Different Type of Resume Format

Different Resume Formats

What resume format should you choose when you're applying for jobs?

There are different formats of resumes used to apply for various job openings.

Depending upon on your career history and experience, resume options include chronological, functional, combination, or targeted resumes. Also, there are non-traditional resumes, such as digital or web-based resumes, that some job seekers use.

Each resume type is used for different purposes.

Confused which resume format to use? Read the information below on each resume format, with advice on when to use which format.

Your resume format should be able to make it quick and easy for employers to find the information that they are looking for.

Design and Structure of a resume matters. A powerful resume format will makeuse of simple design elements and blank spaces, like lines, text font and style toclearly outline sections and attract recruiters attention to the career highlightsyou want to focus on.

Have a look at some of our popular formats below and check which one fits your career objectives.

CV Owl’s Job Winning Resume Format

During any stage of time in your career, it’s always a great idea to renew the look and feel of your resume. Adding a bit of artistic content can serve both the readability and the impressiveness of a resume and CV Owl’s Job Winning Resume Format makes it easy to make the most of a blank page.

We recommend this format because it places all the information in a way that is easily gettable, effective, and unique. This format clearly illustrates each key section, which helps recruiters build a mental map of your candidacy and your career progression quickly and easily.

And don’t forget to customize the information in your resume to each respective job description which you are applying for to prove to recruiters that you’re a perfect match for this role and that you can add value to their organization. So, start creating one and end your job search now.

Chronological Resume

A ​ chronological resume​ begins by writing your existing job positions, with the most recent position listed first. After your recent job, list your other job positions in reverse chronological order. This resume format is typically preferred by Employers because it's easy to check your past jobs and work experience and when you have worked at them.

This is the most common resume type followed by experienced job seekers. This type of resume format works well for job seekers with a strong, solid work history.

If you are a fresher or just starting your career, or if you are swapping career fields, you might consider a different resume type.​ One of the benefit of the chronological resume format is that it allows you to highlight your work experience.

When using this format, always describe your experience as per the demand of the job description. Use active verbs and keep it short and precise. For more tips, read on to learn how to make a​ chronological resume​.

Functional Resume

Unlike Chronological Resume, a Functional Resume highlights your skills and experience, rather than on your work history.

You can have a“professional experience” or “accomplishments” section at the top that lists your various skills developed over the years, Instead of having a “work history” section at the top.

Sometimes a functional resume may also include a resume summary or headline at the top, which highlights a person’s skills and achievements. One’s employment history may not be included in a functional resume or it might have a concise list of work history at the very bottom of the resume.

Functional resumes are most often used by the people who have gaps in theiremployment history or the people who are willing to change their careers. It is alsoused by the people who are new to the employment, have limited(or no) work experience, or who have a gap in their employment. By highlighting skills more than work history, one can decide whether he or she is a perfect fit for the job.

Hybrid / Combination Resume

A combination or a Hybrid resume is a combination of a chronological resume and a functional resume. At the top of the resume, one highlights the list of our skills and qualifications. After this comes one’s chronological work history and the experience.

However, the work history or the experience is not the focus of the resume and generally does not occupy much space on the resume.

Combination resume can be used to highlight the skills you have that are related to the job you are applying for, as well as it provides your chronological work history. After all, most employers are interested to know about your chronological work history, even if that history is not very great.

This resume format helps you highlight what makes you the perfect fit for the job, while still giving the employer all the information that he or she wants. Also, make sure that you write a compelling summary statement and add keywords which attract directly to the job description. For more tips, read this article on building out a ​ combination resume.

Infographic Resume

Infographic resumes comprise graphic design elements in addition to or instead of text. A traditional resume uses plain text to highlight applicant's details like education, skills, and work experience, while an infographic resume applies layout, appearance, design, formatting, images, and font styling to organize content.

Sometimes, a traditional resume isn’t good enough to highlight your achievements. You want to prove you’re great with graphics and design, and infographic resumes, when done right, look great and are a perfect fit for the job.

For most job seekers, however, using this type of Resume format is a wrong choice. Most of the resumes are passed through by ATSs and these robots don't know graphics. Be careful: presenting a graphics-heavy resume might have the same impact as presenting a blank document.

The main importance of the infographic is, the information gives a correct impression to the reader along with graphics. So anybody can understand it very easily in one glance only. In the same way, the resume formats also look so nice if we frame it as an infographic. After all, a picture is, worth 1,000 words.

Resume With Profile or Summary

This resume type includes a short summary of a candidate's skills, experiences, and achievements as they relate to a specific job.

The summary ( no more than a couple of sentences long) helps the candidate “sell” his or herself to the company to which he or she is applying for.

Highlighting a profile is very important for almost any candidate. If you have comprehensive work experience, a profile can concisely explain that experience to the hiring manager straightforward. If you have limited(or no) work experience, a profile can help you highlight the skills that you do have.

A resume profile is always a great idea to show a hiring manager, at a glimpse, that you have the skills and abilities required for the job or if you are a perfect fit for the job. Because it is longer than a headline, it gives you a little more space to highlight your achievements and abilities.

Targeted Resume

Targeted resume is a type of resume format which is modified to highlight the experience and skills of a candidate that are relevant to the job he/she is applying for.

It takes more time and efforts to write a targeted resume compared to applying with your existing resume. However, it's entirely worth the efforts, particularly when applying for the jobs that are a complete match for your qualifications and experience.

Always try to write a targeted resume while applying for a job. Targeting your resume might not be the most exciting part of applying for a job, but it's one of the most important.

Take your time when targeting experience statements and the skills section at a particular job position. Target specific business needs. This will help your resume to match the most desirable candidate as closely as possible.

Non-traditional Resume

A non-traditional resume may include photos, graphics, images, graphs and other visuals and is termed as a unique version of your resume. It might be a resume build with an online resume builder, or a physical resume with infographics or visuals, as mentioned above. It could well also be a video or a resume on a social networking website.

This type of resume formats is perfect for people in creative fields, who want to illustrate their ability to create visually engaging designs or to create web pages. It can be a great idea for a job seeker to stand out from the crowd in professions like design, web design, journalism, and more. A non-traditional resume can be a helpful way to highlight a specific skill required for the job. For example, if the job demands the role of graphic designer, you might surely want to include infographics in your resume.

However, a non-traditional resume is not preferred for all the job seekers, nor is it for every job. Many traditional companies or industries want a traditional, chronological resume written on paper.

Mini Resume

A mini resume includes a concise summary of your career's experience and qualifications. It only contains the information that relates to the position you are applying for or the industry you would like to work in.

Your traditional resume will be suitable in most of the cases. However, a mini resume can be very helpful at job fairs or job networking circles or events when you're meeting with people and want to give them something more than just a business card. Mini Resume can also be used when you're surfing online and would like your connections to forward your resume to a hiring manager or a recruiter.

Mini resumes are a great choice for networking purposes - you can present them to new connections, or pass them out at a networking event. They can also be shared with a reference writer or an employer who may want an overview of your achievements, rather than a full-length resume.