What is the most popular type of resume that is used when people are seeking employment in the same field as their education or experience?

The more resumes you look at, the more confused you can get especially since there are so many different formats to choose from. Most people don’t realize that the format is one of the most important choices when writing a winning resume. Get this wrong and you could effectively be hiding your own career highlights from the reader.

The bad news is that you only get about 10 seconds attention from the person screening your resume so you best make a good first impression. The good news is that I have narrowed it down to only three formats worth considering. Here they are, complete with reasons why you should choose them and in what order the content should be in your resume.

The chronological resume is the most used out there, it’s the employer’s favorite as it is very easy to read and it’s hard to hide anything in it. It works brilliantly when you have stayed consistent in your career. As long as the job you are applying for is in the same field, the full chronology will be relevant to the reader and therefore the focus is on your experience.

Your employment history is actually in reverse chronological order and your current position will be at the top of the list. The chronological resume doesn’t work well when you have gaps or when you have shifted industries often, as it will expose your weak points.

  • Objective
  • Summary
  • Experience
  • Education
  • References

Functional format:

The functional format should be used when you want to draw attention away from your work experience due to job hopping, a very long career, a very short career, long gaps, re-entering the job market and so forth. The functional resume focuses on what you can do, what your achievements are and your core competence.

This format is used by graduates, people seeking to change their career completely and anyone with employment gaps that don’t add any value to their experience. If you are looking to change industries, make sure to focus on transferable skills such as sales or people management. A word of warning; employers are known to raise their eyebrows when they see a functional resume so only use this format if you absolutely have to.

  • Objective
  • Accomplishments
  • Capabilities
  • Employment History
  • Education
  • References

The combined format

The combination format is exactly what it sounds like; it combines the chronological and functional formats to give you the best of both worlds. It allows you to use the tasty features from the functional resume but you can still fly in under the radar in the eye of the reader.

Examples of people that can benefit from this would be someone wanting to change careers and has some relevant skills for the new field. It can also be useful when someone wants to pack more skills in than the work experience section allows for or would not bring out adequately.

  • Objective
  • Summary
  • Accomplishments
  • Experience
  • Education
  • References

5 housekeeping rules that apply to all formats:

  1. Make sure you put all your contact details on every page, make it easy for the employer to call you up for an interview.
  2. You have to put exact dates against every employment and education. If you don’t it will look slightly dodgy and you have to be prepared for a lack-of-dates grilling.
  3. All education and qualifications should be listed. The fact that you majored in art history doesn’t mean you can’t apply for a Java consultant job; it means you are trainable and can learn anything.
  4. The layout should be pleasing on the eye and never distracting, allow for enough white space in between your text, boxes and bullet points.
  5. Make it a habit to use a spel cheker [sic], as your intended audience will swiftly delete a resume that contains typos.

Great, so which format do I use again?

If you can, go with the chronological as it’s everyone’s favorite. If you are shifting careers and possibly have transferable skills, go combined. If you have a short career or big holes in your experience, go functional.

Which format do you use and are you getting interviews? Let us know in the comments below!

RELATED: What Is the Best Resume Font, Size and Format?

Wondering what a resume is and what type of resume is right for you? No matter how much experience you have or what kind of job you want, there’s a type of resume to fit your needs.

Below we outline each type, so you can choose the best one for your job application.

The main 3 types of resumes

There are three main resume types that job seekers use today, each with its own strengths and uses: the chronological resume, the functional resume, and the combination resume.

1. Chronological Resume

A chronological resume is a resume type that focuses heavily on your work history. Its key feature is that it lists your work history in order of when you held each position (in chronological order), with your most recent job listed at the top of the section.

The chronological format is the most common type of resume, and is considered the standard for most industries.

The two advantages of a chronological resume are:

  1. It lets the hiring manager easily see how you’ve progressed in your career
  2. It puts your most relevant work experience at the top, where it’ll be seen first by recruiters and employers

Who Should Use It

A chronological resume is ideal if you have no major gaps between your previous jobs, consistent progression throughout your career, and a long record of accomplishments and skills in the industry you’re applying to.

Chronological resume example

Here’s what a reverse-chronological resume looks like:

What is the most popular type of resume that is used when people are seeking employment in the same field as their education or experience?

2. Functional Resume

A functional resume is a type of resume designed to focus on your relevant professional skills rather than your chronological work history.

The defining feature of a functional resume is its expanded “Relevant Skills” section, which takes up the majority of your resume and replaces a detailed work experience section.

Additionally, the “Relevant Skills” section of a functional resume groups your experience under skill categories instead of job titles. Under each category, bullet points are used to highlight examples of your accomplishments or other ways you’ve put your skills to work.

Who Should Use It

A functional resume will likely suit you if you’re:

  1. Changing industries
  2. Someone with sizeable gaps in your work history

Functional resume example

Here’s what a functional resume should look like:

What is the most popular type of resume that is used when people are seeking employment in the same field as their education or experience?

3. Combination Resume

A combination resume mixes the most useful elements of the chronological and functional resume formats.

It focuses on your skills, as a functional resume does, but also provides ample space for you to detail your work history — usually in chronological order.

Who Should Use It

Compared with the other types of resume formats, a combination resume is a good choice if you have any of the following to showcase:

  • Technical skills you’ve developed over a long, specialized career
  • Transferable skills, with full details of your work history

Combination resume example

Here’s what a combination resume looks like:

What is the most popular type of resume that is used when people are seeking employment in the same field as their education or experience?

Alternative resume types

There are a variety of different types of resumes that are less commonly used or are designed for a specific purpose.

Here are some other less commonly used resume types:

Targeted Resume

A targeted resume is a resume that’s tailored to address the specific needs of each company you apply to. You can format it as either a functional, combination, or chronological resume — the key difference is that you specifically target each detail to the role you’re applying for

To write an effective targeted resume, read through the job posting and look for any notable skills, job duties, keywords, or requirements that apply to you. Then, adjust your resume to highlight your most relevant skills and experience.

Writing a targeted resume takes longer than other types of resumes, because you need to research each company and write your resume to meet each job description’s requirements. However, it’s also the most effective resume you can write because it makes you look perfect for a specific job.

Who Should Use It

If your experience and skills match the job description, then you should write a targeted resume. Because targeted resumes are more likely to get callbacks, anyone should write one if they have the relevant background.

Infographic Resume

Unlike a standard resume, an infographic resume incorporates graphics and other visual elements to present your professional details in a unique, attention-grabbing style.

Here’s an example of what an infographic resume type looks like:

What is the most popular type of resume that is used when people are seeking employment in the same field as their education or experience?

Who Should Use It

If you’re an aspiring graphic designer, using an infographic resume can be a good way to showcase your graphic design skills and demonstrate them at the same time. If you’re looking for a creative resume without all the infographics, a visual resume can also be a good option.

However, be careful:

Around 75% of companies use — or plan to use — resume-reading software called applicant tracking systems (ATS). ATS software scans your resume and decides if it contains enough resume keywords to make it worth showing to a hiring manager.

Many design elements used on infographic resumes are unreadable to ATS software, and will result in your application being discarded. Additionally, many companies consider creative types of resumes like this to be unprofessional.

Only use an infographic resume if you’re writing a graphic design resume or you’re certain the company doesn’t use an ATS. Otherwise, a standard resume is better because it more clearly demonstrates your skills and professional background.

Federal Resume

A federal resume template is used to apply to positions within the US federal government.

Federal resumes differ from traditional resumes in a number of ways:

Firstly, they’re much longer, typically running somewhere between two and six pages, and include a highly detailed experience section.

Additionally, federal resumes contain a variety of information specific to jobs in the public sector, such as your GS grade, security clearance, and citizenship information.

Here’s a federal resume example, written by a low-level federal employee:

Federal Resume

Who Should Use It

You should use a federal resume and a federal cover letter if you’re applying to any job with the US federal government.

Nontraditional Resume

There are many other types of resumes that can be categorized as nontraditional.

We’ve already mentioned infographic resumes, but there are other types too. Most are modern takes on the traditional resume, including:

  • video resumes
  • online portfolios
  • personal websites

What all these resume types have in common is that they forego a traditional structure in favor of a creative, memorable approach for presenting qualifications, skills, and professional experience.

Who Should Use It

You should use a non-traditional resume if you’re applying for a job that requires the same skills used in making the resume. For example, a video resume can help you showcase your video editing skills.

But because resume-reading software is still limited in what it can understand, you should still use a traditional resume as your main application document, unless the job posting specifically asks for something else.

Attach your non-traditional resume type as something extra for the hiring manager to check out. Doing so can give you the edge over other equally qualified candidates who submit only a resume.

Mini Resume

This type of resume can be anything from a business card–sized handout featuring a brief version of your resume introduction, to a notepad paper–sized resume.

The idea is you keep a mini resume on hand, in case you happen to meet a recruiter or CEO.

Here’s an example of a printable mini resume that can fit on a business card:

What is the most popular type of resume that is used when people are seeking employment in the same field as their education or experience?

Who Should Use It

If you’re looking for a new job and are attending networking events or industry conferences, take a mini resume with you. Unlike a job fair, you wouldn’t necessarily be looking for jobs at these types of events, so it doesn’t make sense to bring full-size printouts of your resume.

A mini resume gives you something to hand out in case a good opportunity presents itself. It provides more information to potential employers than just a business card with your contact details would.

What is the most popular type of resume that is used when people are seeking employment in the same field as their education or experience?

Written by Conrad Benz

Conrad Benz is a Digital Media Specialist & Resume Expert at Resume Genius, where he helps countless job-seekers craft standout resumes and launch their careers. His... more

What is the most common type of resume used?

Chronological is the most common type of resume. It lists your work history, with the most recent positions shown first. Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it's easy to see what jobs you have held and when you worked at them.

What are the 4 types of resumes?

Four Resume Types - Which Resume Type is Right For Your Job....
Chronological Resume..
Functional Resume..
Combination Resume..
Targeted Resume..

What is the best type of resume to use?

Chronological vs Functional vs Combination Resume.

What are 3 types of resumes?

Which resume format is right for you? There are three common resume formats: chronological, functional, and combination.