Many of us have, at some point, encountered a rough stretch when it comes to our job history. Especially during the early part of their working lives several job changes are not uncommon as a person seeks the career path or field that fits them best. This can result in thinking that you can't put together a solid resume, which is definitely not the case.
As with all resumes, the main goal is to get you an interview; a resume is usually your one chance to make enough of an impression for a hiring manager to want to talk further with you. Where people with less than stellar work histories make a mistake is in thinking that negative experience should be included on a resume. It shouldn't.
Even if you've been fired from your most recent job, never put that information on your resume. Your actual work experience shouldn't be brought up until you actually have an interview (at the least your reason for leaving previous jobs is usually required on the company's employment application), but getting through the door is the first objective. Therefore, let's review the standard resume format with some specifics for those of you with a sketchy work history:
1. Contact Information. This is a critical section that is often overlooked. I can't count the number of people over the years that have sent in resumes with incorrect or missing contact information. Sometime it's simply a case of not updating an address after a move, but the result is the same; no matter how good you look on paper, it doesn't matter if the hiring manager or Human Resources representative has no way to contact you.
Always include your name, current home address, e-mail address, and at least two contact phone numbers, preferably home and cell. If you include your e-mail address, be sure to check it daily. If your resume is longer than one page put your name and phone number in the top right corner of the second page in case the pages get separated.
2. Objective Statement. An objective describes the type of work or specific position you are seeking; it should also tell the prospective employer what you are offering them. Avoid general phrases such as "challenging and rewarding career" and "potential for growth" which don't tell the reader anything anyway.
3. Experience: Your prior work experience is the most important section of your resume, and if you don't have good past experience you will have to get creative without lying. List your current or most recent company first, along with dates of service (the month and year are usually sufficient), and then list all previous employers or positions in reverse chronological order. There is no need to go back more than ten years with one major exception: if you had military service, it should always be listed on the resume, no matter how long ago it was. Simply having prior military service tells employers a great deal about you, and it gives you an edge with hiring managers who were in the military themselves. Again, never put your reason for leaving a job on your resume.
Under each position held, describe your responsibilities using short statements that demonstrate success, practical experience related to your field, and the fact that you have good work habits. If you don't have good work habits you can always list the duties straight out of the job description without actually saying you were good at the duties. Bullet points work much better than long paragraphs, and each statement should begin with an action verb. When possible, quantify results (i.e., number of people supervised, size of project, etc.).
4. Education. Employers are interested in the highest educational level achieved, and the high school you attended should only be listed if you have not completed an undergraduate degree. List the schools attended (in reverse chronological order), the degree obtained, your major, and the month and year of graduation. If you are a recent college graduate with little work experience, list education before experience. Otherwise, experience should always be listed first, unless your academic credentials are far superior to your work experience.
There are also a few miscellaneous points to consider. Never include personal information such as race, religion, age, or marital status. It is illegal for employers to ask these questions and you should not volunteer it. Do not include references on your resume. The employer will request references if you advance in the interview process. Do not list hobbies; employers don't care if you build model trains while doing yoga. And finally, always use good quality, white or off-white paper and ensure that there are no errors in spelling or grammar.
Even if you've been terrible at all of your previous jobs you have one thing in your favor: the prospective employer will probably never find out. It sounds strange, but the fact is that when a company verifies employment with a previous employer these days, the previous employer will usually give very little information. Because they fear lawsuits by former employees, an HR department will typically only give the dates you were employed, what your salary was, and occasionally if you are eligible for rehire.
You may already know what information your former company will give, or you may be able to discover it yourself by simply having someone call and verify your employment. In the end, your past failings may never even be revealed unless you yourself reveal them.