Resume Types

Your unique collection of experiences determines the best type of resume to accentuate your skills, knowledge, and abilities. Choose a format that highlights your accomplishments and focuses on your strengths. Three basic resume formats exist: chronological, functional and combination/targeted.

Chronological

• Most commonly used format
• Presents all information in reverse chronological order
• Provides for a brief explanation of each experience
• The easiest format to construct, and the easiest to read and understand

 
Functional

• Focuses on skills, not specific experiences
• Presents information in categories (i.e. relevant skills, transferable skills, classroom experience, personal work skills)
• Dates and details may or may not be presented
• Can be effectively utilized to reduce the negative effect of an inconsistent work record, or assist in detailing skills for career changers

 
Combination/Targeted

• Combines both the chronological and functional formats
• Presents skills, abilities, and accomplishments in a related to specific job
• The objective statement may be replaced with a "Highlights" section that lists 5-10 targeted skills that relate directly to the desired job or industry
• Some resume sections will follow the strict reverse chronological format, whereas other sections will be skills based