The distinction between the chronological format and the combination format is that the chronological format resume is extremely simple to understand. Hiring executive would normally begin to read the chronological resume at the bottom, where the record of your work or experience in the profession is placed and moves upward.

Handling Employment Gaps

If there are a few breaks in your employment, it will be extremely noticeable in the chronological format. This is a reason why majority of hiring executives prefer the chronological resume format. It is simpler to read - in addition, it does not leave much to the imagination. This could be a huge plus if you have been in the same position for a long time, as it gives an account of stability and development in your field of work.

There are many reasons for having breaks in employment. It could be due to raising a family, poor health or education. It could also be due to a layoff, military service or just generally having a tough time searching for work due to a stiff job market.

Whatever the reason, if you have gaps in your employment, you'll want to use the combination resume - because it will allow you to highlight your skills, accomplishments and achievements, rather than how long you were out of work.

Link Your Skills and the Job Requirements Together

First, you must build a resume that plainly points out at the top what kind of position you are looking for. Put in a segment that has a summary of your career; what areas you specialize in and your career progression. However, make sure to point out all the things that are important to the company. Highlight your managerial experience and skills that match what the employer is looking for.

If there is an advertisement for a job, look at it carefully and make sure that you make a link between the requirements of the job and all the things you have achieved in your career. Use a 'skills' segment to list of all your skills so that the reader will be able to locate it all in one place. In addition, this is essential if the company uses resume scanning technology. Using keywords and industry jargon will guarantee that your resume will be selected from the database in response to a keyword search.

If you are a career changer, writing a resume that wins isn't rocket science - but it does take time and planning. By tailoring your resume to fit your specific situation and the needs of each particular employer, you will ensure that you get plenty of interview calls.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online - http://www.sixsigmaonline.org, offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals such as, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.