Not every resume needs to be organized in the traditional chronological manner. In fact, if you have worked with several companies over the past few years – as is increasingly the case in our new gig economy – you may have greater success if you group your experience by skills and not by employer. This alternative resume format showcases your past in a clearer and more meaningful fashion than if you jump around in your work history. Here are just a few things to consider if you are considering switching to a skills-based resume to help land your next industrial job.

The Difference Between Traditional Chronological and Skills-Based Resumes

As an industrial worker, you know that jobs can come and go based on rapidly changing industry demand. And if you are still writing your resume the way you were taught in school, you might be missing out on important opportunities. The common reverse-chronological resume format is the one which presents your skills and experience in terms of the specific jobs you have held from most recent employer to last. For temp or seasonal workers, this is a problem because it’s likely that your resume has quickly gotten too long. The thing to remember when writing a great resume is to show future employers the value you’ve provided to past companies in a clear and concise manner. If your chronological resume is too long or too wordy, it’s doing you a disservice.

If that’s the case, consider using a skills-based resume instead.  Rather than focusing on your employers, the resume focuses on you and your skills. It allows you to highlight the most relevant pieces of your professional qualifications and dive in to how those experiences matter to the position you are applying for. You can still provide an employment history, but the main focus of the document is clearly the experiences and skills that you can bring to a new job.

Organize By Staffing Agency or Company

If a straight skills-based resume fails to show your commitment or reliability to one employer, consider organizing your work history by staffing agency or company worked for. This shows readers that you were loyal and reliable enough to stick with one “employer” for an extended period of time, shows prospective employers that you do not have any worrisome gaps in your work history, and that you were hired on to multiple projects based on your relationships either with your recruiter or contract manager. People hire people they want to work with, and by showing the reader that others continually wanted to work with you, you can build confidence through something as simple as the format on your resume.

The Bottom Line: Do What Makes Sense For You

At the end of the day, your resume should be a good representation of the great work you have done and what you can bring to a new job. Try out a couple different resume formats to see which one presents your career in a more compelling (and concise) light. Remember that the average employer looks at a resume for just a few seconds before deciding whether to follow up with a candidate. So, whatever you choose, make sure that it gets the point across quickly and effectively.

Work With a Top Staffing Agency in Nashville

Are you looking for a new industrial job? Contact All-Star Personnel today and work with a top staffing agency in Nashville.