The resume style you use will have a big impact on how a hiring manager reads your resume. Here’s how to choose the right style for your resume?
Choosing the Right Resume Style for Your Resume Needs
Resume Styles
Resume styles, also known as resume formats, are an important part of creating your resume. A resume style will have ramifications beyond your resume. You may see its impact on your cover letter and any other document that you send in with your job application. This is why it’s so important to settle on a resume style that works for you. Here’s what you need to know about writing a professional resume with the right type of resume style.
What Are Resume Styles?
First of all, what is a resume style, exactly? A resume style has to do with the structure of your resume you use as well as how you flesh out each section. Recruiters use these resume styles to help them read through your resume more effectively, and you can use resume formats to emphasize or de-emphasize different elements of the resume.
Understanding the Three Resume Styles
What are the three most common resume styles? Typically, if you’re writing a resume, you’ll stick to one of these styles.
1. Chronological
The chronological resume format is the most common. Its name comes from the fact that your work experience is emphasized, in reverse-chronological order. This type of resume format showcases your work history as a main reason why you’re qualified for a specific job. For most people, this format is a great option, because most people’s work history relates to the career path they’re pursuing.
2. Functional
The functional resume format emphasizes your skillset over your work history. This format focuses on your skills and education. This is good for people who are first-time job seekers or going through a career change, as their work history may not relate to the job they’re looking for.
3. Combination/Hybrid
The final type of resume is the combination resume format, sometimes also called the hybrid resume format. This resume template tries to emphasize your professional skills while often not de-emphasizing your resume history, attempting to find a middle ground between emphasizing your skills and your work history.
Tips for Finding Your Resume Style
How can you find a resume writing style that works well for your particular resume? Many considerations go into deciding what resume style will be best for your needs. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
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Work experience
First of all, consider how much work experience you have. Higher-level candidates that may have years of experience will be more likely to use the chronological resume format than entry-level candidates. If your job search mostly relies on your work experience, you’re going to want to emphasize that experience as much as possible.
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Recent jobs
Looking at your recent job titles can be important. Job seekers with job titles that make sense for the job they’re going into should look into chronological formats when applying for a new job. However, if your recent jobs have mostly been unrelated to the job you’re applying to, it could be best to try and reduce your emphasis on these elements.
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Relevant skills and qualifications
You should also look at your relevant skills and how they impact your resume. Your skills section should include both soft skills and hard skills, but if you’re mostly relying on those skills, you must showcase them as much as possible. That could mean using a functional or combination style.
