Choose a resume style to best showcase your talents.
Writing a resume is like crafting a one-page portfolio of your experiences working, volunteering and in school. How your resume is presented can determine whether or not you will be considered for a job, so it is important to create a resume that accurately reflects your experience while casting everything about you in the best, most professional light. Selecting the right style of resume is critical in creating this favorable impression.
Chronological Resumes
A chronological resume lists work history and experience, starting with the most recent position and working back in time. This style of resume paints an accurate portrait of your work history and demonstrates your movements through the workforce in a clear timeline. This type of resume is best suited for someone with at least a minimum amount of work experience, typically two to three previous employment experiences.
Functional Resumes
A functional resume groups work history and experience together by related skill sets. Skill sets may be labeled by titles such as "design work" or "management," with relevant jobs listed in these categories. This type of resume is ideal for a person with a work history that may have long unemployment gaps.
Combination and Skills Emphasis Resume
A skills emphasis resume that combines the presentation of functional categories and a chronological listing of experiences is best suited to people who do not have a lot of work experience to draw from. This typically applies to recent graduates and those beginning to enter the professional workforce. In this style of resume you may present skills such as "leadership" and "organization." Under those skills, include relevant work, school or volunteer experiences.
