Resumes are important because in a page or two, an applicant will attempt to communicate the valuable contribution he or she can make to a company. This is the reason why many applicants select a resume outline to follow. There are various schools of thought in crafting a resume outline, and proof of it is the variety that each school, career agency, or assistance program can recommend. But what criteria must be used in selecting a resume outline to follow? While rules are not set in stone, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when picking that one resume outline on which to model a resume. 

A resume outline may recommend a chronological format or one where there are categories (like academic achievements, extra curricular activities, seminars attended, and organizations joined). While at first sight, these formats may not matter when picking that resume outline; however, the format that a resume outline recommends must be appropriate for the field one is entering. Applying for a research position may require the applicant to list achievements in a chronological manner because credit for findings or theories are assigned based on who got there first. This is also true because research positions are filled on the basis of the most current specialization of a researcher, and as such, will require a chronological listing of achievements and work.  

 

Other positions like in business and marketing may benefit from a resume outline based on categories previously mentioned, because fluid business and interpersonal skills are assessed on the basis of various categories of involvement.

Check the resume outline for completeness of content. It may have some nice features or may appeal visually, but is worth nothing if it misses out on important content that employers need to see on a resume. Does the resume outline allocate space for your achievements? If you’re working in the academe, does the resume outline differentiate between your achievements (like works published) as a researcher and your citations as a participant in movements and organizations? Does it specify where to put your achievements in different levels of education?  

It is important to remember that the resume outline is there to provide a skeletal form for a resume. As such, its completeness ensures that the applicant crafting a resume based on it and fills up the skeletal form provided by the resume outline is not missing out any vital detail. 

Some companies already specify a resume outline that they prescribe their applicants to follow. This makes it important for applicants to ask current employees of a company they want to work for, or ask advice from agencies or career assistance organizations about the specific resume outline required by specific companies. Sometimes, knowing these prescriptions may spell the difference between having the resume accepted or tossed out the window. Picking resume outlines is about finding the one that is suitable, and prescriptions for such already specify what is suitable or not. A resume outline that corresponds to what a company is looking for is best.