Contents
Functional/Skills-Based Resume. 3
Section One: Contact Information. 4
Section Two: Professional Profile. 4
BACHELORS OF SCIENCE, BUSINESS ADMIISTRATION.. 5
ASSOCIATES OF APPLIED SCIENCE. 5
Section 1: Contact Information. 6
Section 5: Additional Information. 11
Example Resumes: Chronological 13
Example Resumes: Functional/Skills-Based. 15
What Is a Resume?
A resume is a marketing tool, a customized document, and a brief introduction to you. Your resume will get you in the door. Your interview will get you the job.
Types of Resumes
Chronological Resume:
Traditional format that jumps straight from contact info to experience
- Lists your experience in reverse chronological order
- Describes relevant skills in bullet points
- Emphasizes your professional experience
Functional/Skills-Based Resume
Best for industry changes, military transitions, or periods of unemployment
- Emphasizes relevant skills by category
- De-emphasizes employment history, placing it at the bottom of the document
Combination Resume
The most common resume in today’s job market
- Focuses on professional profile and qualifications in the top third of the document
- Emphasizes relevant skills by category with employment history at the bottom, or includes reverse chronological list of experience
Parts of a Resume
- Section One: Contact Information
- Section Two: Professional Profile
- Section Three: Experience
- Section Four: Education
- Section Five: Additional Information
The order of these sections is not set in stone. If the job description puts a lot of emphasis on past professional experience, put experience before education, etc.
Combination Resume
Section One: Contact Information
Name
(555) 555-5555 123 Main Street, Manchester, ////
Your.email@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/yourlinkedin
Section Two: Professional Profile
Human Resources Associate
Committed, enthusiastic, and innovative Air Force Veteran, Human Resource (HR) Specialist, and self-starter. People-oriented Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, with demonstrable project management and policy analysis skills. Dedicated to helping people achieve their greatest potential by constantly looking for the opportunity to mentor and support. Highly analytical leader who takes pride in effective decision making and problem solving when implementing policies and procedure, but who can also work independently or as a member of a team.
Qualifications
- Metrics and Forecasting
- Database Management
- Research and Analysis
- Oracle People Soft
- Documentation and Reporting
- Employee Relations
- Communication
- Mentoring and Training
- Leadership Development
- Performance improvement
- Program Management
- Project Innovation
- Attention to Detail
- Operation Budgets
- HRIS Technology
- Strategy
- Workflow Reviews
- Certified HR Specialist
Section Three: Experience
LOGISTICS TECHNICIAN September 2013-Present
Grady Healthcare System, Atlanta, GA
- Developed and implemented training for all new logistics team talent acquisition, to include familiarization with Oracle and PeopleSoft and shipment receipt processes
- Facilitate inter- and intra-departmental communication in addition to negotiating product prices with outside vendors, ensuring improved workflows for a growing healthcare provider
- Designed and implemented improved procurement and supply distribution processes by reviewing previous systems against the DMAIC flow chart to identify gaps
- Managed a ten-person virtual team as part of a healthcare Project Management and Team Management course, resulting in a final project grade of 95%
- Created, monitored, and evaluated an end-user survey designed to collect data and researching which supplies emergency technicians and paramedics used, improving customer service by 15%
MEDICAL TECHNICIAN July 2000 – July 2015
United States Air Force Reserves, Atlanta, GA
- Achieved Lean Six Sigma Purple Belt upon completing a Kaizen program management event in July 2015, thereby earning a Lean Practitioner Certification
- Analyzed clinic front-end operations, processes, and protocols to identify personnel training and scheduling gaps and design a standard operating procedure to ensure uniformity between all shifts
- Justify monthly variances for a nearly $1million annual budget by evaluating average expenditures and wastes, confirm exceptions, and collating receipts
- Assess inventory and prepared reports regarding overages, shortages, and damages, communicating discrepancies to vendors and reconciling inconsistencies with the Purchasing Department
Section Four: Education
BACHELORS OF SCIENCE, BUSINESS ADMIISTRATION Anticipated: October 2016
Southern New Hampshire University
- Concentration in Human Resources with a cumulative 3.3 GPA, as of June
- Pursued coursework in recruiting and recruitment, Human Resources strategic development, benefits analysis, occupational health and safety, and employee labor relations
ASSOCIATES OF APPLIED SCIENCE July 2014
Gwinnett Technical College
- Awarded Human Resource Management Specialist Certification
- Graduated with a concentration in Human Resource Management and a cumulative 3.0 GPA
Note: Hiring managers take an average of 6–20 seconds for a first glance at your resume, so having a simple, clean, easy-to-read, and digestible format is really important!
Section 1: Contact Information
Your contact information is the very first thing a potential employer sees, so make sure the information is accurate, up-to-date, and professional.
- Use a simple and professional email address that you check regularly.
- List one email and one phone number on your resume.
- Update your voicemail and remove your ringback tone if you have one.
Example:
Sally Student
123 Main St Manchester, /////
(123) 000-0000 s.student@email.com
Section 2: Profile
What is a professional profile?
- Provides a three- to five-line snapshot of your skills, values, and interests
- Catches the attention of your reader / hiring manager
- Includes keywords pulled from the job description
- Incorporates the exact job title from the job description
See Section 2 in the combined resume above for an example.
If keywords don’t fit naturally into any sentences, consider adding a bulleted list in a “Skills” or “Qualifications” section and listing the top keywords there.
Writing Your Profile
The professional profile can be daunting, so here is a step-by-step guide to crafting a powerful one:
- Answer five questions about yourself.
- Shape those answers into a paragraph.
- Incorporate keywords for each application.
Five Questions and Sample Answers:
- What are two or three nouns you would use to describe yourself?
- Human resources specialist, professional, leader
- What are three or four adjectives you would use to describe yourself?
- Compassionate, empathetic, patient, engaging
- What are two or three skills or accomplishments you are particularly proud of?
- Adapting to different cultures very well; extensive international travel; working well under pressure; excellent time management
- What are three or four things you are passionate about or value?
- Helping others achieve their goals; continuing education; volunteering with Humane Society
- How would you define your leadership and/or work style?
- Born leader, but I also work well independently or as a member of a team
The answers above translate to this:
Compassionate and engaging Human Resource (HR) Specialist. Dedicated to helping people achieve their greatest potential by constantly looking for the opportunity to mentor and support. Born leader who takes pride in effective decision making and problem solving when implementing new policies but who can also work independently or as a member of a team.
More Profile Examples
Accounting professional with proven experience working in demanding environments that require strong organizational, technical, and interpersonal skills. Trustworthy, ethical, and discreet; committed to superior customer service. Confident and poised in interactions with individuals at all levels.
Warehouse operations professional with a proven managerial background in motivating teams to perform at their best. Highly organized and efficient while able to constantly develop ongoing relationships with clients and coworkers. A structured, detailed-oriented, and reliable self-starter who strategizes effectively to accomplish multiple tasks and remain calm under pressure.
Compassionate, patient, and driven Special Educator passionate about providing excellent education to students with special needs. Works well under pressure with excellent time management skills. Self-starter who brings positivity to any task, motivating administrators and peers alike.
Section 3: Experience
Below are the key differences between a chronologically based combination resume and a skills-based combination resume. To summarize:
Chronological:
- Lists jobs in reverse chronological order (the most recent appearing first)
- Includes company name and location, as well as dates of employment and bolded job titles
- Includes three to six accomplishment- or achievement-based bullet points
- Starts all bullet points with action verbs and does not repeat action verbs under the same job
Skills-Based:
- Lists approximately three main skills to highlight specific skills related to the job
- Includes three accomplishment- or achievement-based bulled points relevant to each skill
- Includes work history at the very bottom with no bullet points
Writing Good Bullet Points
Here are some questions you can ask yourself for help writing good, strong, accomplishment-driven bullet points.
- Did you ever consistently meet or exceed goals or quotas?
- How? What was the percentage increase/decrease?
- What problems did you solve?
- How? What were the results?
- What did you do that was above and beyond your normal job duties?
- What were the results?
- Did you win any awards or accolades?
- Why or for what? What were the results?
- What new processes did you implement to improve things?
- What were the results?
- How did you stand out among other employees?
- How and why?
- Were you ever recognized by a supervisor for a job well done?
- When and why?
- What made you really great at your job?
- Why? What were your results?
- Did you save the company money?
- How and how much?
Remember, good follow-up questions are essential to uncovering your achievements and writing accomplishment-driven bullet points:
- How? Why? What were the results? How much? What else? What other?
Experience: Chronological
- The job title should be bolded and emphasized over the company name.
- Consistent formatting throughout to keep it clean and easy-to-read.
- Each bullet point starts with a unique action verb.
- Aim to include 5 measurable results.
- Do not use 1st person (I, me, my) or full sentences
- 3 – 6 bullet points for each section
.
Experience: Skills-Based
- Each bullet point still starts with a unique action verb.
- Use quantifiables (numbers) whenever possible.
- Job title still bolded over company name
- Consistent formatting in whatever template you use.
- Work history listed after skills summary
- 3 – 6 bullet points in each section
See the example below:
Qualifications
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
- Designed and implemented improved procurement and supply distribution processes FOR Grady Health System by reviewing previous systems against the DMAIC flow chart to identify gaps
- Achieved Lean Six Sigma Purple Belt upon completing a Kaizen program management event in July 2015, thereby earning a Lean Practitioner Certification
- Led a ten-person virtual team as part of a Project Management and Team Management course, resulting in a final project grade of 95%
COMMUNICATION
- Analyzed clinic front-end operations, processes, and protocols to identify personnel training and scheduling gaps and design a standard operating procedure to ensure uniformity between all shifts
- Developed and implemented training for all new HIRES TO Grady Health System logistics team, to include familiarization with Oracle and PeopleSoft and shipment receipt processes
- Facilitate inter- and intra-departmental communication in addition to negotiating product prices with outside vendors, ensuring improved workflows for a growing healthcare provider
ANALYTICS
- Created, monitored, and evaluated an end-user survey designed to collect data and researching which supplies emergency technicians and paramedics used, improving customer service by 15%
- Justify monthly variances for a nearly $1million annual budget by evaluating average expenditures and wastes, confirm exceptions, and collating receipts
- Assess inventory for overages, shortages, and damages, communicating discrepancies to vendors and reconciling inconsistencies with the Purchasing Department
Work History
LOGISTICS TECHNICIAN September 2013-Present
Grady Healthcare System, Atlanta, GA
MEDICAL TECHNICIAN July 2000 – July 2015
United States Air Force Reserves, Atlanta, GA
Section 4: Education
This section can go above or below the professional experience section, depending on the job and your experience level.
Do:
- Bold your degree title
- Include the full university name, anticipated graduation date, GPA (if above 3.0), and any collegiate recognitions or awards
- Use bullet points with relevant coursework for keywords
Don’t:
- List high school once enrolled in higher education
- Include education programs you did not complete, only include programs you have completed or are actively enrolled in
- List every course you have ever taken
See Section 4 in the combined resume above for an example.
Section 5: Additional Information
Only include these additional sections if:
- They are directly related to the job.
- You have space after writing the rest of your resume.
- Awards:
- Can include awards, scholarships, and major personal achievements.
- Make sure to include what the award was for and when it was received.
- Publications:
- Include books, articles, online publications, creative works, academic papers, training manuals, and manufacturer guides.
- Certifications:
- Include relevant professional, nonacademic training.
- List any currently active and related licenses.
- Languages:
- Include languages at a professional proficiency level or above. (Do not include your high school Spanish.)
- Associations:
- Include memberships and activity within professional associations directly relevant to your target job
Contact the Career Team at for assistance in adding this type of information to your resume!
General Resume Tips
- Use correct grammar and style.
- Don’t use first-person or personal pronouns.
- Have your resume proofread. (Your SNHU Career advisor can help!)
- Be concise.
- Use bullet points instead of long paragraphs or full sentences.
- Tailor the content for every application.
- Include the exact job title.
- Keep it relevant.
- Don’t list every job you’ve held. Stick to the past 10 to 15 years.
- Try to update once a year, including your most recent accomplishments.
- Incorporate hard and soft skills.
- Hard skills: Specific trainable abilities such as math, statistics, or programming
- Soft skills: Less tangible skills that are harder to quantify, such as leadership and teamwork
References
- Pick three to five professional references.
- Always obtain permission first, and keep them in the loop any time they are included in an application.
- Create a separate references list you can submit to an employer upon request.
- No need to list “References available upon request” on your resume
- Use the same header you used on your resume to head the reference page.
- Do not include it in the resume, unless otherwise specified.
- List your references’ names, job titles, current employer, work address, phone number, email, and how you know them.
- Bring your references list to your interviews, in addition to spare copies of your cover letter and resume, just in case.
Example Resumes: Chronological
First and Last Name
Address, Town, State
Phone Number * Email
QUALIFICATIONS
Human resource professional with extensive experience in recruiting, benefits, and onboarding with knowledge of payroll and budgets. Outstanding oral and written communication skills with the ability to work well and excel under pressure. Exceptional leadership, organizational, interpersonal, analytical, and problem-resolution skills. Ability to thrive in both independent and collaborative work environments.
SOFTWARE
VMS, MaxHire, QuickBase, JobDiva, Bullhorn, SharePoint, QuickBooks, Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Windows XP, Monster, Dice, CareerBuilder
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY Anticipated 08/2016
Master of Science in Human Resource Management
- GPA: 3.8, National Society of Leadership Member
UNIVERSITY 05/2014
Bachelor of Science in Business
- GPA: 3.67
EXPERIENCE
COMPANY, TOWN, NH 09/2015 – Present
Human Resource Recruiter
- Perform Full-Cycle Recruiting for all disciplines within the Engineering and Technical realm as well as General Staffing
- Review direct applicant resumes and schedule interviews with qualified candidates
- Conduct pre-screening and comprehensive interviews to assess both skill and personality fit
- Negotiate job offers and complete new hire paperwork, ie: I9’s, W2’s, and background check paperwork
COMPANY, TOWN, NH 06/2013 – 05/2015
Corporate Recruiter
- Recruited, interviewed, and selected candidates for all internal roles, contract, contract-to-hire, and permanent placement positions, including: Business Development, Recruiter, Administration, proposal writers, and various other clerical positions
- Placed 30–40 phone calls a day to potential candidates and successfully placed 3+ candidates a week on contract, contract-to-hire or permanent placement
- Trained and mentored junior recruiters that were joining the team in order to ensure that they were set up for success and able to recruit the talent needed to fill the job requirements
- Attended all local job fairs in order to pipeline local candidates and build relationships
- Complied consistently with all company regulations on areas such as: I-9, background checks, drug testing, education verification, etc.
- Supported sales efforts through account retention, growth within an existing and shared account through solid communication between operations and Account Executives
COMPANY, TOWN, NH 10/2010 – 11/2012
Recruiting Coordinator / Office Manager
- Sourced potential candidates for recruiters using various methods and pre-screened qualified candidates
- Used e-verify to verify employment status of contractors, handled I-9’s and registered new hires on website
- Enrolled and termed new employees in benefits programs, handled all benefits questions
- Handled all new consultant on-boarding and off-boarding paperwork including the creation of offer letters, agreements, contracts and work orders
- Processed weekly expense reports and payroll, mailed client invoices, vendor invoices and checks
Example Resumes: Functional/Skills-Based
First Last
Address, Town, State Zip │ email@ │ phone number
Training
Highly motivated professional with 7 years of diversified experience in customer services, training coordination and management driven by a passion for employee empowerment and success. Strong ability to work well within a group as well as independently with the ability to become an encouraging leader and active participant within a team. Commitment to professional success demonstrated through education achievements in psychology, human resources, and project managing, leading to a new and innovative approach as the training team member.
Education
University, Manchester NH Anticipated Graduation: 2016
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Minor in Project Management
- President’s List Academic Award
- 3.78 GPA
SKILLS SUMMARY
Training and Development
- Developed and enforced a training program for groups of new onboarding staff to teach corporate policies, rules and regulations, necessary skills for each job task, and product knowledge.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with team members and teach new concepts in an effective manner.
- Provided maintenance to ongoing personnel improvements for new employees by providing information for new products, and weekly testing on product knowledge.
- Engaged in the entire hiring process, which included resume/application assessment and screening, pre-employment testing, and applicant interview.
- Guided a diverse group of employees to adapt to new organization policies.
Leadership
- Provided supervision for entire staff during hours of operation to improve productivity, labor hours and staffing concerns, and address customer issues.
- Demonstrated professional speaking abilities through weekly meetings with team members and other organizational leaders.
- Mediated individual employee concerns to improve employee satisfaction throughout the organization.
- Presented feedback of new hire progression to managers with ways to improve
- Assigned responsibilities for staff members throughout each shift.
Organization
- Administered and maintained comprehensive, accurate, and organized records of each individual trained and recruited.
- Acquired and prepared training guides, material, and visual aids to be used by training instructors to present thorough information to trainee.
- Responsible for maintaining a sales and product training schedule for each new hire and training leaders.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Cooperate Warehouse Picker & Packer, Company, Town, NH December 2014 – January 2016
Training Coordinator, Company, Town, NH July 2013 – October 2014
Shift Manager & Customer Service Specialist, Company, Town, NH June 2012 – July 2013
Customer Service Specialist & Certified Trainer, Company, Town, NH October 2008 – May 2012
