Selecting the right resume format
1. Reverse chronological
2. Functional
3. Combination
REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL
This format presents a historical timeline of your experience in reverse chronological order, beginning with your most recent position first and working backwards. This resume provides the reader with relevant contact details and your employment history, generally followed by other sections including education, professional membership, computer technologies, and community involvement, etc. This format is widely accepted by recruiters and employers and is best suited for job seekers who have a solid career history spanning 5+ years.
Advantages:
- Enables you to portray a steady progression through positions of increasing responsibility;
- Validates your readiness in being able to take the next step up the career ladder;
- Recruiters and employers tend to prefer this format, as it is easily scanned and allows easy detection of employment gaps.
Disadvantages:
- Exposes unemployment or career breaks that you may well not wish to disclose at the initial application stage;
- Reveals situations of position side tracking or demotions, particularly if your most recent role holds less responsibility than the position being applied for;
- Limited in its creativity component in comparison to other resume formats (i.e. combination format).
FUNCTIONAL
This format groups key skills and achievements within separate categories in order to highlight and qualify a job seeker's experience and credentials against a specific position. Following this skills-based approach will allow a candidate to emphasize strengths and achievements while de-emphasizing periods of unemployment, career transitions from one industry or career to another, or limited experience.
Recruiters do not particularly welcome this format, as it tends to raise suspicion that the job seeker is trying to hide something (which is probably correct), so consider carefully before using this format as to whether this is the best option. If it is absolutely crucial to use this format, present the skills-based component (experience/achievements relevant to the position) on page 1, followed by a snapshot of your employment including employer name, dates, positions and an overview of your job scope and how you contributed to the organization's ongoing success through achievements.
Advantages:
- De-emphasizes periods of unemployment and other blemishes in your career that you do not wish to disclose at this initial stage;
- Allows the job seeker to highlight relevant skills and expertise, even in situations of limited experience or experience performed within another industry;
- Suitable for job seekers returning to the workforce after a career break.
Disadvantages:
- Tends to raise recruiters'/employers' suspicion if employer names, dates and titles are omitted;
- Can confuse the reader who is trying to establish where experience/accountabilities were performed and accomplishments were secured if these are only grouped under skills categories rather than under your employment history.
COMBINATION
This approach harnesses and combines the best from both the Functional and Reverse Chronological formats--hence the name, Combination. This format can also be referred to as a hybrid resume. A powerfully-written qualifications/professional profile is often portrayed first to demonstrate expertise and qualifications. Other relevant sections also portrayed at the forefront of your resume (following your profile) include selected accomplishments, relevant skills, followed by employment history, presented in reverse chronological order.
Advantages:
- This format is well-received by recruiters and employers;
- Allows a job seeker to create a dynamic and aesthetically pleasing marketing document;
- At first glance, showcases outstanding achievements and marketable skills garnered from several positions;
- Allows a job seeker to condense many years of employment for the seasoned professional.
Disadvantages:
- If cleverly crafted, this format does not have any real disadvantages to the job seeker.
Continued success with your career!
Annemarie Cross
Multi Award Winning Resume Writer / Career Coach
Annemarie Cross is the founder/principal of Advanced Employment Concepts, developers of compelling career-marketing documents and career strategies for job seekers from graduates through to senior executives, and dynamic career web portfolios to fast-track the job offer and your career.
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