Resumes Part II:
Formats
FORMAT OPTIONS
 Resume organizational style:
 Chronological
 Functional
 Combination
 Resume Sections: choice, order, format
 Traditional (paper) vs. scannable by ATS
(electronic)
 Individual “problems” to accommodate
DISCLAIMER: U.S. PREFERENCES
Today we are discussing resume styles that are
preferred in the United States. These same
suggestions may not apply, even for Englishspeaking 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).
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)
SAMPLE: CHRONOLOGICAL
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
SAMPLE: FUNCTIONAL
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
SAMPLE: COMBINATION FORMAT
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
REQUIRED RESUME SECTIONS
All resumes must have your:
 Contact information
 Education
 Work History/Experience
OTHER SECTIONS
You will also probably include:
 Objective
 Skills or Summary of
Qualifications (in list or narrative
style)
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)

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ORDER OF SECTIONS
Top to bottom, left to right in order of
importance:
 Contact information must be 1st
 Objective is 2nd
 Education is 3rd (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
FORMAT OF SECTIONS
 See Career Resource Manual
for options
 Most are about personal and/or
industry preference
 Mixing and matching is fine
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

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
Monster
Simply Hired
Indeed
Agcareers
 Social media
 LinkedIn (profile and PDF)
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
“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:

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
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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
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:

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Skills
Tools
Education
Location
SCANNABLE SAMPLE
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 2nd 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
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
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, 2nd 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
THANK YOU!
UC Davis Internship and Career Center
Open Mon-Fri 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, South Hall 2nd floor
Summer Drop-In Advising:
Mon-Thurs, 1:30 – 3:30 pm
Appointments with Coordinators Available:
Call (530) 752-2855
Visit icc.ucdavis.edu