Resume advise - planning position

[PlanBoston]

I am applying for a planning position that requires a BS degree and 2 years experience. I have planning experience from a very comprehensive internship, as well as a professional background in architecture & const. mgmt, and most recently real estate. My resume lists these 3 positions.

My question is, considering my most relevant experience was the least recent of the 3 - is it appropriate to reverse the resume status quo of most recent employment first – in order to highlight an experience similar to the position I’m applying for.

Thanks in advance.

[donk]

From my job hunting experience and what I have read on this topic this is the advice I can share.

There are typically 2 types of resumes, the first lists every job in the reverse order that you have had them (ie most recent first) with a brief description about what you did.

The second type is a skills based one with a short work history following it. This type is much harder to do, but is what should be used when you are looking to "switch" careers. This type also relies on a strong cover letter to clarify how your expereinces relate directly to the job you are seeking, with the first type it is ususally clear to the reader.

I would suggest that due to your experiences in related fields, I'd try to do a skill based one. As an example pick some of the key skill sets the ad asks for and relate them to your work experences. ie familiarity with interpretation of zoning by-laws. Highlight that as a project manager you have been involved in ensuring that buildings and uses conform to local codes and how you ran applications through the system.

Hope this helps, if you need a proof reader I'm open to it. I had almost 30 job interviews in 2 years, including ones where my resume rose out of piles that where very deep (800 in one instance), so I know my resume works, my interviewing skills needed a bit of work though.

[Michele Zone]

donk's comments are on the mark. If you have Word, the resume templates let's choose a skills based resume (but I am thinking that is not what it is called -- I just can't recall now what it says, maybe "functional resume" vs. chronological??). And it seems to work well if an older job is THE Job you want showcased.