Thanks to our readers for your feedback and questions regarding my postings on resumes! Here are my answers to some of your questions.

1.) Do resumes need an objective statement?
Not necessarily. Objective statements within resumes are optional and only should be used if you are extremely clear about the job you seek. Otherwise, there is no need to include one. Simply put, objective statements are for situational usage rather than being a standard requirement for resumes. They are used to their best effect by entry-level workers or those who are seeking a career change, as these people will likely not have work histories that clearly define their career goals. For job seekers with a more extensive and relevant work history, a qualifications summary is generally more appropriate than the objective statement.

If you do want to use objective statements, but the jobs you want are very different from one another, feel free to have multiple versions of your resume with each objective statement tailored to the job you want. Also keep in mind that a cover letter that accompanies your resume can be used to state your career goals in lieu of the objective statement.

2.) What are the types of fonts to use when writing a resume?
Although the most common and accepted font for business/professional use is Times New Roman, I’m not a fan of it. I just don’t like the look of it. In addition to Times, there are other acceptable fonts to use, and these include any one of the standard serif or sans serif typefaces such as Arial (I use this), Courier, Helvetica, Futura, Optima, Palatino, and Univers. Try to avoid using decorative fonts. As for size, keep it in the range of 11 to 14 points.

3.) Do we need to list the exact dates of prior jobs? Also, how far back in years should we list our experience?
According to the experts from ResumeEdge.com, accuracy and honesty is very important when it comes to listing dates on your resume. You are recommend to list dates on the left side of the resume, since people read from left to right. But if the dates are not of significant value, then feel free to list them on the right side. As far as how to list them, you can use months with years, or years only. There are many people who feel more comfortable listing the month and year, but making room for all of these becomes a problem if you choose to spell out the month. But note that you can use abbreviations or numbers for months that will help make designing your resume easier.

As for as how far you should go when listing your experience - the usual time frame is 10 to 15 years in the past, UNLESS there is something older that is critical to your qualifications. Keep in mind that when your past experience stops being relevant to your job search (i.e. you worked as a waiter/waitress 10 years ago but are now applying for a design job), leave it off.

4.) Should achievements be in their own section or mentioned under the job where the ‘highlight’ was accomplished?
When listing achievements, list only three to six of your most relevant, important work achievements. All other achievements can be described under the work experience section.

5.) Is the Education section the “best” place to put additional coursework/certifications? Like MCSE or PMP certifications?
Yes, in the education section of the resume is the best place to include additional coursework and certifications. Keep in mind to only include education information that is relevant to the job for which you are applying. Majors, minors, theses, dissertations, internships, certifications, and coursework should be listed only if they apply to this position. Another important note -if you completed a recent certification in something relevant to the career you are seeking, and you attended college 10 or so years ago, it may be worthwhile to include the certification details in the qualifications summary or somewhere similar, so as to bring more attention to it.

6.) Do we create a section that lists computer skills? Or should we somehow mention what skills we utilized at each job?
Almost every resume should include a skills section, whether part of the qualifications summary, or in a section of its own. This section would include computer skills, laboratory skills, foreign language skills, writing skills, etc.

On Friday, I will answer some more readers’ questions - this time dealing specifically with resumes for freelancers.

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Categories: Especially for Freelancers, Tips for Telecommuters
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