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How to Organize Your Resume Layout


You have options. There are multiple ways to organize the content of your resume. Most students and recent graduates choose the chronological resume format. See details and examples below.

CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME

In this type of resume, the "Experience" section lists your experiences in reverse chronological order, with the most recent experience first. In addition to jobs, you include volunteer and internship positions—paid or unpaid. This type of layout highlights your experience (and education) more than your skills.
(Page down to see an example of the chronological resume format.)

Pros:
Your experiences (job, volunteer, internship) and your educational background will be highlighted. If you've held multiple positions, this is helpful, especially if the positions relate to the position to which you're applying. A chronological layout also allows you to show your progress/promotions in positions.

Cons
When you highlight your experience over your skills, you may be highlighting experiences that don't relate to the position. Also, gaps in your employment history will be more noticeable. (However, employment gaps are common among students and recent graduates.) If your skills relate to the position more than your experiences do, you may want to use a skills-based layout.

SKILLS-BASED RESUME (also known as 'Combination')

In this type of resume, you focus less on your experiences and more on your skills. You do provide a brief list of experiences, but you first emphasize specific skills you have.
(Page down to see an example of the chronological resume format.)


Pros:
This layout gives you a chance to highlight skills that are related to the position. This is particularly helpful if your skills are more relevant than your experiences. A skills-based resume allows you to list your most relevant skills at the top of the resume. This type of resume can be useful for students newly entering the professional workforce, or for people who are transitioning to a new career field.

Cons
This format may be too long. It's also unfamiliar to some employers.

Other Commonly Used Resumes:

ELECTRONIC/SCANNABLE
Some companies request electronic resumes, which they scan for keywords that match what they're looking for in a job candidate. A scannable resume can be helpful, but you must know how to create an effective one, and know how to use keywords. Keyword scans usually look for nouns, not action verbs. The company's job description explains what they're looking for and is a good source of the keywords you should use when writing a scannable resume. Call or stop by our office for more help with this.

INTERNATIONAL / CV
If you're searching for a job outside the United States, you may have to change the format of your resume. Some countries require photos, handwritten cover letters, and a variety of formatting changes. Research the country or company norms.

Examples of These Resume Layouts

Sample Chronological Resume:
(See below for the job description this sample resume is tailored to.)

6542 THORNBERRY DRIVE • HASTINGS, MN 55423 • 651-123-1234 • MILLER@UMN.EDU
MADELINE MILLER
OBJECTIVE
To obtain the position of Manager of Exhibits and Production at the Minnesota Children's Museum which will utilize my degree in art history and previous experience working in a museum.

SUMMARY
  • Experience in exhibit design
  • Strong leadership and communication skills
  • Ability to manage multiple large-scale projects at one time

EDUCATION
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Anticipated graduation date of May 2010
University of Minnesota
Bachelor of Arts, Art History
Minor in Monetary Economics
Dean's List Spring 2008, Spring 2009
GPA 3.63

Architecture, Sculpture, & Painting in Florence & Tuscany
 May 2008 – June 2008
Study abroad program focusing on art during the Renaissance

RELATED EXPERIENCE
Minneapolis, Minnesota
July 2008 – Present
Curatorial Intern
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
  • Organize and catalog 8 to 10 new acquisitions each week for curatorial committee review
  • Correspond with artists regarding proposals by mail, phone, and email ensuring accuracy of details
  • Design layout of new exhibits focusing on visually appealing, yet practical presentations
Minneapolis, Minnesota
September 2007 - May 2009
America Reads Volunteer Coordinator
YMCA – University of Minnesota Chapter
  • Supervise 20 volunteers, ensuring active participation with designated elementary school
  • Develop external communications marketing plan to inform community of outreach program
  • Establish workshops for further development of volunteer members, making them more effective in the community; received consistently high ratings from participants
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Minneapolis, Minnesota
September 2007 - May 2009
Mentor Program Assistant
University of Minnesota, Career and Community Learning Center
  • Scheduled and facilitated 6 Mentor Program orientations for groups of 25 students
  • Coordinated registration process; assisted with mentor-student matching process for approximately 150 students
  • Planned social events for program, including program Kickoff Dinner for 80 mentors and students
Hastings, Minnesota
May 2003 - December 2006
Wait Staff
The Spotted Cow Café
  • Managed 6 to 8 tables at a time in restaurant while ensuring customer satisfaction
  • Performed multiple tasks in stressful environment to meet needs of customers and other employees
  • Served as primary trainer for new bussers and food runners; helped train 12 new servers
ACTIVITIES
September 2008 – Present
October 2007 – Present
November 2004 – Present
Phi Beta Lambda, Chapter President
College of Liberal Arts Student Board
YMCA – America Reads Volunteer

Sample job description, used for the sample resumes above and below:
Children's Creative Learning Museum


POSITION:   Manager of Exhibits and Production
REPORTS TO:   Director of Exhibits
DATE AVAILABLE:   Immediately
CLASSIFICATION:   Full-time; exempt

DESCRIPTION:   This position is responsible for assuring the best possible visitor experience by managing exhibit department work plans, budgets, communications, and by managing exhibit department work plans, and/or installation of permanent exhibits, special exhibits and special projects. The Manager of Exhibits and Production is responsible for planning, organizing and mangaing detail related t o maintaing and improving permanent and traveling exhibits. The Manager maintaing financial and budget summaries for exhibit maintenance and production budgets. The Manager oversees production of projects keeping them on schedule and within funding limits.

This position directly supervises the Museum's exhibit design and production staff, including 2 designers, one Exhibits Props Specialist, and 3 to 5 Exhibit Fabricators and Technicians. On occasions this position also directly supervises the work of contractors and temporary help.

REQUIREMENTS: Bachelor's or Associate degree or equivalent training in the area of exhibit design, production, arhcitecture, engineering, or other related field. Minimum of 4 years experience supervisory experience. Demonstrated ability to work in a team-based environment in a cross-disciplinary manner. Strong verbal, written, and graphic communication skills. Strong project management skills.

APPLICATIONS: Please send resume and cover letter to:

Human Resources
Children's Creative Learning Museum
1234 Discovery Rd.
Imagineville, MN 55555

No phone calls please.

Sample of a Skills-Based Resume:

MADELINE MILLER
6542 Thornberry Drive
Hastings, MN 55423
651-123-1234
miller@umn.edu

OBJECTIVE
To obtain the position of Manager of Exhibits and Production at the Minnesota Children's Museum which will utilize my degree in art history and previous experience working in a museum.

QUALIFICATIONS
  • Experience in exhibit design
  • Strong leadership and communication skills
  • Ability to manage multiple large-scale projects at one time
EDUCATION
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Anticipated graduation date of May 2010
University of Minnesota
Bachelor of Arts, Art History
Minor in Monetary Economics
Dean's List Spring 2008, Spring 2009
GPA 3.63

May 2008 – June 2008
 Architecture, Sculpture, & Painting in Florence & Tuscany
Study abroad program focusing on art during the Renaissance


RELEVANT SKILLS
Communication
  • Prepared presentations for curatorial committee regarding proposed purchases, new acquisitions, and permanent art works
  • Fact-checked and corresponded with artists regarding proposals by mail, phone, and email
  • Cataloged and detailed permanent works of art in an Access database
  • Developed community outreach brochures on local literacy program
  • Designed layout of new art exhibits focusing on visually appealing yet practical, presentations
Supervisory Experience
  • Supervised 20 volunteers for the YMCA "America Reads" program, ensuring their active partici pation with elementary schools
  • Established "America Reads" volunteer-development workshops that provided valuable
    • training and team-building skills; received consistently high ratings from participants
  • Scheduled and facilitated 6 Mentor Program orientations for groups of 25 students
  • Served as primary trainer for new bussers and food runners at café; helped train 12 servers
ACTIVITIES
September 2008 – Present
October 2007 – Present
November 2004 – Present
Phi Beta Lambda, Chapter President
College of Liberal Arts Student Board
YMCA – America Reads Volunteer

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
July 2009 – Present


September 2007 – May 2009


September 2007 – May 2009


May 2003 – December 2006
Curatorial Intern
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN

America Reads Volunteer Coordinator
YMCA – University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Mentor Program Assistant
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Wait Staff
The Spotted Cow Café, Hastings, MN



Note about the "Functional Resume" layout:
In this type of resume, you list and describe your skills, but you do not include information about your job/internship/volunteer experiences. We do NOT recommend this type of resume for students or recent graduates, so we have not provided a description or examples of it here.