What is a résumé?
The word résumé comes from the French verb résumér meaning to recapitulate or sum up. Think of a résumé as a snapshot in words. A résumé captures a person's professional experience and education on paper. It's a marketing tool used by individuals to promote their skills to prospective employers. Writing résumés, like fine photography, is both a craft and an art. The writers of Written by a Pro will show your education, skills and experience in the best possible light.

Are there different kinds of résumés?
Yes, there are three basic types of résumés. Very simply stated a chronological résumé lists your employment experience beginning with the most recent and working backwards in time, a functional résumé focuses on your marketable skills, and a chrono-functional résumé is a blend of the first two formats. Sometimes called a combination/targeted or blended résumé, this format features a profile section that highlights qualifications, keywords, and skills followed by a chronological work history. The writers of Written by a Pro are skilled in determining which type of résumé works best--depending upon your skills, experience and career objective.

What is a CV? How does it differ from a résumé?
The Latin word--curriculum vitae (in its singular form) or curricula vitae (in its plural form)-- means the course of one's life. In the USA, CVs (as we call them for short) are used primarily in academic, scientific, or medical environments. The schematic CV style is technically oriented and credentials-based, whereas the résumé style is business-oriented and performance-based. A CV prepared for a physician usually lists the doctor's specialty and education, followed by his or her experience and professional affiliations. In addition, the physician's publications, presentations, research, patents, grants, honors, and awards are also carefully detailed. CVs are generally longer in length than résumés because older information is not deleted; newer information is added to create a cumulative view of the course of one's professional life.

Do I need a résumé or CV?
Unless you work in academia or healthcare, you will probably need a résumé instead of a CV when applying for jobs inside the USA. If you are entering the global job market, please be aware that CVs are widely used in many countries around the world for all types of professions and usually include a section containing biographical information. Therefore, if you are contacting companies located outside the USA for potential employment, your international résumé/CV should be structured accordingly.

Should personal information such as height, weight, and marital status be included on a résumé?
Ask yourself this question: "Is this information pertinent to the job?" My advice is this: "When in doubt, leave it out." In the corporate arena, personal information is considered superfluous and irrelevant to job performance. Anti-discrimination laws prohibit the use of certain information from being used by employers for the purpose of making a hiring decision. Therefore personal information is best left out of your résumé.

There are two exceptions that should be mentioned.

• It is standard practice in the entertainment industry for an actor or model to include personal statistics such as height, weight, hair color, and eye color on his or her résumé.
  
  
• If you are applying for a job outside the USA, biographical data may be expected to be included in your international résumé/CV. This information can be included in a section called Personal Data and may be structured like this:

Copyright © 2002 by Sharla Taylor All rights reserved.