How to Do a Resume like a Professional Resume Writer: Part 2 – Resume Formats
We continue the series, “How to Do a Resume Like A Professional Resume Writer”, by describing three common resume types - the reverse chronological, functional, and combination/targeted formats - and how to determine which format is right for you.
Chronological
This format presents the job seeker’s employment history in reverse chronological order. When utilizing a chronological resume, the candidate’s resume should include their work history listed in reverse chronological order as well as an education, technical skills, and career objective section. This resume format is most successful when the candidate’s work history is directly relevant to the job target.
Functional
Functional resumes typically are used to de-emphasize intermittent employment dates or a generalist career approach illustrated by an unclear job objective. This format allows candidates to accentuate transferable skills useful to a specific job target. Functional styles are frequently used by job seekers who have “holes” in their work histories or want to make a career change. Caution: this format is generally considered least effective by hiring managers and other talent management experts because they are instantly suspicious of what the applicant is hiding.
Combination / Targeted
Career experts unanimously agree that the combination resume is the most effective layout for career professionals to express their personal brand comprised of their unique qualifications, skills, and career successes. This format encompasses several sections such as summary, keywords/ core competencies, and accomplishment section followed by the chronological work history listed in reverse order that spans approximately 10 to 20 years, depending on where the candidate is in their career.
When constructing this resume format, remember, a well-written summary allows the document to be targeted toward a particular industry and/or position while marketing the candidate’s particular brand and unique qualifications. The education section is normally placed at the end of the document followed by a section dedicated to technical skills as well as one that lists professional associations. Recent college graduates should reposition the education section to the top of the resume, directly following the summary statement.
Final Thoughts
Whatever the reason you are exploring new career pathways, you can immediately increase your chances to secure a better opportunity when you invest in a professionally-designed resume that strategically translates your knowledge, skills, and abilities into a compelling value proposition. However, because a professional resume writer is not always an option for the unemployed job seeker, we have developed this series to provide helpful hints and strategies to our readers actively seeking new employment opportunities.
Stay tuned as we continue the series “How to Do A Resume Like A Professional Resume Writer” by discussing the importance of accomplishments and how to present them in a way that yields interviews.
We continue the series, “How to Do a Resume Like A Professional Resume Writer”, by describing three common resume types - the reverse chronological, functional, and combination/targeted formats - and how to determine which format is right for you.
Chronological
This format presents the job seeker’s employment history in reverse chronological order. When utilizing a chronological resume, the candidate’s resume should include their work history listed in reverse chronological order as well as an education, technical skills, and career objective section. This resume format is most successful when the candidate’s work history is directly relevant to the job target.
Functional
Functional resumes typically are used to de-emphasize intermittent employment dates or a generalist career approach illustrated by an unclear job objective. This format allows candidates to accentuate transferable skills useful to a specific job target. Functional styles are frequently used by job seekers who have “holes” in their work histories or want to make a career change. Caution: this format is generally considered least effective by hiring managers and other talent management experts because they are instantly suspicious of what the applicant is hiding.
Combination / Targeted
Career experts unanimously agree that the combination resume is the most effective layout for career professionals to express their personal brand comprised of their unique qualifications, skills, and career successes. This format encompasses several sections such as summary, keywords/ core competencies, and accomplishment section followed by the chronological work history listed in reverse order that spans approximately 10 to 20 years, depending on where the candidate is in their career.
When constructing this resume format, remember, a well-written summary allows the document to be targeted toward a particular industry and/or position while marketing the candidate’s particular brand and unique qualifications. The education section is normally placed at the end of the document followed by a section dedicated to technical skills as well as one that lists professional associations. Recent college graduates should reposition the education section to the top of the resume, directly following the summary statement.
Final Thoughts
Whatever the reason you are exploring new career pathways, you can immediately increase your chances to secure a better opportunity when you invest in a professionally-designed resume that strategically translates your knowledge, skills, and abilities into a compelling value proposition. However, because a professional resume writer is not always an option for the unemployed job seeker, we have developed this series to provide helpful hints and strategies to our readers actively seeking new employment opportunities.
Stay tuned as we continue the series “How to Do A Resume Like A Professional Resume Writer” by discussing the importance of accomplishments and how to present them in a way that yields interviews.
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