Which Type of Resume is Right for You?

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you look at it, there is no one size fits all when it comes to creating your resume. Writing a resume comes with so many options these days that it’s hard to decide which type is best for the career you’re applying for. Each type has its own qualities that make it better for what you’re hoping to accomplish than others. Here are some different types:

• Chronological
• Functional
• Combination

There are other types of resumes out there but for the sake of this article, we’re going to focus on these common three.

Chronological resumes are self-explanatory that your work experience is listed in chronological order. This type begins with your work experience starting from your current or most recent position and continues in chronological order with your previous positions and work experience. In the following section, education, volunteerism, and awards, honors, and achievements are listed. In the article written by Alison Doyle, ‘Resume Types: Chronological, Functional, Combination,’ it said “Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it’s easy to see what jobs you have held and when you have worked at them,” because you’re showing your latest work experience in order.

Although the ever so popular, Liz Ryan, is vehemently against functional resumes, they are a popular option to many job seekers. A functional resume, also referred to as a skills-based resume, has more of a primary focus on your skills that are just specific towards the job you’re applying for. Amy Michalenko describes this style as focusing, “on specific skills you have and particular aspects of your experience, centering on those that are most transferable to the job you’re seeking — as opposed to a chronological or reverse-chronological resume, which emphasizes your work history.” This type is also great if you have a space in between your work history, i.e. took time off for longer than a year. The hiring person who is reading this resume will only focus on your specific skills and accomplishments rather than on just your job history.

With a combination resume, you have the best of both worlds. You’re able to include your work history to show your consistence and including the specific tasks you’ve handled in the past. Since this type of resume will include some more information and you’re going to be including more detail about your experiences, this may make your resume a little lengthy. This might make some people nervous because of this ‘unwritten rule’ that your resume should be no longer than two pages. Feel free to break this ‘rule’ and make your resume the length it needs to be.

The Takeaway

Different types of resumes convey different aspects of your work history and your skills that you’ve mastered over time. There is no one right way to create your resume and there’s no specific ‘rules’ you must follow. Yet, make sure that you’re presenting yourself through the best format to highlight your skills and education in the best possible light.

Which type of resume is best for the career you’re applying for? If you’re part of a hiring team, what does each type of resume say to you?

Going Live March 20, 2017!