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Resume Format Tutorial
Resume format tutorial explains the different ways to sort your education and experience for each job. Choose a chronological format, a functional format or combination of both for your resume.
The versatility our
Free Resume Creator provides helps you to arrange your education and employment histories optimally. You can present your abilities and accomplishments in the most favorable light. You can also select the placement of each section to promote further your details that are most relevant to the job for which you want to apply.
Your goal is to present your most relevant information at the top of your resume. Also, the top of each section. It is common knowledge that employers spend almost no time looking through the stacks of resumes they receive, although they are mostly electronic now.
If employers don't see what they are looking for very quickly, they will toss your resume aside as they are reaching for the next one.
Here is where the formats come into play. There are many formats; the three most popular are chronological, functional, and combination. We explain what these formats are and how you can use and optimize them to your benefit. The objective is to optimize your resume to emphasize your relevant details that most strongly correspond to the new job.
You will want to customize the sort order for each job that you apply; each job will need a different focus. Changing the sort order will change the focus of your information. Experiment with different sort orders to see which works best for you. Remember to use
action verbs in your writing to add more energy to your words. Employ
keyword optimization in your writing.
Resume Format Tutorial
- Chronological Format
The chronological format uses the dates that your education and experience occurred. People generally start with the latest school or job first and work their way back as the dates are descending.
You could use the chronological format when you are applying for a job that is in the same field that you are presently employed. Also, there should be no gaps in employment. It would be best if you had a steady employment history when using it.
- Functional Format
The functional format relies more on your education and job history than when you went to school or work. The functional format is useful when you are applying for a job for which you don't have direct experience or training.
For example, you are applying for a job at a call center though you have no direct experience. However, you did have a job as a secretary in your past. You never worked at a call center, but a secretary would most likely be able to perform the required duties. For this situation, you would probably want to emphasize that aspect since it is a relevant career. You could use this type if you were out of work for some time including if you did have steady employment, but it was a job outside of your field.
- Combination Format
The combination format is how it sounds. It uses some parts in a chronological format and some in a functional format. If your education or job histories don't quite fit the job in question. However, you still want to apply for it. A combination format may be what you need.
If you don't have much education or the requested educational background, you can show that you have the real-world experience to do the job. You can use a combination format if you are changing careers too.
Reflect on your background, pick out which parts would be most useful to the job and enter those. Put the most relevant parts first in the education and experience sections.
- Final Thoughts
Of course, you will need to decide for yourself what you think is best since you know yourself and your abilities better than anyone.
This resume format tutorial can give you a place to start and offers solutions to potential problems you may need to solve as you are writing.
