Résumé Workshops
MCC Career Services encourages job seekers to attend an “Effective Résumé Writing” Job Search Skills Workshop to learn about traditional résumé styles and formats, the latest trends and frequently made mistakes. This is a great opportunity for individuals to learn something new and/or have an existing approach validated. It can also serve as an opportunity to gather tips and ideas and be a good first step before setting up an individual appointment for a résumé review.
Résumé Reviews
Job seekers are welcome to make an appointment with a MCC Career Services staff member to review or update an existing or current resume, or to learn about what is involved in developing a resume from scratch.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
What is a Résumé
The résumé is designed to be a marketing tool that highlights a job seekers relevant experience and skills. All résumés should follow certain structural rules and contain certain information. However, because there is not one ‘right’ way to design a résumé, numerous styles and formats exist, job seekers should select the style and format that best fit his/her qualifications and experience. The format chosen will depend upon the audience as well as upon past experiences. There are three primary résumé formats.
Chronological Résumé
A chronological résumé presents the job seekers education and work experience in a straightforward, reverse chronological order. If the majority of the work experience is related to the stated job objective, the chronological style can be effective.
Functional Résumé
A functional résumé differs from a chronological résumé by concentrating on skills that the job seeker has used that relate to his/her stated objective rather than on jobs he/she has had. A functional résumé is particularly effective if the work experience has not been closely related to the job objective, if the job seeker is changing careers, of if he/she is seeking a promotion. In this format, the job seeker elaborates on the skills necessary to perform the desired job and how he/she has demonstrated those same skills in a different type of job.
Combination Résumé
The combination chronological/functional résumé uses elements of both styles. In this case, official position titles may be given functional titles describing skills utilized on the job. For example, an Office Assistant responsible to oversee office operations might use Office Management. This format can be effective if the job seekers position titles do not accurately reflect his/her job responsibilities.