6
An Overview of Resumes
A resume is a one- to two-page document that sums up a job seeker’s qualifications for the jobs they’re interested in[1]. Your resume includes your relevant experience, skills, education, and accomplishments. It helps you show what you can do, and convinces an employer that you are qualified and would be a good hire [2].
The purpose of your resume is to get you an interview! Your resume is your personal marketing tool: it describes and proves your accomplishments, skills, experiences, and knowledge in a way that is concise and persuasive. Because it is targeted to the reader, your resume needs to be tailored each time you apply for a new position.
Indeed is the #1 job site in the world, with over 250 million unique visitors every month. The indeed.ca web site offers free access to job seekers to search for jobs, post resumes, and research companies. This module includes several sources from the Indeed Career Guide.
A note about Indeed’s videos: You will be invited to like and subscribe to the Indeed web site, but this is not necessary for this module – it’s purely optional for you.
Myths and Facts
Types of Resumes
There are essentially 2 main types of resume. The type you choose to use will depend on your unique circumstances, especially regarding the particular job you are applying for.[3].
First is the most common type, the chronological resume. This type of resume is organized by your job history over time, and is a good choice if you have strong experience related to the target job.
The second type of resume is the functional resume. This type of resume is organized by categories of your relevant skills and accomplishments. It is a good choice if you have an employment history that is unrelated to the job you’re applying for, or your experience is limited, or contains gaps.
Using headings from resume examples or templates can be a good place to start when developing and organizing your resume. Below, you’ll find an example of both a chronological and functional resume, respectively. You can drag the green slider to compare the two formats. These examples will recur throughout the module and we’ll provide more details later on how they take different approaches to presenting your experience and skills. You may wish to download the examples via the links below so that you can follow along in a way that suits you.
Click here to view the Functional Resume example as a PDF
Click here to view the Chronological Resume example as a PDF
In addition to our examples above, if you’re a student or graduate, we recommend taking a look at the resume reference guide made available by Queen’s University You’ll find examples within the guide that speak to a range of unique histories and specializations. You can also take a look at this resume catalogue from Thompson Rivers University. As with the two examples above, you can download the one down below and follow along as you work through the module.
Resume Format
While the format of a