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What is a resume?
A resume is a document that provides a summary of an individual’s education, work experience, skills, and other relevant information. Its primary purpose is to showcase an individual’s qualifications and accomplishments to potential employers, helping them make informed decisions about whether the candidate is a good fit for a particular job.
There are different types of resumes, and they can be broadly categorized into traditional and non-traditional formats. Here’s a brief overview of each.
How to Choose the Right Type?
Hearing it over and over again feels meaningless, clichéd at this point, especially if you’re in the middle of a life-changing job application process. But here’s the problem about cliches. They’re far too true to be dismissed. If you are unsure about which type of resume is best for you, then you are at the right place. There is a particular type of resumes to fit your needs, no matter how much experience you have or what kind of job you want.
You undoubtedly know how to write a resume at this point, at least on a general level. The best ones, on the other hand, are meticulously written and tailored to the job description you want.
Traditional Types of Resumes
Here are three traditional type of resume
The chronological resume, the functional resume, and the combination resume are the three most traditional resume styles used by job seekers today, each having its own set of strengths and uses.
1. Chronological Resumes
Although you may have heard that the most important information should be listed first on a resume, this is not the case with a chronological resume.
This type of resume is generally used to track an applicant’s professional progress from the start. It’s used to keep track of vertical growth within a same field. This is the type of resume you should use if your professional goal is to advance as far as possible in your field.
Work experience is the most important part of a chronological resume. List your qualifications backward, with your highest qualification at the top, to show your growth and credibility. It is generally recommended that you mention the past 10 to 15 years of your career if you have had a long career.
For individuals with a gap in their employment history, this type of CV is not recommended. On the other hand, if you have a good reason to fill in the gap, go ahead and create a chronological resume – if that’s what is ideal for you.
A chronological resume has two advantages:
- It allows the recruiting manager to easily see how far you’ve progressed in your career.
- It places your most relevant job experience at the top, where recruiters and employers will see it first.
Who Should Use It?
If you have no big gaps between jobs, steady growth throughout your career, and a long record of accomplishments and skills in the sector you’re applying to, a chronological resume is perfect.
2. Functional Resumes
The list of skills and specializations that you have or have acquired throughout the years is the focus of this type of resume. Your skills are more or less derivative of your job experience in the previous types, but a functional resume provides you a more direct way to display your skills.
In the following scenarios, you’ll probably want to use a functional resume:
- If you’re looking for a new job, you can emphasize the skills you’ve acquired so far and how you can apply them to your new field.
- If you’re looking for a job in a field where you’ve taken a break or a sabbatical. A chronological resume would have put you at a disadvantage, but a functional resume allows you to establish credibility by demonstrating that you have all skills.
- If you have a diverse set of skills, you will be more useful in the job. This is also a wonderful method to show off your own growth and versatility.
Who Should Use It?
A functional resume will probably fit you:
- If you’re changing industries.
- If you have significant gaps in your employment history.
3. Combination Resumes
This is the best of both worlds, it goes without saying.
This is a combination of the aforementioned types of resumes, as the title suggests. A resume that combines the best aspects of chronological and functional resumes has clear advantages.
If you’ve had a long and successful career, you’ve earned the right to showcase your achievements. You can mention your abilities as well as your career trajectory in the same document.
If you’re attempting to create a combination resume, make sure the document isn’t cluttered. Write each part in short, concise bullet points (ideally with key words rather than entire sentences) and neatly divide it. Keep it as simple as possible to prevent any more difficulties.
Who Should Use It?
If you have any of the following to showcase, a combination resume is an excellent choice when compared to the other types of resume formats:
- You’ve developed your technical abilities over a long, specialized career.
- Transferable skills, as well as a complete work history
Non-Traditional Types of Resumes
There are several types of resumes that are either less commonly used or tailored for a specific purpose.
Here are some other types of resumes that aren’t as common:
1. Online Resumes
It is the internet age.
So, create a LinkedIn profile for yourself!
Since they are easier to maintain and access, online resumes are becoming increasingly popular. Maintaining a constant public presence also allows you to network with a wide range of people in your profession. Alternatively, you may build your Resume on your own website or webpage.
The good thing about a LinkedIn profile, or any online profile, is that you can change it whenever you want.
2. Infographic Resumes
If you work in a field where visual aesthetics are important, such as art, design, or photography, this is a good Resume to include. A combination of an infographic CV and an online portfolio will do wonders for your career!
This is an ideal opportunity for you to offer samples of your aesthetic inclinations in addition to stating your qualifications. So be creative: make graphs, tables, charts, and whatever else you can think of!
Who Should Use It?
If you’re an aspiring graphic designer, an infographic resume is a great method to show off your skills while also demonstrating them.
Be careful, though:
Approximately 75% of businesses use or plan to employ resume-reading software known as applicant tracking systems (ATS). Your resume is scanned by ATS software to see if it includes enough resume keywords to be shown to a hiring manager.
Many design features on infographic resumes are unreadable by ATS software, which means your application may be rejected. Moreover, many employers view creative resumes as unprofessional.
Use an infographic resume just if you’re drafting a graphic design resume or you know the firm doesn’t use an Applicant Tracking System. A standard resume, on the other hand, is preferable since it more clearly demonstrates your abilities and professional background.
3. Social Media Resumes
We’ve already discussed how LinkedIn may help you demonstrate your career. Facebook, Twitter, or a personalized blog/site are all examples of this. People are often concerned about the Internet’s ability to permanently record our activities. So, why not put it to good use?
In an online Resume, you may strengthen your claims by including detailed examples of projects and organizations in which you’ve worked. It’s another opportunity for you to demonstrate your flexibility in terms of skills and accomplishments.
4. Federal Resume
To apply for jobs in the US federal government, you’ll need to utilize a federal resume template.
In several ways, federal resumes differ from traditional resumes:
Firstly, they’re significantly longer, usually between two and six pages long, and they include a section on experience.
In addition, federal resumes include information relevant to government jobs, such as your GS grade, security clearance, and citizenship information.
Who Should Use It?
If you’re looking for a job with the US federal government, you should utilize a federal resume.
5. Mini Resume
A business card–sized handout with a brief version of your resume introduction to a notepad paper–sized resume are all examples of this sort of resume.
The idea is that you maintain a mini resume on hand in case you run into a recruiter or a CEO.
Who Should I Use?
Take a mini resume with you to networking events or industry conferences if you’re looking for a new job. Since you won’t be seeking for employment at these events, unlike at a job fair, it’s pointless to bring full-size prints of your resume.
A mini resume provides you with something to hand out in case a good opportunity comes.
6. Targeted Resumes
A targeted resume is one that is specifically tailored to the demands of each company to which you apply. It can be formatted as a functional, combination, or chronological resume; the key difference is that each detail is tailored to the job you’re looking for.
Read over the job posting for any significant skills, job tasks, keywords, or requirements that relate to you in order to build an efficient tailored resume. Then, make changes to your resume to emphasize your most relevant skills and expertise.
Since you must study each company and customize your resume to fit the requirements of each job description, writing a focused resume takes longer than other types of resumes. It is, however, the most successful Resume you can write since it portrays you as the ideal person for a certain job.
Who Should Use It?
You should develop a targeted Resume if your experience and talents meet the job description. Since targeted resumes are more likely to get callbacks, anybody with relevant experience should write one.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the development of an impactful resume is a pivotal step in navigating the competitive job market. Throughout our exploration of various traditional and non-traditional formats, it is evident that the key to success lies in precision and customization. Professional platforms like resume.io, TrueEditor, Resumebuild, and Novoresume offer valuable templates and services for precision. Online resources provide diverse templates tailored to various industries, while caution is needed when incorporating creative elements for compatibility with Applicant Tracking Systems.
Tailoring resumes for specific job applications, diversifying with unconventional formats, and maintaining a dynamic online presence on platforms like LinkedIn are key strategies. Recognizing a resume as a personal marketing tool emphasizes the need to combine precision, creativity, and technology for maximum impact in the professional landscape. All the best.
-Isabell S.
