Professional Resume Writing 101

Professional Resume Writing Styles

Before writing your resume, there are three basic styles you will need to consider:  Combination, Functional and Chronological.

The Combination Resume is the most common of the three styles and is literally a combination of the Functional and the Chronological resume, listing the positions in reverse chronological order as well as a succinct description of your hard and soft skills. This will be the top choice but there are circumstances when the following styles may be required.

The Functional Resume is a “skills” style resume and is most appropriately considered for a student with limited paid work experience or someone with a significant time out of the workforce as it focuses less on the positions and dates.  This format can send a red flag and should be used prudently.

The Chronological Resume is a traditional style resume which focuses solely on employment history in reverse chronological order and is effective when job listings are impressive and when the client’s most recent position is directly relevant to the job target. It is somewhat outdated as it has become a critical element to include your soft skills, a projective or “snapshot” of who you are rather than just simply whose employee you were.

As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, I have produced resumes using all of these styles and would be pleased to advise you on the style that would most suit your career goals. Send your resume for a free resume critique!

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