How Many Formats Are There For Creating A Resume

When To Use A Combination Resume

A combination resume may be best for you if you’re making a slight career transition or if you have a diverse employment history where relevancy to the role youre applying for may not be immediately clear. For example, you might use a combination resume if youre applying for a people manager position and you have extensive experience managing teams but youve never officially had a manager job title. This format can help showcase your leadership accomplishments and transferable

Should You Include Resume References

While every resume should include summary, work experience, education and skills sections, whether you should include references from previous employers is far less clear cut. Lets explore in more detail.

If the job description requests references on a resume, then follow it to the letter, but if references are not requested it doesnt mean that they may not contribute to your application when you write it.

As you should seek to use your resume space to create the optimal impact, here are a few tips about when including references might be appropriate:

• If you are new to the field or your references are not relevant.
• If you havent managed to ask permission from your referees.
• If you have already listed your references in an online form.
• If you are more comfortable writing references on request.

Education: A Story Of Growth And Intelligence

The education section varies in importancedepending on your profession and industry.

For example, in our Web Developer guide, we emphasize the fact that formal education isnt a make-it-or-break-it factor. Many developers are self-taught to a certain extent. However, no good resume is complete without some sort of education section, and many employers DO strongly value a formal degree.

Like in many other situations, there is no one size fits all approach to education sections. Professions like lawyers, doctors and hard-sciences positions will have a very strong emphasis on formal education. You may even want to include scientific or similar publications in your resume for some of these .

Reverse Chronological doesnt only apply to your Employment History. Your education should also showcase the most recent and impressive academic achievements first.

Its important to note that in our era of accessible information and technology, your education listing can include things like online certificates, bootcamps, specialized seminars or courses and so on. To understand how high to prioritize this section, check out or dedicated Education guideor take a deeper look at our Profession Guides and Examples.

Don’t Miss: Academic Project Resume

Visual Character Templates And First Impressions

Were all visual creatures.Our first impressions are always based on aesthetics, symmetry and images.

We choose our clothes for an interview with care, why shouldnt we put the same effort into the appearance of our resume? Its our primary ambassador before any sort of physical meeting.

According to a study done by TheLadders, recruiters spend an average of 6 seconds glancing at a resume before moving on to another one . During this short time, a subconscious decision is often made based on the looksof your resume. If its clean and beautiful, the hiring manager is likely to admire it for a while.

By adding iconsto your resume, you can draw attention to particular sections and stand out from the crowd.

You can create your own templates, but unless youre a professional designer, it may be best to rely on field-tested visuals. Templates project a certain character and mood with their design:they can emphasize creativity, dependability, discipline and other qualities.

Use professional designs and templates that have been optimized for content, psychology and visual perception.

Spend hours or days creating the perfect design/layout from scratch, only to discover it has technical issues.

Resume.iotemplates are divided and developed based on these identities, which can be better aligned with certain professions, industries or simply the circumstances of the job opening.

Heres an example of our diverse lineup of tested and professionally designed templates:

Make Your Font Size 10 To 12 Points

Another factor in making your words clear and readable is setting an appropriate font size. Generally, you should stay between 10 and 12 points. If you have a shorter resume and are trying to fill space, select a 12-point font. Anything larger might appear unprofessional. If you have a lot of information on your resume, start with a 10-point font and increase it if you have space.

If your resume is still more than one page with 10-point font, avoid reducing your font further. Instead, see if there is an opportunity to make your ideas more concise. You can do this by removing any irrelevant or extraneous information, combining ideas or making your ideas briefer with shorter sentences and fewer filler words.

For example, heres a sentence in a resume that can be shortened:

Performed inventory audits every month and discovered issues with over-ordering executed an organization solution across all teams which resulted in a 10% increase in revenue over the next two quarters.

Make your ideas concise and remove filler words to include only the core value of your statement:

Performed regular inventory audits, identifying and solving over-ordering issues to achieve 10% revenue increase.

Here are a few other ways you can use to make a shorter resume:

Related:Q& A: How Long Should a Resume Be?

Don’t Miss: Where To Put Awards On A Resume

When To Use The Word Resume:

#1. Employer preference:

Employers can request your resume as a Word document because it is easy to open on any device or simply because they prefer it that way. In this case, please be sure to send it as a .doc file, as it can be opened in older programs or systems.

#2. To upload the resume to an applicant tracking system

An applicant tracking system is a program that scans specific keywords and data on your resume. This is done to search among several summaries at once. Due to various technical reasons, this system cannot always scan PDF accurately and may miss keywords.

Simple Resumes For Graduates

Each year the working population is growing exponentially as more and more people graduate college and go on to look for a professional career. This means that it is becoming increasingly difficult to get a job based solely on your academic accreditations. Recent grads are having to use new methods to make their resumes stand out more than in the past and to add other information that helps convince hiring managers to meet for a job interview.

Whether it is a first job resume or as a fresh graduate, youve had previous work experience, simple resumes are a good springboard to launch yourself into the working world. Beginning with a simple resume objective, graduates can position themselves in the eye of a recruiter by using the right action words and highlighting relevant achievements.

The most important thing to remember is that there will be a large number of jobseekers who will be equally or more qualified, in terms of training. Therefore, freshman jobseekers should always adapt their simple resume by adding sections that relate to their specific individual professional profile such as honors and awards or internships.

These additional sections can help provide evidence that you can adapt your training and education to the workplace. 80% of employers want to see this capacity on your resume according to research from Ladders, so having this information is crucial

Recommended Reading: Listing Presentations On Cv

What Are The Pros & Cons Of Each Resume Format

When it comes to these three main types of resume formats, they each come with their own strengths and weaknesses.

Understanding these is essential when selecting which format is best for your own personal purposes or intentions.

Here is a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of each resume format we have described above:

What Sections To Include On A Resume

When it comes to writing the perfect resume, there are several sections that should be included.

On any given resume, there are some generally expected sections that employers will look for that provide insight into you, as the applicant.

The organization of these sections will vary depending on the format you have chosen, but generally will follow the following flow of information:

• Your name as the heading
• Contact information, preferably a professional email and/or link to a professional website
• A short personal objective or professional summary statement
• A brief overview of your educational credentials. Note: in resumes being used to apply for academic positions, the education section may be longer and more detailed.
• Your work experience and history
• Your skills, including both your hard and soft skills, as well as brief descriptions of how these skills are transferable in not readily apparent.

Additional sections, such as volunteering or awards, can be included to help round out a resume that may be lacking sufficient work experience.

These extra sections are also a good opportunity to highlight transferable skills the employer may not have seen coming from work experience alone.

Don’t Miss: Resume Language Proficiency

Basic Resume Type #: Chronological

The chronological resume is exactly what its name implies. Your work history is listed in order, according to dates. Begin with your most current position and end with the earliest. Many employers prefer this type because it gives them an overview of your experience.

This basic resume type is best for those people with a solid employment background who have no lapses in their work history. It is also beneficial if most of your experience coincides with the job you are interested in.

Generally, the last 10-15 years should be listed on the resume. Start with the most current position and work backward. It is not etched in stone that only full-time jobs should be listed. Include part-time positions, volunteer work, or anything else that will emphasize the skills you have to offer.

Tips For Formatting Your Resume

In addition to choosing a type of resume, you will also need to select a font and font size and make style choices . Choose a font that’s easy to read and professional. Calibri, Times New Roman, Arial, and Tahoma are all good choices for a font.

Keep the font size large enough to be legible. The body should be a 10-12 point font, but you can use a slightly larger font for headings.

Its also important to be consistent in your style choices. If you decide to bullet your experience, for example, do so throughout. Similarly, once you choose a font, stick with it for the whole resume.

Also Check: Bls Resume

What Are The Main Resume Formats

It is well known that a resume can make or break a job applicantâs chance at landing an interview for the position they are seeking.

However, resumes are not all made the same, and different formatting styles come with different strengths and purposes.

Understanding how resume formats can differ is crucially important when creating the perfect resume for the position you are applying to.

There are three main resume formats that should be considered when deciding which best fits your needs: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination/hybrid.

Resume Format : Functional Resumes

Functional resumes focus more on relevant skills than work history. While the chronological format highlights work experience with detailed summaries of the achievements within each position, the functional format focuses on the applicants skill set relevant to the role you are applying for.

Image description

• Additional information

You May Like: What To Write In Email When Sending Resume

Select A Professional Readable Font

When deciding what font to use for your resume, keep in mind that it should be clear and easy to read. Making sure employers dont have to work to understand words on your resume is the most important factor when choosing a font. It is also helpful if your resume is sent through an applicant tracking system. Many employers use an ATS, which doesnt always read and interpret intricate fonts well. You should also avoid light or thin fonts which can sometimes be difficult for people to read on a screen or paper.

Related:How To Write an ATS-Friendly Resume

There are two main categories of fonts serif and sans serif. Serif fonts have tails while sans serif fonts do not. Sans serif fonts are generally good fonts for resumes because they have clean lines that are easy to read. There are fonts like Georgia, however, that are still widely accepted among employers as simple and professional.

Here are several examples of the best resume fonts:

• Avenir

Basic Resume Type #: Targeted

The final format you might want to consider is a targeted resume. This basic resume type is customized and specific to the position you want. Your work history, abilities, and education are reflections of the job requirements.

For example, if you were applying for a position as a book editor in a publishing company, you could emphasize your masters degree in English and your internship with an editor during your senior year. Perhaps you worked part time as a proofreader to help with college expenses. List the writing contests youve won. All these things would make an employer want to know more about you.

Study the job description of the position you want. It is important to know what skills and abilities a prospective employer is looking for in their applicants. If the ad requires self-reliance and innovative thinking, and these are traits that describe you, then showcase your experiences that will exemplify these traits. Visit the company website to find out if they are an industry leader. Does it have a strong vision or mission statement? This will help you tailor your skills and talents to match the companys culture.

Also Check: Naming Your Resume

Ready To Put Your Resume To The Test

You can also edit your formatted resume by using Jobscans Power Edit feature. Instead of going back and forth between your resume document and the Jobscan match report, Power Edit allows you to edit your formatted resume directly and watch your score increase in real-time.

You should not consider your resume complete until it is fully optimized for each specific job. You will spend more time on each job application, but the time spent will shorten your job search overall. With the correct resume format and optimization, you can apply for fewer jobs but have a better chance of landing an interview.

Top Resume Formats: Tips And Examples Of 3 Common Resumes

Related video: How To Format a Resume for Success in 5 Easy Steps

A great resume can capture the attention of a recruiter or hiring manager and help you stand out from other applicants. There are different ways you can format your resume, but the three most common resume formats are chronological, functional and combination. Each of these resume types can be beneficial depending on your background and objectives. When making specific formatting decisions like margin size or font style your goal is to deliver an easily scannable document that allows employers to quickly see why youre a good fit for the job.

In this guide, we discuss the best ways to format your resume for your career objectives. Lets begin by looking at the three main types of resumes and which would be best for you. You can also start by browsing free professional resume templates on Indeed, designed specifically with the format and fields that employers and robots look for.

Related:Strategies To Beat the Applicant Tracking System and Land the Interview

You May Like: Is It Ok If Resume Is 2 Pages

Resume Sections: Your Professional Feature List

Theres often a lot of confusion as to what sections to include in your resume.

This isnt surprising, since their importance can vary depending on your profession, industry and nature of your experience. We can divide section types into necessary and optional ones. Lets assume for the time being that youre using the Reverse Chronologicalformat .

Necessary sections often include:

• Include the most important sections that showcase your professional experience and are likely to impress your employer.
• Analyze which sections are important to your profession. Only then – use the free white available for optional categories.

• Include every section possible, expanding your resume to maximum capacity.
• Include your social media profiles if they contain party pictures. Keep it to your basic contact information such as email, phone number and Linkedin profile.
• List every single life milestone or activity, regardless of available space
• Only include cum laudeor GPAon a resume if an employer explicitly asks for it or if you are applying for an entry-level job.

These are not iron-clad rules, however. Sometimes certain sections change their importance depending on the job itself. For example, in our Nurse resume guide, we highlight the fact that belonging to professional organizations is much more important than usual. Some questions to ask yourself when deciding to include or resize sections are:

Your resume may be Chronological, but your decisions should be functional and pragmatic!

What Do Interpreters Do

Interpreters, sometimes called translators, translate verbal and written communications between two or more individuals who may not speak the same language. They may work in settings like hospitals, courtrooms and schools, and their primary duties often include:

• Translating words, documents and speeches from one language into another

• Providing context, tone and meaning to their translated messages

• Keeping translated information confidential

• Identifying and explaining words with conflicting or confusing messages

Related:

Don’t Miss: Cpr Certified On Resume