Choosing the right resume format is a tedious task. One needs to consider the different pros and cons of each format before finalizing on any one of the formats. A wrong resume format may negatively influence the employer's opinion about you and you may miss out on an interview opportunity. Hence, consider the different aspects of your career while choosing the appropriate resume format. Follow the given easier ways to select suited resume types.
Types of Resumes:
- Chronological Resume Format
- Functional Resume Format
- Combination Resume Format
- Target Resume Format
Career Goal:
- A candidate, who is sure of what he wants from his career and the field he wishes to excel in, should opt for a target resume format. It requires the candidate to mention his area of interest specifically as a target resume is aimed at particular job field only.
- A candidate who wants to experiment with his field and gain experience in diverse fields can opt for chronological resume where he can write about his strengths and write generic career goals.
Experience:
- Mostly, the highly experienced candidates know what their own strengths and weaknesses are. They know the field they want to work in. Hence, they should opt for target resume and mention the one particular field they wish to work in. They can also justify their choice of field with the relevant experiences and qualifications.
- Those candidates starting their careers fresh should put forth their eagerness to work in any field and gain experiences on all fronts within their field of work. Hence, a chronological resume with a generic but goal oriented objective suits these candidates better.
- All those applicants who have experiences in diverse fields, have gaps in their career or wish to change their field should draft their resume in functional format where the emphasis is on the skills and abilities of the applicants and not on the previous experiences.
Qualifications:
- A candidate with strong qualifications can choose to put educational qualification section before work history and other details, irrespective of the resume format.
- Those with weak qualifications can write this section without mentioning the grades. Also, mention key skills, just below the objectives, followed by work history, before writing the qualifications section in order to divert the attention of the recruiter and impress him with your strengths before he considers your qualifications.
Skills:
- An applicant who does not wish to include key skills within his resume should select chronological resume format where the emphasis is on the experience section and not on the skills of the applicant
- Adopt a functional resume format to stress on the skills of the applicant more than his experiences. For an applicant who does not have strong work history due to diverse job experiences or career gaps, a functional resume is more suited as it allows giving importance to the key skills of the applicant.
- A functional resume is perceived negatively by some employees, Hence, for students, with better qualifications and skills but weak experiences, should go for combination resumes that will help them stress on their skills and qualifications and let them prove their suitability for the job.
Perception:
- Chronological resumes are ideal and most commonly used resume format and hence are adopted by most applicants without any risks
- An applicant with a functional resume is perceived by the employer as someone who has job experiences in varied fields and shifts jobs frequently. Thus use this format wisely as it may put a negative image of the applicant to the employer.
- A target resume applicants is perceived as ambitious and career oriented individual that always impresses the employer in your favor.
I hope the given pointers and easier ways to select suited resume types help you make the right choice and contribute in getting you the interview call you wanted.
