Types of resumes
There are many ways to write a resume, the most common types of resumes are ” Chronological”, “Functional” and ” Combination”
- Chronological Resume
- Functional Resume
- Combination Resume
1- Chronological Resume
They are the most common types. This type of resume focuses on the chronology of your professional experience and the career roles you have performed in the past, the chronology is the opposite, meaning writing the last job you have done at the top of the list of professional experience and then the reverse sequence of the rest of the professional roles you have occupied in the past.
How to organize a Chronological Resume
A Chronological Resume is usually organized as follows:
- Personal details such as name and ways to contact you
- Summary of career experience and objectives
- Career history in reverse chronological order
- Education and qualifications
- Professional membership
- Your interests and hobbies
The advantages of Chronological Resume
This is the preferred resume for most employers and companies because of the ease and simplicity of recognizing the roles and responsibilities you have played in each job
If there are not many significant or outstanding achievements in your career, this type of resume details your key responsibilities in every job that distracts the focus from achievements.
The disadvantages of Chronological Resume
Clearly showing any time gaps in your career history, the timeline will make those gaps clear.
Show any change in your career orientations so this timeline may not be suitable for you
Functional Resume
Unlike a Chronological Resume, a Functional Resume puts a focus on your skills, experiences and achievements rather than chronology.
How to organize a Functional Resume
- Personal details such as name and ways to contact you
- Summary of career experience and objectives goals
- Achievements, skills, strengths and personal qualities
- A comprehensive description of your experience with professional experience ranked by importance
The advantages of a Functional Resume
- Is optimal if you have many time gaps in your career history sequence
- Doesn’t show clearly that you’ve changed your career.
- It suits you if your experiences are multiple or a mixture of unrelated skills.
- Doesn’t show if you’re older than required, Functional Resume won’t focus on your age
- If a job requires a certain age, and you’re older than required, this type ofresume focuses more on the type of experience than on your age.
The disadvantages of a Functional Resume
- Not favored by employers
- Not suitable for you if you don’t have enough achievements and work experience
- A Functional Resume won’t let you highlight your career progress.
3- Combination Resume
A Combination Resume is a favorite of many, especially for leaderships and corporate managers, because it includes the Functional Resume format and then the chronological order, which makes it longer than usual. This is the most popular type.
The advantages of a Combination Resume
- It’s the perfect resume to show your strengths professionally with many achievements.
- Enables you to clearly demonstrate your skills and experience
The disadvantage of a Combination Resume
- Longer than functional and chronological resumes
- It’s not good for those with less experience or achievement.
- Not suitable for those with career gaps
Alternative resume types
There are a variety of different resume types that are less used for a particular purpose.
Here are some of the other less used resume types:
Targeted resume
The target resume is a resume that is tailored for specific needs of each job and company you plan to apply for. You can format it with any of all mentioned resume types above, but the main difference from other format is that you target every detail specifically for the role you’re applying for.
To write a resume that effectively targets a particular job, you need to read through the job description and look between the lines for any skills, job assignments, keywords or requirements that apply to you. Then you can highlight your most relevant skills and experiences in your resume based on the job description, that’s why targeted resume takes longer time to prepare.
However, it is also the most effective resume that you can write because it makes you look perfect for a particular job.
Who should use this type:
This type of resumes fits people who their skills and experience match the job description they want to apply for. This will make the employer or hiring manager relates to your relevant background that is required for the job.
Biography / Infographic resume
This type of resumes are different from the normal or regular resumes, the infographic resumes designed with graphics and visual elements to present your professional details in a unique and attention-attracting way.
Who should use this type:
This type of resumes suits creative graphic designers to present their graphic design skills.
The disadvantage of infographic resume
If you are applying through (apply online) the employer might be using the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which normally filters based on keywords not visuals and that might lead to filtering your resume out of the short-listed applicants.
You can use the infographic resume when that is requested by the employer, or you know that the filtering is through a human interaction.
Non regular or nontraditional resume
There are many other types of resumes that can be classified as unusual they are also called modern resumes such as video resumes, Online profile (portfolios), and personal websites.
This is a creative approach to delivering qualifications, skills and professional experience in a different creative way.
Who should use this type:
If you are applying for a job that requires the same skills used such as presentation, teaching, public speaking, and your video editing skills. However, with the video resume you might need to send a normal resume document when an employer requests it.
In this article I provided you with a breakdown of the types of resumes and the most important advantages and disadvantages of each type, you should choose the most suitable for you from them as a job seeker. I recommend that you review and organize your CV before applying for any vacancy by adjusting it according to your skills and making sure that your personal touch is placed on it and organized according to the company’s priorities and requirements in the job description that resonates with you.
