Choosing The Type Of Résumé Format Best For You

To succeed in today’s job market, you have to think of your résumé as an advertisement targeted towards your future boss.” – author unknown

The way you format your résumé is important, because it will either invite readers or erect barriers. Only a few types of résumés are used today:

1. Functional
2. Chronological
3. A combination of these (the hybrid).

You’ll hear of others: targeted, competency-based, CV (curriculum vitae, primarily for academic positions) and others. When you boil it all down, however, there are only the three mentioned.

The hybrid résumé format will enable you to include characteristics that truly set you apart from your contemporaries. It will also enable you to adequately relate your highest level of accomplishment, and sell yourself to your reader with subtle skill.

Unless your situation warrants using one of the other types of résumés specifically, you can count on the hybrid résumé to work well for you.

You’ll see the major advantages and disadvantages of each résumé type below.

Chronological résumés:

These are the most common style of résumés, and are useful when you:

• Want to highlight your employment with recognized organizations.
• Have a background that’s either very diverse or you’ve worked for only a few employers.
• Have a continuous work history.

Chronological résumés emphasize where you worked as much as what you’ve done on the job.

They are most useful when you work in a traditional field, or when ads emphasize that specific types of experience are required.

Functional résumés:

These are most useful when you want to emphasize your accomplishments and skills, as well as what you’ve done for employers more than where you worked.

These résumés focus on you and what you have to offer. They present your skills, achievements, and previous successes, as well as where you worked.

Functional résumés are especially useful if you’ve had numerous breaks in your work history, if you were out of the workforce for an extended period due to an illness or child rearing, or if you’ve been unemployed beyond 12 months.

Functional résumés can also be useful if you want to focus on skills or achievements that happened quite some time ago, but are still relevant.

Hybrid résumés:

Hybrids of both chronological and functional résumés can be useful to highlight specific areas you want the reader to pay special attention to.

In addition to taking advantage of the best of both of these types of résumés, the hybrid enables you to present specific information in a way that is appealing to the reader’s eye.

Whether you want to present core competencies, technical expertise, specific accomplishments, or some other aspect of your experience, a hybrid résumé gives you the ability to do that in a professional manner.

My book, “The Christian Job Search Manual” offers examples of each type of résumé as well as worksheets to help you create the best  résumé to highlight you.

This is an excerpt from my book “The Christian Job Search Manual,” click on this link to purchase the book.

If you would like to explore working with a Christian centered Career Coach, Contact me for a no-obligation 60-90 minute job search consultation with America’s Job Searching Coach, or text me at 425-220-0707  and we can discuss your situation, your résumé, what you would like to achieve, and structure your job search to fit your uniqueness.

I am also available to speak to groups.