Before jumping into creating a resume or writing a resume, it is important to know about the various resume formats available. There are mainly 3 types of resume formats that are commonly used. In this article, you’ll know about the three common resume formats.
1. CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
Firstly, we have Chronological Resumes. The word Chronological means day by day i.e. in the order in which the events occurred. Therefore, just as the name implies a chronological resume lists your events in a day-by-day order. It lists your current job at the top of your work section, followed by your earlier experiences in chronological order. I.e. from the latest to the oldest. A chronological resume or, as referred to sometimes, a reverse chronological resume, is the most standard format of a resume.
When to use a Chronological Resume:
- If you have any work experience relevant to your target position, you should use a chronological resume.
- In the case where your experience illustrates career growth and developments, you should use a chronological resume.
- When you have experience transferable to your new industry, use a chronological resume.
- If you do not have any career gap of 1.5 or more years use a chronological Resume
- If you are seeking a job similar to your previous one, use a chronological Resume
Benefits of a Chronological Resume
- It provides a concise layout of the applicant’s work history
- Recruiters and hiring managers prefer this format.
- It is easier to understand the applicant’s career progression
- It passes through the Applicant Tracking Software resume test.
Demerits of Chronological Resume
- Employment gaps are easily identified.
- It is not the best format for freshers and people seeking a career change.
- Not the most suited format for the people whose career is not likely to follow a standard progression
- Might need to make an extra effort to catch the recruiters eye
2. FUNCTIONAL RESUME
Next, we come to functional resumes. A functional resume helps frame the applicant in terms of skills and abilities that are relevant to the job the person is applying for. It ignores when and where the skills were learned. Outlining the work history is optional. It is also called a skills-based resume.
Just like other resume formats, functional resumes display the contact details in the beginning and features skills, interests, and academic details towards the bottom.
When to use a Functional resume:
1.If you have gap years in your career history.
- If you have acquired many skills and wish to seek employment with these as a basis.
- In creative jobs where a portfolio is a must.
- If you do not have any relevant work experience. If you are a cyclist, a dancer, or an artist, you should use a functional resume.
Benefits of a Functional Resume
- It is an excellent form of layout that helps in highlighting the skills, particularly the skills that are transferable across jobs or industries.
- It shows less emphasis on the work history
- Emphasizes more on accomplishments.
- It is perfect for first time workers, job seekers, or the ones looking for a career change
Demerits of Functional resumes:
- It emphasizes more on skills rather than work history which can make the person look inexperienced.
- Some recruiters might find this format suspicious as they might think that the applicant is trying to hide the employment gaps.
- It will be difficult for the Applicant Tracking Software to scan the resume.
3. COMBINATION RESUME
And finally, we have combination resumes. Combination resumes are also called hybrid resumes. As the name suggests, It is a combination of the reverse-chronological resume and functional resume formats. The focal point in the combination resume is the skill section.
When to use a combination resume:
- If you are an entry-level candidate
- When you are seeking a change in career
- If you are an experienced worker
Benefits of a combination resume
- It emphasizes the relevant highlights of the work history rather than the whole career.
- It contextualizes the skills in the applicant’s work experience.
- The main focus of the resume is the skills and achievement section.
- It is useful for employment gapers.
Demerits of Combination Resumes:
- It is not suitable for first-timers or people with almost null work experience.
- Skills and work experience must complement each other in order for the format to be effective.
- Accents the gaps in the work history.
- Most difficult format to create.
- It is limited to only a few candidates, with that much experience required for the specific position
Bottomline
In conclusion, remember to go through the features of each format and decide which one is best suited for you among the three. You can choose to get your resumes professionally designed through the resume builder application CvDragon.
