Types of Resumes

Creating a resume is the very best way to document your career and accomplishments. If you build and maintain one as you move along your career path, you'll be able to capture key achievements and results while they are still fresh in your mind.
The resume format that you choose should be based on your work experience and the strategy to make that experience seem relevant to the job that you are applying to.
The majority of resumes follow a similar format by listing most recent jobs and work experience first. This is called a "reverse chronological" format. But there is also the "skills-based" or "functional" format that highlights what you can do rather than what you have done. Some find that blending these two formats is the best way to summarize their experience and capabilities. These are called as “Hybrid resume”

There are three main types of resumes:
1. Reverse chronological resumes
2. Functional resumes
3. Hybrid resumes

Reverse chronological resumes list the candidate’s work experience starting from the most recent one based on the premise that it is also the most relevant to the job. That is often true for career-oriented people looking for another job in the same field. The reverse chronological resume is the most commonly used resume format.
Using this format is best for those who have had a steady work history and a record of increased responsibility and career growth. This is also a great format if the companies you worked for, especially your most recent employer, are well-recognized and well-respected within your industry.

Functional resumes list a candidate’s experiences by skill areas. This resume format is used most often when a person decides to switch career, when a person has held many different types of jobs during his career, or when there has been a prolonged period of absence from the workforce. The focus is therefore no longer on “career progression,” but instead on “transferable skills.”
The functional resume includes a career objective that states what type of job you desire or a career summary that encapsulates your work history, education and strengths in a sentence or two.

Hybrid resumes possess some characteristics of both reverse chronological resumes and functional resumes. For instance, they can list a candidate’s work experience by skill areas, but also include the periods of employment.
It might begin with a summary of qualifications and bulleted skills, followed by a chronicled job listing that demonstrates, through measurable results, how you used or applied the skills you just highlighted.

Those are the three main types of resumes. Do not restrict yourself to the above however. If you think there is a better way to grab the employer’s attention, go for it. At the end of the day, if you get an interview, you must have done something right.

Choosing the Perfect Resume

If you are preparing to write a résumé, you may be aware that are more than one style. There are 3 major styles of résumé writing, there is the Chronological résumé, the Functional résumé and the Combination résumé. We will go over each style and see if it will work for you. All a résumé is is a sheet of paper with all of your accomplishment in both education and work experience. An interviewer is looking for someone to hire who can get the job done and have the experience they are looking for.

The chronological résumé is formatted to show your employment experience and your education in time order. This can be done with the most current time or from oldest to newest. When an interviewer looks at a résumé he or she looks for the important information first. The will want to see what you did before or while you are applying for their job. They don’t really want to see what you did 10 years ago so try to use the most current jobs first, so they will look at what they need to know and not have to scan the entire document looking for simple information.

The functional résumé is a list of your work experience and skills that you posses and sort them out by job function or skill. This style résumé is not used that often. It works in the sense that the jobs are listed by job function. Interviewers want to see what you can do for them and if the job you were at before or still on is similar to what they need they want to see it. Interviews do not want to spend time reading a lot of information that is not pertinent to them, that is why it is recommended that you keep your résumé short and to the point.

The combination résumé is just that, a combination of a chronological and a functional résumé. You begin with a functional list of jobs and then a chronological list of employers. This style of résumé writing is not recommended. It comes off too confusing. If you send a résumé like that you may not get a chance to explain it, if an interviewer does not like your résumé they will just toss it aside.

Remember a résumé is a reflection of you. If you present a sloppy résumé, they will not give you a chance. A good résumé will guarantee you an interview.