Determining the Best Choice For You in Choosing a Resume Style

While there are a near-infinite number of resumeARE YOU JUST STARTING YOUR CAREER, OR
styles out there, almost all fall into 2 categories:DO YOU HAVE AN EXTENSIVE WORK HISTORY?
FUNCTIONAL and CHRONOLOGICAL.This is the single most important factor in choosing an
FUNCTIONAL resumes typically consist of:effective resume style. Simply put, Functional resumes
-A brief opening section.ONLY really work for new college graduates and
-A "Career Achievements" section or similar wherethose without a significant body of experience. Why?
ALL major successes throughout your work historyBecause consolidating every success within a single
are presented, usually bullet-by-bullet."Career Achievements" section is a good way to
-An abbreviated work history.maximize sparse credits, and an abbreviated work
-Closing sections such as "Education", "Technicalhistory is great for those job seekers who may not
Proficiencies" and others.necessarily have experience in the field they're
CHRONOLOGICAL resumes typically consist of:targeting.
-A brief opening section.For all other job seekers, ESPECIALLY those with
-A work history listed from most recent position toextended work histories, the choice is clear:
least. Each position has a paragraph describingChronological. This approach provides not only the
UNIQUE RESPONSIBILITIES, followed by a "Keynecessary details hiring agents require, but CONTEXT
Accomplishments" section or similar listing SPECIFICfor every major position you've held. As an added
SUCCESSES, usually bullet-by-bullet.benefit, the clean visual aesthetic works especially well
-Closing sections such as "Education" and others.in today's marketplace, where most recruiters/hiring
So which resume style is right for you? It all dependsmanagers spend approximately 10-20 seconds
on your answer to the following question:scanning a candidate's resume.