Different Types of Resumes

A resume or curriculum vitae (CV) is defined as a statement of facts about the educational qualification, experience, skills and accomplishments of a person. While writing your resume, there is no need to be creative or modest; rather, you can quantify on your success and achievements (wherever possible).

There are some essential elements that are applicable to all types of resumes such as contact information, summary or objective, education or training and accomplishments. The first impression of the person applying for job comes from the resume appearance. Hence, a well-organized resume in terms of heading, font size and style always makes a good impression at the interview. In case of print form, the color of the paper should be white, light gray or ivory. You should check the content carefully to avoid any typos or incorrect spellings. Let's take a look at the different types of resumes.

Different Types of Resumes

While talking about resume format, several factors are considered, such as the way the content of the resume is written or the technical approach of the resume. Depending upon the background and the qualification of the job-seeker, he/she should choose the proper resume type. You can also prepare your resume in more than one format, so that you can utilize the resumes according to the circumstances. Following are the three major types of resumes, based on how the content is organized.

Chronological: Chronological resume, also known as reverse chronological, are the traditional and most popular type of resume, which includes summary, work experience, education/training and skills. In this type, the education and experience are listed in a specific time sequence; the most recent ones are written first, continued with the others in a chronological or sequential manner. The chronological resume is best for those people who do not have educational or professional gaps in their career.

Functional: In a functional resume, the experience of the job-seeker is listed according to certain skill areas; whereby, the employment dates can be eliminated. This resume type is best-suited for persons who have worked in different positions and are looking for a career change. For example, the person might have worked in certain domains like marketing and sale or customer service. In such a case, the experience is listed under specific skills. People who are returning to the workforce after a prolonged gap should also prepare their resume in a functional form. It is also suited for people who are first time job-seekers and those whose career is not good till date.

Chrono-functional: Chrono-functional, as the name suggests, is a combination (hybrid) of both chronological and functional resume types. While preparing this resume type, the work experience is arranged according to skill areas, along with the employment dates and employers. This combined resume format is best-suited for people who have gained successful growth in their careers and have a well-established work history. The chrono-functional resume are advantageous as it provides clear cut information about the skills, as well as the work history.

Another type of resume is the targeted resume, which can be any of the three resume types, written for a specific post or for a particular company.

Follow these CV writing tips to prepare an effective resume. Nowadays, there are many professional resume writing services, that you can take help of while preparing your resume. Resume is like a marketing tool for searching jobs, that helps the job-seeker get through to a potential employer; but it is not a way to get the job directly. It is the responsibility of the person to convince the employer during the interview. Hence along with a suitable resume, being a confident candidate is always necessary to get that prospective job.