Different Resume Styles and When to Use Them
When we apply for a job, we compile and summarize our best skills and characteristics into a neat and compact piece of paper called a resume.
Your resume is much more than just a compilation of your work history and skills. Your resume is a representation of why you are qualified for a particular job opportunity. With that in mind, it is important to construct your resume in a way that communicates your most relevant qualities whether those are your skills, education, or work history.
There are a variety of resume style templates that have been designed in order to highlight the strongest qualifications of different candidates. Depending on your progress on your education and career journey, your resume will look different. For example, recent graduates may not have a lot of work experience, however they have valuable skills and education to highlight.
Keep in mind that these resume style templates are simply guidelines, and you are able to change up the style in order to be creative and produce a resume that best reflects YOU!
Below we have defined each resume style and identified the benefits of each.
Resume Styles
Chronological Resume
A Chronological Resume is a resume style in which all relevant work experience and education is listed in reverse chronological order starting with the most recent experience. This resume style highlights your professional work experience and gives employers an overview of your career development and career accomplishments over the years. The Chronological Style is best suited to applicants with significant work experience and continuous career progression through their different positions.
Chronological Resume Section Headings
Header (Name, Address, Contact Information)
Objective
Experience
Education (For students, education can be placed before experience)
Skills
Functional Resume / Skills Based Resume
A Functional Resume focuses more on the relevant skills and qualifications of the candidate as opposed to a chronological history of experience. This resume style is recommended for those applicants with little professional experience such as students or those that are about to redirect their careers. These applicants benefit from communicating the skills they possess that would allow them to be successful in the role that they are applying for. Functional Resumes also make career gaps less apparent than they otherwise would be on a chronological timeline. In addition, volunteer experience or skills acquired through volunteering should be included.
Functional Resume Section Headings
Header (Name, Address, Contact Information)
Objective / Profile
Skills
Skills on a Functional Resume can be further broken down into subcategories such as communication skills, technological skills and other skills related to the industry of interest.
Education
Relevant Experience
Combination Resume
The Combination Resume combines the chronological timeline of work history from the Chronological Style Resume with the skills overview of the Functional Style Resume. The Combination Resume intends to highlight the most relevant skills and qualifications of the applicant while using employment history as evidence of experience and as an overview of career progression. The Combination Resume is ideal for early career professionals who have some professional experience with very strong skills and abilities to apply to their next position.
Combination Resume Section Headings
Header (Name, Address, Contact Information)
Objective / Profile
Skills Summary
Relevant Experience
Education
Infographic Resume
Infographic Resumes are predominantly used in the Creative Industries such as Graphic Design, Publishing, Photography and Visual Arts. Infographic Resumes make use of graphic design elements in order to communicate information traditionally written in text. The graphic design elements organize the content in a visual manner so that it is easily understood.
Infographic Resumes have a variety of benefits including:
Helping the candidate stand out amidst a sea of black and white resumes.
Demonstrating the candidate’s artistic / creative abilities.
Showcasing the candidate’s ability to use technology.
Identifying the candidate’s willingness to go the extra mile.
So What Should You Choose?
With so many resume options, the most important takeaway is that you understand your strengths and the skills that are most relevant to the employer. Select a resume structure that will showcase your strengths and demonstrate to the employer that you meet/exceed the qualifications for the position.
