Your Resume: How to Choose a Resume Format that Best Supports Your Career Goals, from Entry-Level Resumes to the Experienced Professional
Resume formats and resume resources: They can seem as numerous and confusing as keeping up with fashion styles! Just as people dress themselves in outfits as unique as their personality (and no two ensembles are exactly alike) there are infinite ways to organize the information in your resume whether you’re putting together an entry-level resume, or one communicating much higher-level professional experience.
The following resume format quiz can be one of the most valuable resume resources available to you. As you read through the different approaches listed below, your aim should be to choose an approach that supports your career goals and reflects your distinctive style. The following process will help you decide which organizational approach will help you achieve both of these objectives.
1. Learn a Little about Different Resume Formats
In the world of resumes, most documents fall into one of these four organizational formats:
Chronological: As the name implies, this resume format presents information based on a chronology—or timeline—of events. Job searchers who choose a chronological format typically describe their latest position at the top of the list, and then work backward in time to explain earlier positions. Examples of chronological resumes are shown on pages X, Y, and Z in this book.
Functional or Skill Based: These terms are used interchangeably in the resume world. Instead of organizing information chronologically, this style puts the emphasis on functions or skills—typically key skill areas (remember those from Chapter 6?) See pages A, B, and C for examples of resumes organized in a Functional or Skill Based style.
Combined or Hybrid: Just as the hybrid class of automobiles blends two energy sources, the hybrid resume blends both the Chronological and Functional / Skill based styles. While not as common a choice as the first two formats described, the hybrid format may be just right for you if none of the other styles seem to fit.
Curriculum Vita (CV): A CV is a presentation of professional data most often used by teachers, academicians, and other scholarly types. An example of a CV is shown on page N. Situations where you need to organize your information in a CV format are pretty clear cut; the employer (typically a college, university, or school system) will specifically request it.
2. Take a Quick Resume Quiz to See Which Format Will Work Best for You
To help you decide which resume format will work best for your unique career situation, answer “Yes” or “No” to the following questions:
1. I am planning to stay in the same line of work—either targeting the same kind of position I held most recently, or moving up to the next step within my chosen career. __Yes __No
2. I have stayed in or progressed within my same career path, taking on increasing levels of responsibility from position to position.
__Yes __No
3. I am entering a brand new career field, either as a career changer or a recent graduate just beginning in my profession. __Yes __No
4. I haven’t been in the workforce in the last number of years—either because I was a student, or because I took off time from work to raise children, because of illness, to care for a family member, or for some other reason.
__Yes __No
5. I work (or did work) for the same company for more than ten years, and have held multiple positions within that company. The next step I’m targeting in my career will be toward one of those types of positions. __Yes __No
6. My career situation is truly unique, and doesn’t fall within any of the statements described above. __Yes __No
7. I am aiming for a position as a teacher, professor, or administrator in academia. __Yes __No
3. Interpret Your Results and Make Your Decision Regarding Your Resume Format
If you answered Yes to questions one or two, then organizing your resume chronologically is probably the best choice for you.
If you answered Yes to questions three or four, then a functional / skill based resume is most likely the way to go for you.
If you answered Yes to questions five or six, then consider a hybrid resume format.
If your answer to seven was Yes, then opt for a CV format.
Excerpted and adapted from “Career Coward’s Guide to Resumes” by Katy Piotrowski, M.Ed.
