Choosing a Professional Resume Format

professional resume writing

There is a lot involved in creating a professional resume that will grab attention and land interviews. Did you know that some job offers can generate between 500 and 1000 resumes? And, recruiters will spend anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds reviewing a resume with the primary goal of reducing the stacks of resumes they receive each day to a manageable stack of “keepers.” Obviously, there is a lot of competition from other job seekers vying for the same position.

You will need to start writing your resume by deciding on a format. There are essentially 3 different resume formats: the chronological resume, the functional resume, and the blended resume. Each has its advantages and disadvantages which are explained below.

The Chronological Resume Format

The chronological resume format is the most common and one that people are most familiar with. In the chronological format, each of your jobs and the corresponding job descriptions are listed in chronological order, beginning with the most recent job. Dates for each job are listed on the resume, and it typically includes a career objectives section, a skills and attributes section or profile section, and an education section.

The Functional Resume Format

The functional resume format is not as common and is most often recommended for people who have gaps in their work history or those who have been out of the workforce for a while. The highlights of this resume format are the candidate’s skills, attributes, and achievements. A career objective should also be included, as well as any educational qualifications. However, actual jobs do not include dates. The professional history section will generally be limited to a list of company names, location of each company, and job titles. One advantage of using this format is that it generally shortens the length of a resume. If you have a 25-year employment history and multiple jobs where you’ve done many of the same tasks, you can imagine how long (not to mention repetitive) your resume can be. The functional resume format is an effective way to reduce the number of pages an employer will have to read and make your application more impactful. The downside to this resume format is that recruiters don’t like it. They are suspicious of your employment history if dates are not included and may throw it away if it raises too many questions. Although, at one point I used a functional resume because on my chronological resume I had gaps in my employment history that I suspected were preventing the phone from ringing with interview requests. I changed the format from chronological to functional and the phone started ringing! So, to get the best of both worlds, you may want to try the combined resume if you have gaps in your work history or have been out of the workforce for a while.

The Combined Resume Format

The combined resume, as its name implies, combines the best of the chronological resume and the functional resume. A functional resume format is followed, but dates of work are included. The employer is primarily interested in knowing what value you can bring to the company, so if your first page (or first 2/3) of your resume can effectively show what value you bring to the company, then they can be passed through. stop the gaps in favor of inviting you to an interview.