Below, you will find an example of the most commonly used resume format, Chronological, so you may understand how this benefits those with extensive work history.

Full Name

Address Phone (Home and work)

OBJECTIVE: This section is meant to briefly describe what you intend to do for the job, and what you intend the job to do for you. Some opt not to waste space; it depends if you feel you would be better served adding another work related detail.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Here briefly-always remember that word-describe the reasons you are qualified. Use strong and active language; do not rely on passive sentences or clichs.

EDUCATION

If you have graduated, list the year and the school. If not, skip this section and go straight into the work history.

EMPLOYMENT

List your most recent job first. Give the years you worked there (i.e. 2002-2005), the position you had and the name of the company. Give a short, preferably one sentence, description of your duties there.

Then, move on to the position you held before that and do the same. Due to space, you may not be able to list every job you have had. If you can, try to put in the relevant positions, as opposed to odd-jobs you may have worked.

SPECIAL SKILLS

If you have not graduated, this optional section may serve you well. Here, you can list (usually in bullet style) special accomplishments or talents that relate to the job.

Close your resume with: References available upon request.

It must be noted that this format could be changed, due to circumstances. There are variations of the Chronological that may suit your background more. This is simply the most common-and to the point-way of explaining your skills. For those with an extensive work history, this is ideal.

If you do not have a strong background with careers (perhaps you have just graduated, or you took time off from work to raise your family), then this would not be the best format. You should look, instead, to the Functional or other lesser-known variations. The Chronological would not serve you well; it would make you appear less ambitious and perhaps even lazy.

No, this is the format for backgrounds with an emphasis on work, as opposed to school or other areas.

Remember to follow formatting rules: keep your resume under two pages, do not personalize it with hard to read fonts or slang phrasing and avoid unnecessary description. Also, you must remember to edit and re-edit. It won't matter if you have the right formatting if your resume is filled with mistakes.