How to Format a Resume

Article on frequently asked resume question "How to Format a Resume"

One of the most common questions in regards to creating resumes that showcase a person’s career experience and highlights is in what format should it be created. When it comes to the topic of format, there are a number of things that can be meant by this. First, it could be that a person wants to know how to include paragraphs, indents, headings, font, etc. Second, a person could be concerned with the layout of the format-meaning what information goes where. Third, a person could mean how do I make it readable to the person reviewing my resume-if I send it by email? While all of these questions are significant to whether or not you will get that interview; for the purposes of this article, we will deal with the most common meaning of the format reference, and that is-the layout.

So, first off, what layouts are available to someone seeking to create a resume that is presented professionally and effectively? There are a number of different resume formats-the most common of which are: chronological, functional, and combination. The chronological format lists career experience in a reverse chronological manner from present job position and back-about ten years worth of experience. The functional resume format highlights the types of skills that an applicant has to offer as categorized by skill type, and identified by the actual incident or achievement. The combination format is a format which both highlights an applicant’s skills and also offers a thorough chronological review of a person’s last ten years of job positions and employment. While one is not necessarily better than another; different formats work better to present different kinds of career experience and history. So, a chronological resume might be used for someone who has had a number of impressive job positions in their career with no gaps of employment. A functional resume may be best applied to someone who has a lot in the way of skills earned and developed; but could have employment gaps or many different kinds of jobs. And, lastly, a combination resume would work best for someone who has a lot of valuable information to offer on their career history; and want to highlight and detail this information.

With these in mind, perhaps you have a good idea of which resume format might work best for you; but now, where do you start; and what structure should any or all of these follow? While it is best to look at a sample format of each one of these common resume formats; all of these have sections for the following information: education, skills/qualifications, career history, and objective. Most often, if you choose to use an objective in your resume, it will go first. This will be followed by whether your chronological career history (if you chose chronological) or your skills set (if you chose functional or combination). Next, will come your skills and achievements (if not already used), and then your education. Lastly, all resumes-regardless of format-should be concluded with a “references available upon request” so that an employer knows that you have them; and are willing to offer them.