In the previous posts about resumes, I’ve been mainly going over what you should write in it rather than how you should write it. It’s more important to know what to write about yourself, rather than how to present it because the employer is looking someone who can do the job, not just someone who sounds like they can do the job. But if you can sound like you can do the job, and can actually do the job, then you’ll be the obvious winner.

There are actually 3 main types of resumes that you should know. These are the chronological, functional and combination resumes. There are lesser known types, like the targeted and the mini resume but we’ll stick to the main 3 types.

Chronological: The chronological resume (also called ‘reverse chronological resume’) lists the work history from the most recent to the least recent job or work experience. The majority of employers or recruiters prefer this resume style since it’s easy to see what you worked as and exactly when.

Functional: The functional resume focuses on your skills and work experience rather than in what order you learnt them in. This type of resume also doesn’t require the use of dates and the accomplishments that you write will need to be in greater detail compared to the chronological resume.

Combination: A combination resume is literally a combination of the chronological and the function resume styles. However, the format is a little different. The combination resume starts with your skills and experience first. Then, you provide your employment history in chronological order. This style of resume tends to be repetitive, so you have to make an extra effort to avoid any form of repetition.

The other 2 types of resume, the targeted and the mini resume, are not as well known but I’ll talk about them anyway. The targeted resume is like an extension of any of the above resume formats, but now you choose the skills and experience that are relevant to the job that you’re applying for. The resume type isn’t suitable for anyone who hasn’t got experience yet, since it won’t be possible to write a targeted resume. On the other hand, the mini resume is like a brief summary of a standard resume. It typically has your contact details and then a few bullet points about your skills and experience, and that’s it. It’s more appropriate for casual situations, like having a conversation with someone who happens to be a prospective employer and then needing a quick way to send a brief summary of your resume. The mini resume is also good for networking purposes, for example using it in your LinkedIn profile.

Each resume type has it’s advantages and disadvantages, but once again, you should be more concerned with what to say, rather than how to say it. Personally, I use the chronological resume simply because that’s the way I’ve been taught to write a resume and also, it’s sums up your skills and experience in a succinct and clear manner.