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The Anatomy of a Resume

© Tracy Bowens

If you are in the United States and are looking for a job overseas, you'll need a curriculum vitae (CV). However, if you want to work in the United States, you'll need something called a resume.

What is a Resume?

Like a CV, your resume will hopefully help you obtain an interview by presenting your skills and accomplishements in such a way that your potential employer will say, "I've got to get this person before someone else does." However, a resume isn't nearly as detailed as a CV and doesn't include the personal information (i.e. nationality, date of birth, maritual status) that CVs require.

Elements of a Resume

Resumes consists of a heading, a body, and a conclusion.

The heading of a resume contains your name, address, telephone number, and these days, your e-mail address and your fax number (if applicable). Think of it as the contact section since it contains all of the information a potential employer would use to reach you if an interview is to be the next step. Because of this, if you cannot be reached at a certain number, or address, it is best not to list it. For example, if you do not want calls at work, don't include your work number. If you include an e-mail address, use your personal address, not the one meant for business. If you do not want faxes coming to your office, don't give that number. You get the picture.

The middle section of your resume is the body. It is here that you demonstrate your value to potential employers by communicating your skills, accomplishments, and work history.

This section can take two forms. The one you choose will most likely depend on your background.

The first way to organize this section is to list your work experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first). You provide: - The name of the company - The period during which you worked there - A description of your duties and accomplishements.

This is called a chronological resume (in spite of the reverse order). It is a good format for those who have worked in the same field throughout their employment history and those without gaps in their work history.

The other format involves taking your accomplishments and duties and grouping them under different headings. For example, a person may have wored as a programmer, a project mangager, and a business planner. They might decide to list these functional areas as: Programmer Project Manager Business Planner.

Then, they will list their accomplishments and duties underneath the respective headings. A list of employers would follow.