Category Archives: Resumes

Skills-Based Resume

A skills-based resume focuses on the skills required for the job without the employer having to search for them. Here is an example.  The skills are categorized and listed in the main body of the resume.

Employers are listed at the bottom of the page, underneath your skills. By eliminating the focus on your previous positions and titles, you’re able to highlight experiences and skills from all facets of your life and provide a more comprehensive view of your abilities.

This resume demonstrates simplicity while accentuating all the skills necessary for the job you are applying for. Employers want a quick read when they are going through piles of resumes, and this format will allow them to do just that while getting the information they need about you. A one-page resume is always better as it is less to read yet gives enough detail.

Skills-based resumes are also beneficial for those making a career change or have a large gap in their work history dates. Because the focus is on skills, the employment dates aren’t as noticeable and carry little weight in the overall look of the resume.

If any of the following describe you, a skills-based resume may be a great option:

• You have several short-term positions, internships, or temporary assignments, rather than long-term work history.
• There are significant gaps in your work history, typically a year or more.
• You’re trying to change careers or industries and your past work job titles don’t relate.
• You want to make your hobby or passion your full-time job and all of your relative experience has come from volunteering or work on your own time (outside of a paid job).
• You’re starting a new career and you don’t have a large amount of work experience.
• Your positions are similar in nature and listing each out individually feels redundant.

Experience-Based Resume

An experience-based or chronological resume provides a job-by-job listing of each job you’ve held starting with your most recent job and going backwards. Under each job title, the accomplishments and duties are listed in bullet points. Up until the last few years, the chronological resume has been the most popular resume style.

If you have a consistent work history, your job titles are supportive of your job objective, and they create an image that matches the salary you want – a chronological resume may be a wise choice for you.

I prefer the skills-based resume as it is shorter and sweeter, eliminating too much information, repetition and clutter.

What’s the difference between a resume and a CV? The main differences are the length, the content and the purpose. A resume should be a minimum of a one page summary of your skills, experience and education. A goal of resume writing is to be brief and concise since, at best, the resume reader will spend a minute or so reviewing your qualifications. That’s why one page is always best, and to use the skills based format rather than experienced based. See tomorrow’s post for more information on those topics.

A Curriculum Vitae, commonly referred to as CV, is a longer (two or more pages), more detailed synopsis. It includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details.

When to Use a CV

In Canada and the US, a Curriculum Vitae is used primarily when applying for international, academic, education, scientific or research positions or when applying for fellowships or grants. As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different type of positions.