Resume Format & Type

3. Resume

A resume is your professional brand. It tells your unique story with emphasis on your skills, key accomplishments, and potential. You want hiring managers to review your resume and quickly identify you as a potential fit for their organization.

Resume Format and Type

Preliminary Resume

Start by creating a simple resume that lists out your contact information, education, work experiences, leadership opportunities, community engagements, and the hard and soft skills identified above. This basic, preliminary resume will be the foundation to all your future job applications, cover letters, and resumes. This resume will need to be uniquely updated for each job application. A resume should be one to two pages in length – detailed but concise. A strong resume includes the following.

• Career Objective or Summary Statement

• Contact Information – email, phone, address (city and state is enough)

• Education, Licenses, and/or Certifications

• Work Experiences

• Board Leadership

• Volunteering Engagements

• Professional Associations or Affiliations

• Skills – Technical, Business, both “Hard” and “Soft” skills

• Languages

• Publications, Patents, Awards

• Portfolio (link) – if applicable

Types

There are three common types of resumes you can create.

1. Chronological This is the most common resume, listing the recent experiences first.

2. Functional This resume lists outs and groups the various experiences by function. It is fitting for those with limited, project-based, temporary, or contract work experiences. (ex. consultant, recent graduates).

3. Targeted This is the most customizable resume, designed specifically to the job position’s unique qualifications and necessary requirements. It is the most time-consuming, but also the most effective presentation of your professional capability and brand granted the information outlined is accurate and honestly outlined.

Chronological Resume Example

A Chronological Resume lists professional experiences, in the order of most recent experiences first. This allows hiring managers to see the type of work you have accomplished and to assess if you have the necessary background, expertise, and experiences for the job position in question.

Functional Resume Example

A Functional Resume groups and lists the skills you possess first. This allows hiring managers to easily see if you have the right skills required for the job in question. This type of resume is more commonly used by entry-level applicants or recent college graduates, who do not have extensive work or professional experience. Candidates with several temporary or contract project-based work experiences also use these types of functional resumes to categorize experiences by projects, functions, or skills.

Targeted Resume Example

A Targeted Resume is tailored to the specific job position you are applying for. The information in the resume should reflect specific keywords and requirements outlined in the job description. Customizing and tailoring your resume to the specific job shows hiring managers that you have the relevant experiences and skills necessary for the position.

Next: Resume Contents

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