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How to complete the chronological resume worksheets, P1.
by William S. Frank
Photocopy the forms so you have extra pages in the event you want to start over or make corrections. If you're going to give your handwritten worksheets to a typist, make sure the forms are easy to read. Print or write legibly.
If you have access to a word processor, or if you have a friend or typist who can help you, it's better to word process the information from the beginning. It's faster, easier to edit, and it's easier to judge space and length requirements.
Fill in the blanks, completing the easy parts first. Then go to the harder parts, that is, the accomplishments and early years of your career.
The worksheet is divided into sections, as follows:
- Contact Information
Name, address, city, state, zip code centered on the page. Include your home number and a work phone if at all possible. A work phone makes you more attractive ("already employed"). If you're unemployed, you can use the voice mailbox on your cell phone to serve as your office number. If you have a FAX number, list it. A simple e-mail address is mandatory. If your current e-mail is hard-to-write or remember, like blurgydoo2834@yahoo.com, set up a new easy to use e-mail address like firstname.lastname@comcast.net.
- Career Summary
Don't use a career summary unless it's not obvious how everything in your
background hangs together. For example, a career summary can be used to
highlight the fact that you have 15 years with one employer, even though the
organization's name changed several times. This can prevent your being viewed
as a job hopper.
- Core Competencies
List 6-12 major areas of capability. For example: Patient Care, Research, Basic
Science, Informatics, Business Management, Community Service. Make sure the
competencies you list link to your accomplishments in the body of the resume.
- Professional Experience
Show jobs in reverse chronological order, listing job title, company name, city,
state, and dates of employment. Take 10 to 30 words to explain the scope of your
duties and responsibilities.
IMPORTANT: Eighty percent (80%) of the value of the resume is in the accomplishments. For each past job, write 3-9 well-worded accomplishment statements that sell your abilities. Include facts, details, and specifics. Don't say, "Was outstanding physician." Say instead, "Was rated in top 25% of clinicians nationally for past five years." (For further suggestions, refer to "
How to Showcase Your Home Run Accomplishments.")
- Education
List degrees, subjects, schools, locations, and graduation dates, in reverse
chronological order (most recent, first) like this:
- MPH, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California - 20XX
- MD, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado - 20XX
Don't lie about degrees. They are easy to verify, and employers are getting more
and more rigorous in conducting background checks. Mark was the leading
candidate for a top-level physician executive job in Atlanta, until a routine
background check showed that he had lied about his education. He was
immediately dropped from the slate of candidates, which was ironic, because
according to the recruiter, no advanced degree was required. They were looking
for practical hands-on experience. :: Next page -->
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