When you’re marketing yourself, an interview is everything. But to be called for an interview, your résumé needs to stand out from the rest. Based on your experience and job search, choosing to design a chronological or skills-based résumé format could be the decision that grants you a callback.
A chronological résumé is a type you are probably most familiar with. Chronological résumés start with your name and contact information and then typically feature an objective or summary at the top. Next comes the candidate’s work history details starting with his or her’s current or most recent job and working backward in time. On a chronological résumé, one’s work history is the bulk of it. Each position should detail the candidate’s skills, responsibilities, and accomplishments at each job. Following work history normally comes an education section, possibly a volunteer section, and any relevant certifications or training.
Skills-based résumés, also referred to as functional résumés, group common skills together. Like the chronological résumé, your name, contact information and an objective or summary are featured at the top, followed by multiple skill groupings or headings. Some headings may include management skills, design skills, customer service skills, and technical skills. Each skill heading should have several bullet points or blurbs detailing one’s competence with each skill. Near the middle of the résumé, the candidate’s succinct work history is provided. Each position should include at least one sentence detailing the job’s responsibilities. Work history is followed by one’s education and any relevant certifications and training that were not mentioned elsewhere.
A combination résumé is a hybrid of the chronological and skills-based résumé. The combination résumé features relevant skills and accomplishments at the top of the page, but it leaves the bottom half of the résumé for a traditional, chronological approach to showcasing one’s work history. Like the chronological résumé, each position is accompanied by a blurb that outlines the candidate’s responsibilities and accomplishments at each job. A combination résumé does a great job at detailing one’s work history while also highlighting any transferrable skills to the new position.
If you’ve had a traditional career path with few to no gaps in employment a chronological résumé is a great option for you. As long as your position titles reflect your responsibilities and duties at each job, a traditional résumé will properly show off your experience and expertise.
If you’ve had a meandering career path with a few missteps or U-turns, a linear, chronological trip through your past positions is probably not the most effective way to tell the story of your career. A skills-based or functional résumé will be better apt to communicate the expertise that you have. If your primary functions at previous jobs are not relevant to the current job you’re applying for or not immediately clear from the job titles you held, a functional résumé will allow you to showcase transferrable skills.
If you find yourself somewhere in the middle, a combination résumé will be able to accentuate your experience as well as any transferrable skills. Also, if you’re finding it hard to aptly describe your role in each position, the combination résumé will relieve you of this. You can easily add a section of transferrable skills followed by your most recent, relevant job experience.
Choosing the best résumé format for your particular situation will help to highlight all the positive qualities you wish to present before your interview. Each job application deserves your utmost attention when it comes to tweaking your résumé and cover letter, as this is your first introduction to your future employers. To learn more about best practices for your LinkedIn page or creating your résumé, browse the archives our Department of Marketing blog.
