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How to bring out the dynamism of a lengthy career
The Hidden Functional Message
You may have job titles in your Work History that don't express the level of responsibility you held. (This is frequently the case for government and university employees, where titles such as Assistant, Level III tell the reader almost nothing about the job.) If you have tons of achievement statements under a job heading n a chronological resume, consider breaking them into smaller groups according to skills. Inserting skill subheadings makes your many achievements easier to read. Futhermore, inserting skill subheadings into your Professional Experience section will help the employer understand what your responsibilities were and give you the credit you deserve.
A case in point: From some of his job titles (such as "specialist" and "coordinator"), it was hard to understand where Robert MacIntyre stood in the organizational hierarchy where he worked. So he presented his work history in a chronological hybrid format (following) so that he could use skill subheadings to define his previous positions according to the skills needed in his job objective. That way, the employer saw that he had the qualifications for the job.
Career Casualty
When applying to a conservative employer, use a chronological or chronological hybrid format if at all possible, because they are the most traditional formats.
Standing Still
Longevity at an organization is something to feel proud of. But if you've spent many years in one spot, you might look stagnant in the eyes of a new employer. How can you highlight that you developed new skills, increased your industry knowledge, and took on more responsibility, even though your job title remained the same throughout your many years of dedication to the company
Use the chronological hybrid format. Your loyalty will ring clear in the Work History section, and the subheadings that categorize your achievements will demonstrate growth.
In Christine Whitley's resume (following), she divided her accomplishments according to the type of law she was involved with as a legal secretary. Her resume tells the story of diversity and stability--two attributes of an excellent legal secretary.
Terms of Employment
Stagnant work history is defined differently by hiring managers, depending on what industr y they're in. For instance, a job seeker's eight-year stint at a company might seem healthy and stable to a prospective employer in biotechnology, whereas an engineer's eight-year st ay at one company might seem stagnant to a hiring manager in multimedia.