Top 3 Resume Formats: Which One Is Right for You?
May 07, 2008 (10:00AM) by Brianna Raymond, CPRW
Quick! Name the top three resume formats in use today and who should use which one!
Just kidding. If you knew the answer, there'd be no reason for this post. And if you're a Pongo subscriber, you don't need to know, because the Resume Builder automatically chooses the best format for you based on the information you provided when you registered. But if you're trying to create a resume on your own, or simply want to know the difference between Chronological, Functional, and Hybrid resumes, then this post is for you.
Here are the top three most popular resume formats:
Chronological
What it is: The most widely used and traditional format. It emphasizes career growth, listing your work history in reverse chronological order from your most recent position down to your oldest (relevant) position within the last 10-15 years. It focuses on employment dates, job titles, and education.
Why it works for you: You've been in the same industry/field for a number of years and plan to stay there. Your current or most recent position is one you're proud of and one that can offer important skills to the prospective employer.
Functional
What it is: Stresses what you can do, rather than when you did it. It defines your value by focusing more on skills and less on work history. It calls attention to qualifications and achievements, listing them under headings that show your areas of expertise, followed by work history and education.
Why it works for you: You've changed careers frequently or have significant employment gaps in your work history. Or, you're a parent looking to re-enter the workforce, you took time off for travel or personal reasons, got laid off, or are just entering the workforce out of college.
Combination/Hybrid
What it is: Combines elements from both chronological and functional formats. It emphasizes your skills and accomplishments with a balanced emphasis on work history, including employment dates and job titles.
Why it works for you: You're eyeing a significant career change or promotion in your current field, or you have work experience in many different fields that are unrelated and don't define a clear career path.
And there you have it: a simple breakdown of resume formats to determine which one will work for you. There are, of course, other lesser-known (or used) formats, but that's for a future post.
Need more real-life examples? Ask away!
i think that your posting was the best i have ever seen on resumes, i think that i will change mine to a functional resume, thank you for this tid bit, every little bit counts these days on resumes. help, me to redo mine!!!!!!! ramona
yow i think dis website is da bomb, i found out how to write myself a resume, got myself a job at a&p and now im set for life yow ...
Dalton Garr YOW!
I've been job hunting for the last 5 months and used both functional and chronological formats for my resume.
However, I keep hearing that employers prefer chrono resumes because functional resumes make it harder to match your accomplishments to the time and company you achieved them with.
I've seen a few functional and, although the it catches my attention at first, it's a bit hard to put the pieces together when you're going after the details. Thus, I'm switching back to a chrono resume... hopefully it will work this time!
Anyone else find this comment to be true?
Yes... I've been on a job search for about 6 months, and thr chrono resume format seems to be more acceptable...I think because HR depts. can scan it faster and easier... they don't have to THINK. Job hunters have so many obstacles to deal with, I've decided on chrono resume to enhance the ease of reading my resume... I need all the help I can get!
Yes, Joel, I totally agree. I was a recruiter for 6 years for a private company and I hated functional resumes because as you say, it was hard to put the pieces together to see what the person was all about. In many cases, I noticed people were trying to hard gaps in employment.
As a recruiter, I have no problem with gaps. As it appears in another blog on the Pongo site, it's more or less accepted today that people have left the workforce to deal with family issues, military deployment. education, etc. No need to use a functional resume; just go chrono and explain the gap.
I also feel I've gotten the majority of my interviews from chronological resumes.
As an aside, I seem to have a natural/unnatural knack for zeroing in on printed errors, whether they are in a newspaper article or a book. My eyes go directly to the error which appears to be leaping off the page. Is there a job out there that requires such a skill/curse? lol
@Marcia: Welcome to our world! Sometimes I wonder how such glaring errors made it past the review panel. Have you ever thought of becoming an editor/writer? :o)
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