As we mentioned before, the 3 main resume formats are:1. Reverse-chronological - This one’s the most common and practical resume format. A reverse-chronological resume lists your work experiences and skills in reverse-chronological order.2. Functional - The functional resume is also known as the skills-based resume. What
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1 - Reverse-Chronological Resume Format
As we mentioned before, the reverse-chronological resume format is the most popular format in 2022.And here’s what you’d include in a reverse-chronological resume:1. Contact Information - Your name, phone number, location, and email address. In some cases, you can include useful links, such as a LinkedIn or
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1 - Reverse-Chronological Resume Format
GitHub profile.2. Resume Summary or Objective - A brief 2-4 sentence summary of your work experience, or your objective for applying for a given position.3. Professional Title - Your title. This should mirror the exact position you’re applying for.4. Work Experience - Your work experience in reverse-chronological order. When possible, talk about
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1 - Reverse-Chronological Resume Format
achievements over responsibilities.5. Skills Section - Skills relevant for the position you’re applying for.6. Education - Your educational– Your educational history. Pro tip - if you have a B.A., feel free to skip on your high school education.7. Optional Sections - Sections like volunteering, projects, portfolio, hobbies, etc. While
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1 - Reverse-Chronological Resume Format
they’re not a game-changer, they can help fill up some space on your resume.Pros:– Recruiters and HR managers prefer this format.– Very easy to skim.– Provides an easy-to-read chronological history of your work experience.– The most popular resume format in 2022.
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1 - Reverse-Chronological Resume Format
Cons:– Hard to fill in for a recent graduate with no work experience.– Makes career gaps very obvious. If you’re a career changer, you might want to try one of the other formats.
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2 - Functional Resume Format
This resume format has also been called a skills-based resume format.As the name suggests, a functional resume focuses more on skills rather than work experience.It’s mainly useful for recent graduates or career changers since your work experience is not the main focus of the resume.
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2 - Functional Resume Format
What to include a functional resume:1. Contact Information2. Resume Summary or Objective3. Professional Title4. Skills Summary5. Additional Skills6. Work Experience7. EducationAs you can see, the main difference from a reverse-
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2 - Functional Resume Format
chronological resume is that the focus of the functional resume is the Skill Summary (or Areas of Strengths in the example above) section.Functional Resume Format Pros:– Good for highlighting specific skills.– Useful if you’re switching careers since you can explain how your skills transfer to the new job.
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2 - Functional Resume Format
– Also useful if you’re a recent graduate with practical skills, but not much work experience.Functional Resume Format Cons:– The functional resume format is not very popular in 2022, and most recruiters and hiring managers aren’t familiar with it.– Applicant tracking systems (ATS) have difficulties reading functional resumes.
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3 - Combination (Or, Hybrid) Resume Format
The combination resume format, also known as the “hybrid,” is a mixture of the functional and reverse-chronological formats.It also comes with a skill summary section, but there’s a greater focus on the work experience.The typical sections you’d find on a combination resume are the same as that of a
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3 - Combination (Or, Hybrid) Resume Format
functional resume, the main difference being the focus on work experience.What to include in a combination resume:1. Contact Information2. Skill Summary3. Additional Skills4. Work Experience5. Education
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3 - Combination (Or, Hybrid) Resume Format
A functional resume can have zero or minimal work history, while a combination resume puts equal emphasis on both.Usually, the combination resume is for candidates with extensive work experience, who need a way to emphasize more work experience and skills with less space.
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3 - Combination (Or, Hybrid) Resume Format
Combination Resume Format Pros:– Allows you to show off more of your experience and skills using less space.– Useful for very senior professionals or executives who need to highlight more than just their work experience.Combination Resume Format Cons:– As with the functional resume
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3 - Combination (Or, Hybrid) Resume Format
format, applicant tracking systems have difficulties reading combination resumes.– If you’re a recent graduate or don’t have much work experience, this resume format is not for you.
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How to Choose the Best Resume Format
Now that we’ve covered all 3 of the common resume formats, you’re probably wondering which one’s the right for you.Here’s what we recommend:In 99% of the cases, we’d recommend going with a reverse-chronological resume format.In 2022, it’s the most common and useful format:– Applicant tracking systems
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How to Choose the Best Resume Format
can read it without any problems.– All recruiters and hiring managers are familiar with this format.– Whether you’re a recent graduate or a senior professional, it’s the easiest format to work with.The only case we’d recommend going with a functional or combination resume is if
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How to Choose the Best Resume Format
you’re a career changer, and even then, it’s still quite risky.True, a combination or hybrid resume will help you emphasize your skills over work experience. However, both of these resume formats are not really that popular in 2022.There’s a good chance that the applicant tracking system won’t be able to read your resume
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How to Choose the Best Resume Format
and automatically discard it - after all the time you put into creating the resume! At the same time, recruiters might just not be familiar with these resume formats, or think that you’re just trying to hide the fact that you’re not experienced, and disqualify you based on that.So, rule of thumb - when in doubt, go for the reverse-chronological resume.
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7+ Essential Resume Formatting Tips
– Want to avoid all the hassles of formatting your resume? Just use an online resume builder. The software will help structure your resume, and all you have to worry about are the contents!– Don’t go over one page. The resume should be a summary of your work experience, not your entire life story.– Use standard section headers. E.g.: your work
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7+ Essential Resume Formatting Tips
– experience should be called just that - “Work Experience,” and not “work history.” The reason for this is that applicant tracking systems look for these headings to pull information from.– Pick a resume font that’s going to help you stand out. We recommend Ubuntu, Roboto, or Overpass.– Structure your work experience section as follows:
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7+ Essential Resume Formatting Tips
Company Name, Location, Job Title, Start and End Dates, Responsibilities and Achievements.– Speaking of responsibilities and achievements, list those in bullets. Prioritize achievements over responsibilities, and don’t go over 6-8 bullets per position.– Save your resume as a PDF or a Docx. Both formats can be read by applicant tracking systems. Whatever you do,