Do you know it takes only 6 seconds for an employer to decide if your resume should be selected or not?

The first impression is the last impression? A resume is your first impression that you give to an employer. Let’s understand what a resume is and what are the different types of resume formats to choose while preparing a resume.  you should choose as per your experience!!!

A resume is a document that summarizes all the essential information regarding a candidate, including his educational qualifications, expertise and work experience. A resume is a required document for both the candidate as well as the employers. Candidate can apply their resume for the job they are interested in, and employers can shortlist the resume of those candidates who are a perfect fit for their company. Apart from a formal job application, a resume can also be defined as a mode of communication that job seekers use to express their quality to the companies. Hence it becomes necessary to write a firm and professional resume.

learn what's the difference between a resume and a CV?

A resume covers all the vital information that an employer or company needs to know about the candidate that they are about to hire. A resume consists of a candidate's relevant educational qualification, achievements, and work history. These pieces of information are listed in easily understandable headings like Qualification Overview, Professional Work Experience, Accomplishments, etc. Moreover, a standard resume consists of the following information:

1. Contact Information: The very first column of the resume contains the candidate's name, residential address, email, and contact details.

1. Objective or Summary of Qualifications: Just below the contact details, the next important thing presented is the educational qualification of the candidate. This portion of the resume helps the employer to know the highest level of education of the candidate.

1. Work History/Experience: This panel of the resume delivers information related to the present or past employment, along with the duration of employment with a specific company. Moreover, this portion helps the employers to know about the job titles, relevant skills, and accomplishments of the candidate.

What's the Purpose of a Resume?

Most of the candidates think that a resume can land them on jobs, it's not true, by the way. The main objective of a resume is to land you in an interview. First of all, employers look at your resume, and if they found your resume impressive, then only they will shortlist you and call for a face to face interview. During the face to face interview, they will not only measure your skills and work attitude but also scale your skills to meet the expectations for that specific job position.

Types of Resume Formats:

If we talk about the types of resume formats, there are numerous, but the top three resume formats are mentioned below:

Chronological:

According to chronological order, your work history will be listed in reverse chronological order. It means you will begin with the recent position that will be first, and the very first job position will be at last. Moreover, it concentrates on titles and dates.

Following are some of the things that you need to include in a chronological format resume:

1. Contact Information
2. Resume Summary
3. Professional Title
4. Work Experience (the bulk of content)
5. Skills
6. Education
7. Additional sections

 

Functional:

The functional type of resume directs on skills and achievements instead of dates and titles. This type of format divides your resume into various categories, like Administrative, Marketing, and Project management.

The details of the candidate in a functional format resume should be listed in a below-mentioned manner:

1. Contact Information
2. Resume Summary
3. Professional Title
4. Skills Summary (the bulk of content)
5. Additional Skills
6. Work Experience
7. Education

 

Combination/Hybrid: 

The Combination/Hybrid form of resume features a mixture of both chronological and functional type of resume. It is considered as the most versatile resume type for individuals. Moreover, it is also recognized that this format catches the attention of the hiring managers, as it helps them to get the best of both the worlds.

Things that you need to include in a Combination/Hybrid format resume:

1. Contact Information
2. Skills Summary*
3. Additional Skills*
4. Work Experience*
5. Education

 How to Choose Resume Format:-

I hope you are aware of all the three formats of the resume mentioned above. Now the question arises - How to choose resume format? Well, the very first thing that you need to keep in mind is to choose a format that matches best with your profile, understand? Read the information mentioned below to get a better understanding regarding the selection of the right resume format:

Most of the people think that work experience is the only important factor in a resume; this is not true. I mean, work experience is essential, but your current work position, company, and industry are also equally crucial for your resume.

The resume format is one of the ways that you need to tailor for a particular job position or company, and attention-catching resume layout can help your job application to remain out of the box of competition. So, if you are planning to apply for a new job position in marketing, you should either go with a Functional or Combination/Hybrid format of the resume instead of Chronological resume format.

 

Chronological Resume Format Suitability:

The chronological format is also known as traditional resume format, and it is suitable for:

• Candidates with all levels of work experience.
• It is perfect for those candidates who are looking for a job that is similar to their work experience.
• This resume format is suitable for those candidates who don't have significant gaps in their careers.
• It is perfect for those candidates who are looking for a job in accounting, finance, engineering, and other traditional industry.

Functional Resume Format Suitability:

The Functional resume format is suitable for:

• Candidates who have a high level of work experience.
• Candidates who are planning to change their work field.
• Candidates who have significant gaps in their careers.
• Candidates who want to begin their career in the fields like designing, computer programming, etc.

 Combination/Hybrid Resume Format Suitability:

The Combination/Hybrid Resume format is suitable for those candidates who:

• Want to change their workstream.
• Have some employment gaps.
• Have the experience of working in different workstreams.

 What should be the resume format for fresher and experienced candidates?

If you are a fresher, a Chronological resume format can be a perfect call for you. By making the use of a chronological resume format, fresher candidates can express their educational qualifications, training, and achievements in a logical form. On the other hand, if you have extensive work experience, then also you can go with a chronological resume format, as you can express your work experience and past jobs in a logical form. On the other hand, a functional resume format is useful for those who don't have much work experience or who recently changed their career path.