It is 2024. You are looking for a job, and you want the best resume possible. But, there is a lot of conflicting advice out there as to just how you should set up your resume.
If you’re looking for information on how to format a resume, You’ve come to the right place. Below, we will discuss the three most common types of resumes and determine which one is best for you in 2024.
The Chronological Resume Format
The chronological resume format is both the most common format and the format that most employers expect. It is beautiful in its design. Your work experience holds the most weight within the chronological resume format, followed by your educational experience.
As its name suggests, chronological resumes list your experiences in order of time. In fact, they are sometimes called reverse-chronological resumes because you start with the most recent experience and work backward in time.
The headings of chronological resumes make it easy for hiring managers to locate the information they need. Additionally, your experience appears as a step-by-step flow along your career path.
The Functional Resume Format
Functional resume formats are used when people change career fields, have been out of the workforce for a long time, or feel that their skills are not represented by their work experience and education.
Less attention is given to previous experience, while skills gained outside of work experience are highlighted in the first resume section.
While some individuals have found success with this format in unique situations, it is often a red flag for employers.
They worry that you don’t have the needed recent experience. They may also wonder if you are trying to hide something negative in your past, such as a job dismissal that prevented you from finding further work.
Generally, the functional resume format is not recommended. If you feel like the functional format is a better fit for you, consider using the resume format described in the next section instead.
The Combination or Hybrid Resume Format
Hybrid resumes have been called the best of both worlds. They have the skills-based focus of functional resumes along with the reverse-chronological listing of the chronological resume.
In this way, you can use a hybrid resume to highlight skills that may not have been gained through work experience without raising any red flags.
Why? Because your hiring manager can still easily find your work experience and education without any gaps or questions.
Which Format Is Best?
All in all, the chronological resume format is the best format to use in 2024. It is what hiring managers look for, and it allows them to find information easily. It does not raise any of the red flags that functional resumes can.
In some circumstances, you may feel that you need to give more weight to your skills. In this case, opt for a combination resume format.
This format is the best of both worlds because it allows you to highlight your skills first while still giving the hiring manager the reverse-chronological listing of your experience that he or she expects.
What File Format Should You Use for Your Resume?
We live in a digital age, And most people submit their resumes electronically rather than a printed hard copy. So you may be wondering, what type of file format should you use? A PDF? A Word document (.doc) file? Or something else?
The PDF file format is the best file format to use for your resume in 2024. PDFs are good because no matter what software or device is used to open or print them, they maintain their formatting.
This is not always true of other file types. If you design a resume on Microsoft Word, for example, and submit it using a .doc file, and the hiring manager opens it using a different word processor, he might find a mess rather than a stylish resume.
Additionally, PDF files are not easily edited, so you don’t have to worry about any of your information being deleted or changed.
Key Takeaways
- There are three main resume formats – chronological resumes, functional resumes, and hybrid or combination resumes.
- Chronological resumes are the all-around best bet in 2024. They highlight the value of your work experience and education and make the information very easy to find. Hiring managers are generally comfortable with this format because it is what they expect to see when they look at a resume.
- Hybrid resumes are a secondary choice, as they can be used when you need to highlight your skills in addition to providing reverse-chronological details.
- Functional resume formats are generally not recommended, as they often raise red flags with employers.
- The optimal file format for resumes in 2024 is the PDF, because its formatting and content remain the same no matter how it is opened.
