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Resume Formats - Functional Formats and Chronological Formats
Resume Formats
When beginning your resume you will have to decide which of the two resume formats will work best for you. There are two main formats you will be considering when developing your job resume. Your decision will be based on whether you want to promote your educational background or whether your experience is more relevant to the positon you are applying for.
Functional Resume
If your skills qualify you for the position you are seeking more than your job experience, then you will want to use a functional resume. A functional resume allows you to categorize your skills rather than just list your jobs. This will give you flexibility to enhance your skill sets if job experience is in short supply. Many employers are not familiar with the functional format, so you will only want to use this resume format if you are confident it will increase your competitive odds.
People who may want to choose a functional resume include:
- Recent college graduates
- Those seeking to make a career change
- People with little experience for the position they are applying
- Those who have had periods of unemployment, such as home makers
- People with an unsteady job history
- Those who are not going to submit their resume to online services such as Career Builder or Monster job searches.
Chronological Resume
If you are limited in education, skills or if your experience enables you to be more qualified for the job you are applying for, you may want to choose a chronological resume.
A chronological resume is traditionally the type of resume most employesr are familiar with. It is also the reesume format you will need to use when submitting your resume to online services.
A chronological resume is similar to a job application where you list your employers starting with your most recent employer. The difference being that you have more flexibility with a resume over a job application to expand on your tasks, responsibilities and achievements you've obtained during your employment.
People who may want to choose a chronological resume include:
- Those seeking to remain in the same career field
- People who have experience for the position they are applying
- Those who have had periods of unemployment, such as home makers
- People with a stable job history
- Those who want to submit their resume to online services such as Career Builder or Monster job searches.
Remember, if you are in doubt it is best to choose the chronological resume format over the functional format. Most employers are familiar with this format and will be receptive to it.
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