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Types of Resumes: Choosing the Right Format for Your Needs

Written by 糖心vlog官网观看 Staff 鈥 Updated on

Learn about the common types of resumes鈥攕uch as chronological, functional, and combination鈥攁nd decide which resume type is right for your job search.

[Featured Image]: A smiling HR manager holds a resume and talks with a potential employee while they are both sitting at a table in a sunny office.

Your resume is your opportunity to tell your career story. Regardless of the type of resume you choose, you鈥檒l be sharing a narrative that details your many professional accomplishments and skills and demonstrates how you hope to continue growing.

Just as there are many ways to tell a story, there are many ways to format your resume. As you consider which type of resume is right for you, think about your audience and how they鈥檒l be able to best understand the story you鈥檙e trying to tell.

In this article, we鈥檒l go through the three most common types of resumes: chronological, functional, and combination. We鈥檒l also detail some specialized resume types that you may prefer depending on your needs.

What are the three types of resumes commonly used?

The three most common resume types are chronological, functional, and combination. Before we detail each format, here鈥檚 a quick introduction:

Resume typeDescriptionWhen to useKey sections
ChronologicalEmphasizes your career pathWhen you鈥檙e applying for jobs via an applicant tracking system (ATS) or showing career growthWork experience, education, certifications
FunctionalEmphasizes your skillsWhen you鈥檙e changing careers and applying directly through a recruiter or hiring managerSkills, brief work history, education, certifications
CombinationCombined emphasis on career path and skillsWhen it鈥檚 important to show skills as well as career progressionSkills, work experience, education, certifications

Certain jobs or graduate schools will request a curriculum vitae (CV) instead of a resume. Learn more about the differences between a CV and a resume.

Chronological resume

  • Pros: Easy to read and straightforward outline of your accomplishments

  • Cons: Doesn鈥檛 highlight skills as explicitly as other formats

With a chronological resume (sometimes also called a reverse chronological resume), you鈥檒l list out your experience starting with your most recent role. With this format, you鈥檒l show how each of your professional experiences built upon the last.

This format is generally the most common, as it makes it easy for prospective employers to visualize your career trajectory. It鈥檚 also the format that an ATS is best equipped to scan, so if you鈥檙e applying for jobs online, you鈥檒l probably want to submit a chronological resume first.

Free resume templates

If you鈥檙e starting with a blank page, use these free customizable templates for , , or resumes to make your resume in a Google Doc. Simply log into your Google account and select the 鈥楳ake a copy鈥 prompt.

Functional resume

  • When to use it: When you鈥檙e changing careers and applying directly through a recruiter or hiring manage

  • What to include: Objective or summary, key skills, brief work history, education, certifications

  • Pros: Emphasizes your transferable skills

  • Cons: De-emphasizes your work experience

With a functional resume, you鈥檒l highlight your journey of acquiring specific skills. You鈥檒l still list your work history, but typically, this format doesn鈥檛 include dates of employment, accomplishments, or job tasks for each role. Instead, your functional resume names your dominant skills, and you鈥檒l include a few bullets underneath each skill that show how you acquired, strengthened, and used it throughout your career.

Although you鈥檒l be able to incorporate several resume keywords in your functional resume, this format isn鈥檛 super ATS-friendly, as the software is typically programmed to scan the chronological resume format. Still, if you are applying for a position where it makes more sense to highlight your skills than your previous roles鈥攆or example, if you are changing your career鈥攜ou may decide to have a functional resume on hand to send directly to recruiters and hiring managers.

Combination resume

  • When to use it: When it鈥檚 important to show skill development for a role as well as career progression

  • What to include: Objective or summary, key skills, work experience, education, certifications

  • Pros: Benefits of both chronological and functional resumes, flexible formatting

  • Cons: Can be lengthy and repetitive

A combination resume is a more flexible option that incorporates aspects of both chronological and functional resumes鈥攁nd you get to decide which sections to include and how to utilize them. You鈥檒l include a section that explicitly outlines your work history (dates and description included) and a section that highlights your skills.

With this format, you can present your career path in a traditional way while still emphasizing your skills. It can be helpful if it鈥檚 important to demonstrate your skills development in order to qualify for a role, for example, if you are changing careers or trying to level up. However, this format can get quite lengthy, and you鈥檒l want to be mindful not to repeat bullet points across various sections.

What are the different types of resumes for unique career goals?

If you don鈥檛 want to go the traditional route and aren鈥檛 submitting your resume through an online job board that uses an ATS to filter applicants, you may want to show off a different set of skills with a specialized resume. Here are some specialized resumes you may want to consider:

  • Targeted resume: With a targeted resume, you鈥檒l create a highly tailored resume to demonstrate your fit for a specific role, and often, at a specific company.

  • Infographic resume: Infographic resumes are more visual than the common resume types, incorporating graphics and colors for a visually appealing presentation.

  • Video resume: A nontraditional resume format, video resumes are reels that demonstrate your accomplishments and goals in just a few minutes.

  • Mini resume: A mini resume is both a business card and a condensed version of your resume that notes your job title and a few accomplishment bullets, which you can give to prospective employers you may meet at job fairs, for example.

Navigating applicant tracking systems (ATS)

Most companies use ATS software to screen submitted resumes before a person reviews your qualifications. The ATS is programmed to filter resumes that have specific keywords deemed a match for open positions. Some ways to help your resume stand out in an ATS are:

1. Align your resume keywords with the job description.

2. Include the dates of your employment.

3. Avoid over-formatting and choose standard colors and fonts.

4. Spell out acronyms.

Learn more about different types of resumes

Learn best practices as you write your resume with the project-centered course from SUNY Online, or explore your potential with the Career Discovery Specialization. Sign up today and begin a 7-day, full-access free trial to browse more personal development courses.

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