Which Resume Type is Right for You?

There are two basic resume formats that you will read about if you do research on resume writing:

• The Chronological resume format
• The Functional resume format

Both have their strengths, but the chronological format is by far the more common and accepted of the two. Here's an overview of each format and which one is best for various circumstances.

Chronological

The chronological resume format lists your prior employers in order, beginning with the most recent one first and working backward (this is because hiring managers are most interested in your recent experience).

When you are developing your resume, bear in mind that the chronological format is by far the most common format used and is the one most hiring managers are used to seeing and prefer. It reads the most naturally and makes it easy for the hiring manager to see how your career has progressed.

When in doubt, use the chronological format. It's the easiest to write and is the correct
choice most of the time.

Functional

The functional resume format focuses on listing your skills and education first and your employment history at the end. When you make a functional resume, no details of your various jobs are given except the dates you were employed at each company, in date order – most recent job first. The emphasis of the functional format is on your skills, not your experience.

The functional resume is a good format if you've had a lot of previous jobs and want to highlight your skills and experience and downplay the number of employers. It is best used for lower level and entry positions, which tend to look for specific skills rather than long years of experience.

There is also a third resume format you may have read about, called a Combination resume. It combines the skills-based Functional resume with the employer based Chronological resume. It does this by listing your most important skills on top, followed by the traditional Chronological resume format.

As a Hiring Manager, I find this format to be redundant. I think you can accomplish the same thing with a strong summary statement at the beginning of a chronological format resume.

Whichever format you choose, you will find many examples of how to use each format by simply doing an online search for "resume format" or "resume template". You can also find detailed examples and instructions for each format here.

Good luck with your job search.