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Resume Writing: Chronological, Functional, and Hybrid Resume Formats

By: Lisa Chapman, Certified Professional Resume Writer and Authorized Behavioral Specialist

Once you decide it’s time to prepare your resume you then need to decide which format you should use to create the resume. You didn’t know there was more than one resume writing format?! With this article, I will do my best to educate you on the top three formats used.

CHRONOLOGICAL – This is the format most people use. The resume is written in reverse chronological order and clearly documents progressive career growth. This format is easy to read and interpret by hiring agents. However, if your most recent position is unrelated to the job you seek, this is a poor choice to use and you should consider a functional or hybrid resume format.

FUNCTIONAL – This is the format most hiring agents hate. While a functionally formatted resume showcases your accomplishments and professional value, it also hides your liabilities and hiring agents are very aware that functionally formatted resumes are used by people wanting to hide something. This format should only be used when there are significant gaps in employment or when a lot of “job hopping” has occurred.

HYBRID – This is the format that hiring agents love (we do too). This resume format will showcase your career milestones while documenting when, where, and how the milestones occurred. This format is highly recommended, when appropriate. Highlighting as many successes as possible on page one of your resume significantly improves your chances to impress hiring agents.

Deciding to write your own resume may sound like an easy thing to do, but knowing how to write the resume is very important. If you would like more information about Chapman Services Group, LLC, please call our offices toll free at 866.687.9700 or email us at . We look forward to working with you. Certified Professional Resume Writers about how we can eliminate your resume writing stress. You can reach us toll free at 866.687.9700 or via email at .

Happy resume writing to you!