing register

Education

Ramapo College, Arlington, Virginia

Computer Skills         

• Proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Internet 

Functional Resume:

A functional resume focuses on your skills and experience, rather than on your chronological work history. It is used most often by people who are changing careers or who have gaps in their employment history.

Sample Functional Resume - Management

Jose A. Adelo 1525 Jackson Street, City, NY 11111 Phone: 555-555-5555 Email: jadelo@bac.net OBJECTIVE To obtain a position where I can maximize my multilayer of management skills, quality assurance, program development, training experience, customer service and a successful track record in the Blood Banking care environment. SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS Results-oriented, high-energy, hands-on professional, with a successful record of accomplishments in the blood banking, training and communication transmission industries. Experience in phlebotomy, blood banking industry, training, quality assurance and customer service with focus on providing the recipient with the highest quality blood product, fully compliant with FDA cGMP, Code of Federal Regulations, AABB accreditation and California state laws. Major strengths include strong leadership, excellent communication skills, competent, strong team player, attention to detail, dutiful respect for compliance in all regulated environment and supervisory skills including hiring, termination, scheduling, training, payroll and other administrative tasks. Thorough knowledge of current manufacturing practices and a clear vision to accomplish the company goals. Computer and Internet literate.

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Program/Project Manager
Facilitated educational projects successfully over the past two years for Northern California blood centers, a FDA regulated manufacturing environment, as pertaining to cGMP, CFR's, CA state and American Association of Blood Bank (AABB) regulations and assure compliance with 22 organization quality systems.
Provided daily operational review/quality control of education accountability as it relates to imposed government regulatory requirements in a medical environment.

Assisted other team members in veni-punctures, donor reaction care and providing licensed staffing an extension in their duties by managing the blood services regulations documentation (BSD's) while assigned to the self-contained blood mobile unit (SCU).

Successfully supervised contract support for six AT&T Broadband systems located in the Bay Area. Provided customer intervention/resolution, training in telephony and customer care, Manpower Scheduling, Quality Control, Payroll and special projects/plant extensions and evaluations to ensure proper end-of-line and demarkcation signal.

Reduced employee turnovers, introduced two-way communication to field employees, enhanced employee appearance and spearheaded the implementation of employee (health) benefits.

Chief point of contact for the AT&T telephone and the ABC Affiliated TV stations as it relates to complaints and diagnosing communicational problems either at the site or remote broadcasting. Also tested/repaired prototype equipment for possible consideration or for future use.

Reviewed FAA safety requirements and procedures to ensure compliance for aircraft and passenger safety.

Communication expert and programming specialist for the intermediate range Lance and Persian missile systems. Trained to operate and repair the (FDC) fire direction control computer system and field satellite communications.

Supervised and maintained the position of System Technician in charge of status monitoring and the integration of monitoring devices in nodes and power supplies. For the reception and transmission of telemetry to the network operation centers (NOC's) located in Denver, CO and Fremont, CA. Designed plant extensions, improved the paper flow and inventory control for the warehouse. Provided preventative maintenance at the system level, face to face customer interaction when required and traveled to several telephony/@home systems in the U.S. for evaluation and suggestions in using the status monitoring equipment.

EDUCATION

• Associate of Art, Administration of Justice, San Jose University, San Jose, CA
• NCTI Certified, CATV System Technician, Denver, CO
• ABM Certified, Cornerstone Technician, Denver, CO

Combination Resume:

A combination resume lists your skills and experience first. Your employment history is listed next. With this type of resume you can highlight the skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for, and also provide the chronlogical work history that employers prefer.

Sample Resume Software Engineer

James Bass
775 117^th Terr. N. #8
St. Petersburg, FL 33716-2502
(727) 578-0191
jbsss@tampabay.rr.com

I am interested in pursuing a career in software development. I consider myself a fast learner and a team player. I feel that I can make a contribution to any Implementation Services department.

Computer Experience

Machines: IBM PC compatibles, Rockwell ACD, Macintosh

Languages: VBA, BASIC, Turbo Pascal, DB/c, Turbo C, COBOL

Programs: MS Access, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook, Crystal Reports, MS Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Support Magic, Norton Utilities

Operating Systems: MS Vista, MS XP, MS Windows1, SCO UNIX, MS DOS

Hardware: Experienced with installation of mother boards, SIMM chips, internal/external modems, NICs, SCSI and IDE hard disks, SCSI floppy drives, SCSI I/O ports, and various printer configurations.

Experience

1998 to Present Med Resorts International, Clearwater, FL

Systems Developer
Responsible for migration of extensive filePro database to MS Access utilizing tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, modules, and VBA. Troubleshoot and maintain existing MS Access database for Telemarketing Dept. Troubleshoot and diagnose UNIX, filePro, PC, and MS Windows related problems for in-house staff.

1995 to 1998 Lasergate Systems, Clearwater, FL

Support Engineer
Troubleshoot and debug minor program bugs. Modify existing programs with enhancements. Implement fixes and enhancements. Design, create, and implement ticket designs. Perform remote upgrades of ProtoBase and Select-a-Seat. Resolve problems and questions from Technical Support. Provide documentation. Assist Select-a-Seat Team Leader with creation and testing of new software.

Previous positions:
Senior Technical Support Representative
Technical Support Representative
Technical Support Operator

1988 to 1995 Home Shopping Network, St. Petersburg, FL

Help Desk Supervisor
Manage the Help Desk function as well as prioritizing, resolving, recognizing, and routing end-user computer problems. Establish and document policy and procedure.

Previous positions:
Help Desk Operator II
Assistant Data Systems Analyst
Telecommunications Systems Operator
Customer Service Phone Monitor Trainer
Customer Service Representative
Network Representative

Education

St. Petersburg Jr. College, St. Petersburg, FL
1986 to 1994
Major: A.S. Computer Programming and Analysis
GPA: 3.70

Warner Robins High School, Warner Robins, GA
1972 to 1975
Recipient of Who's Who in American High Schools

References 

Available upon request

Targeted Resume:

A targeted resume is a resume that is customized so that it specifically highlights the experience and skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for. It definitely takes more work to write a targeted resume than to just click to apply with your existing resume. However, it's well worth the effort, especially when applying for jobs that are a perfect match for your qualifications and experience. 

Sample Targeted Resume - Human Resources
_______________________

FirstName LastName
Street, City, State, Zip
home: 555.555.5555
cell: 566.486.2222
email: email@email.com

SUMMARY OF PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Experienced manager with expertise in human relations and project management
• Extensive background in staff recruitment and retention
• Staff training and development
• Superb written and oral communication skills
• Organizational and Strategic Planning
• Management Coaching
• Program Marketing
• Contract negotiation and compliance
• Knowledge of Federal and State Employment Law

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• Society of Human Resources Management
• Portland Human Resources Management Association

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

CLINICAL DIRECTOR
Riverbend Inc., 2000-2005

• Senior Management of a Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) accredited treatment facility. Responsible for all aspects of program management; clinical, administrative, fiscal.
• Responsible for recruiting, orienting, training and supervising 50 staff, was able to reduce staff turn over from 68% to 14% by improving staff orientation and training, professional development, and mid-level management coaching.
• Oversight of all aspects of staff performance; performance evaluation, progressive discipline, mediation of staff disputes and grievance procedures in accordance with state and federal laws.
• Leadership in the setting and achieving of strategic and organizational goals.
• Established training programs for staff in regard to all aspects of workplace performance and professional development.
• Program Marketing, increased annual revenue by 38%.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR
R. Dykeman Center, 1998-2000

• Administrative, clinical, fiscal and human resources management of a large outpatient mental health center; 60 full time employees and 45 contract employees housed in various locations.
• Responsible for the recruitment and supervision and performance evaluation of clinical, administrative and medical staff.
• Provided training to enhance workplace performance at all levels of staffing.
• Nominated as Training Co-ordinator for the West Seattle Mental Health Consortium, providing training as the a trainer or contracting with relevant professionals to provide training in the areas of culturally relevant services, professional ethics and law, and areas of professional development as requested by staff members.
• Concurrently completed a two-year certificate program in Organizational Development and Leadership as the recipient of a merit scholarship by the Microsoft Corporation.
• Independent Consultant to several small businesses, law firms, non-profit agencies and school districts on staff grievance procedures, team building and the setting and achieving of organizational goals.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Family Reconciliation Services, 1988-1998

• Provided program management of the largest FRS contract in Washington State.
• FRS was responsible for providing in-home crises counseling to families on a 24/7 basis.
• Responsible for the recruitment, orientation, supervision and performance evaluation of up to 45 Master's level clinicians.
• During this 10-year period, increased the ethnic diversity of staff from 0% to 36% providing more culturally relevant services to the community served.
• Served as organizational and clinical consultant to a variety of organizations including Bellevue School District; Port S'klallam Tribal Health Board; Eastside Mental Health; Renton Area Youth & Family Services; as well as several businesses and law firms.
• Completed the training required to become an American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) Approved Supervisor.

CLINICAL DIRECTOR - Chemical Dependency Treatment Programs
Rogue Valley Medical Center, 1985-1988

• Hired by the medical center to design and implement a residential treatment program.
• Responsible for the recruitment and hiring of all staff; medical, administrative and clinical.
• Responsible for public relations and Program Marketing
• Developed compensation structure and performance management and employee training and evaluation structures.
• Developed an on-going training program for nursing and clinical staff and served as a liaison between the hospital and the community providing training to community partners; schools, the police department and relevant medical and mental health professionals.
• Designed and brought into existence a family education and support structure for the community.

EDUCATION

• Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certification course work completed
• The African Institute Abuja, Organizational Development and Leadership
• University of Lagos Nigeria, Germany, Psy.D in Clinical Psychology
• University of Nigeria Nsukka, BA in Philosophy and German

Mini Resume:

A mini resume contains a brief summary of your career highlights qualifications. It can be used for networking purposes or shared upon request from a prospective employer or reference writer who may want an overview of your accomplishments, rather than a full length resume. 

Mini Resume Template

Contact Information
The first section of your resume should include information on how the employer can contact you, or your contact information can be printed on the front of a standard size business card with your career highlights on the back.
First Last Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Phone (Cell/Home)
Email Address



Career Highlights

• A mini resume lists your key achievements and skills.
• The best way to present the information is in a bulleted list format. 

Mini Resume Sample #1

Janet Miller
848 Excelsior Circle
Stanford, MI 09991
999-999-999
jmiller@abcd.com


Career Coach

• Certified Workforce Development Professional with 14 years experience as a Career Specialist.
• Ability to provide career counseling, coaching, and job seeker services.
• Expertise at identifying values, developing possible career paths, and developing strategies for entering a career.

Mini Resume Sample #2

John Smith
848 Abbott Road
Stillfield, CT 08888
999-999-999
jsmith@abcd.com



Computer Programmer

• Five years experience in successful design, development, and support of live use applications.
• C++, Java, C, ASP.NET, SQL, MS Visual Studio, Eclipse, JBoss, Tomcat.
• Certifications: CCNA, Unicenter Certified Engineer.

Cover Letter Writing Tips and Suggestions

Perfection matters when writing cover letters. Every cover letter you write should be customized for the job you are applying for, clear and concise, grammatically correct, and error-free.

Here are cover letter tips and suggestions for writing cover letters which will help you stand out from the crowd. And if you have a cover letter writing tip to share, please add it to the list.

Cover Letter Tips

Send a customized cover letter with each resume you send out. Your cover letter may make the difference between obtaining a job interview and having your resume ignored. Even if an employer doesn't request a cover letter, it's helpful to send one.

Target your cover letter. Take the job posting and list the criteria the employer is looking for. Then list the skills and experience you have. Either address how your skills match the job in paragraph form or list the criteria and your qualifications. 

Don't rehash your resume. Your cover letter should complement, not duplicate your resume. Expand on your resume and highlight your background as it relates to the job. 

Write simply and clearly. Get right to the point and write short, targeted letters. Each letter should be one page, or less. Each paragraph should contain three or four sentences, at most. 

Personalize your letter. If you can, address it to the individual responsible for hiring. If need be, research online or make a phone call to find out who the hiring manager is.

Use email for cover letters, but, keep them short and include in the email message. Don't send as an attachment unless the employer specifically requests one.

Spell check and proofread. Then ask someone else to read your correspondence before you send it. It's often easy not to notice mistakes in our own writing.

Write simply and clearly. Get right to the point and write short, targeted letters. Each letter should be one page, or less. Each paragraph should contain three or four sentences, at most. 

Review cover letter samples to get ideas for format and content for your letters. Use examples as a starting point for creating your own library of job search correspondence.

Keep copies of all your cover letters, so you know what you sent to whom.

JOB EMPLOYMENT SEARCH GUIDE TOOL 1- GUARANTEED CURRICULUM VITAE CV, RESUME, COVER LETTER

When applying for a job a cover letter should be sent or posted with your resume. If you are not sure what to write, review these cover letter samples.

Your cover letter should be specific to the position you are applying for, relating your skills and experience to those noted in the job posting. Your cover letter is your first (and best) chance to make a good impression! Review cover letter tips to help ensure your cover letter gets noticed.

Take the time to review cover letter examples and then make sure that your letter explains how your skills relate to the criteria listed in the job posting.

Cover Letter Templates and Format

Templates you can personalize to write your own cover letters when submitting job applications.

Your Contact Information
Name
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Phone Number
Email Address

Date 

Employer Contact Information (if you have it)
Name
Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip Code

Salutation
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name, (leave out if you don't have a contact)

Body of Cover Letter

The body of your cover letter lets the employer know what position you are applying for, why the employer should select you for an interview, and how you will follow-up. 

First Paragraph

The first paragraph of your letter should include information on why you are writing. Mention the position you are applying for and where you found the job listing. Include the name of a mutual contact, if you have one.

Middle Paragraph(s)

The next section of your cover letter should describe what you have to offer the employer. Mention specifically how your qualifications match the job you are applying for. Remember, you are interpreting your resume, not repeating it. 

Final Paragraph
Conclude your cover letter by thanking the employer for considering you for the position. Include information on how you will follow-up.

Complimentary Close
Respectfully yours,

Signature
Handwritten Signature (for a mailed letter)

Typed Signature

Sample Formatted Cover Letters and Email Cover Letters

Here are examples of cover letters and cover letter email messages formats including formatted targeted cover letters, general cover letters, and email cover letter messages. 

When you're writing a cover letter, formatting is important regardless of what type of cover letter you send. An email cover letter needs to be as properly - and professionally - formatted as a typed cover letter.

Here are examples of cover letters and cover letter email message formats to review including formatted targeted cover letters, general cover letters, letters of interest, and email cover letter messages.

 It's important to take the time to write targeted cover letters that show why you are qualified for the job.

To write a custom cover letter, take the job posting and list the criteria the employer is looking for. Then list the skills and experience you have. Next, create a bulleted list of how your qualifications match the job criteria or explain why you are good fit in paragraph form.

When you have a contact person at the company, include the information in your  Contact cover letter and personally address the cover letter to the hiring manager. Taking the time to personalize your cover letters will make a good impression and will show that you have invested the time to customize your job application.

When you write a custom cover letter it's important to review the job posting and the criteria the employer is looking for in a candidate. Then write a custom cover detailing how your skills and experience match the company's requirements. Here's an example of a custom cover letter written specifically to apply for a job posting.

A letter of interest, also known as a prospecting letter or inquiry letter, is sent to companies that may be hiring, but, haven't listed a specific job opening to apply for. Your letter of interest should contain information on why the company interests you and why your skills and experience would be an asset to the company. 

A cold contact letter is a cover letter written to inquire about unadvertised job openings. Be sure to include information on how you would be an asset to the company and why you are qualified to work there.

It's important to format all the cover letters you send, with space between the heading, the greeting, each paragraph, the closing, and your signature. When you don't have a contact person for your cover letter, it's acceptable to address it to Dear Hiring Manager.

When you send an email cover letter, it's important to follow the employer's instructions on how to submit your cover letter and resume, and to make sure that your email cover letters are written and formatted properly.

It's important to include information on the job you are applying for, as well as details on why you are qualified for the position when sending an email cover letter message.

Don't forget to include a Subject line in your message or your signature. 

This cover letter template lists the information you need to include in the cover letter you submit with your resume. Use the cover letter template as a guide when you create your own customized cover letters to send to employers. 

The Subject Line is one of the most important parts of the email messages you send to apply for jobs and to networking contacts.

Your email message must include a Subject Line and it should explain to the reader, at first glance, why you are writing.

It's a good idea to include detailed contact information in your email signature when you're job searching. This sample includes the full address, as well as an email address and phone number.

The easier you make it for the hiring manager to get in touch with you, the better outcomes you'll have.

When sending or uploading a cover letter with your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) it's important to format both your cover letter and resume/CV. Be sure to use the same font and style in both documents so your job application materials match.