Pros and Cons Of Different Resume Formats

Scenario:Consider this situation before reading the rest of this article-
There are a number of things in this world that can give a person on spot anxiety. Writing a resume to apply to your dream job definitely makes the list of those things. Writing a Resume is very overwhelming, putting your entire career on a piece of paper looks like a very hard job. On the contrary it is pretty easy if you have the right guidance and the right tips under your sleeve. Pros and Cons Of Different Resume Formats article is a best way to know the key facts related to follow the standard resume format.
Well now if you are wondering about the person whom you could go to for getting advises about making your resume, do not worry because we are here to help you through it, so that you can make a resume that will definitely get you the callback from the job that you want .
The first step would be to divide all your work skills till date into two different categories which are as follows-

• Relevant job or skills which are relevant to the field that you are applying for.
• Irrelevant jobs or skills which are irrelevant to the field that you are applying for.

Once you have successfully segregated your work skills into the above stated categories, your next job would be to choose a format for your resume. Choosing the wrong format for your resume is like paving it’s way straight to the trash can in your employer’s office and honestly that is the last thing that we want happening to your resume. Thus by now we have established the point that choosing a correct format is one of the important key points to making a good resume.

Pros and Cons Of Different Resume Formats

The next question which arises in your mind is that which resume format is suitable for which person? As we address that question we will also answer other important questions, they are as follows-

i. What are the different types of resume formats and what to include in the different formats ? ii. Which Format is suitable for which person? iii. What are the Pros and Cons of the different types of resume format ?

To make things a little less confusing, let us take all the 3 questions step by step . First we are going to address the different types of Resume Formats. Secondly , whether you should choose it or not and then finally their respective pros and cons .
There are a total of 3 standard resume formats. The different types of resume formats are stated below as follows-

a. Chronological Format b. Functional Format c. Combination Format

Let us discuss all the formats one by one in details below and as we discuss them we will also mention which format you should choose -
A. Chronological Format for Resume - This type of resume format is the most commonly used but halt before you think this is suitable for you, because it is suitable for most people not all.
This type of resume format focuses mainly on your work experience. The way to write this resume is to chronologically list down your work experience from the beginning till the end that is start with your latest job and then gradually date back to the earliest one. We would again like to mention that please restrain from listing the jobs that are irrelevant to the field that you are applying for.
Should you use it ? - The Chronological Format for Resumes is mainly suitable for those people who have a pretty long work experience, have a history of solid jobs that are relevant to the field that you are applying for. This format is also suitable for those people who do not have lapses in their job history.
An example of this kind of resume format is given below , check it out for further assistance -
My work experience till date is as follows -

07 April, 2018 - Present - Customer service executive at Green Dart pvt ltd . 12 December, 2014 - 05 May, 2018 - Service coordinator at Simon Industries . 10 January, 2010 - 18 November, 2014 - Enterprise head at Launch pvt ltd .

B. Functional Format for Resume - This type of Resume Format is commonly used by those people who have lapses in their terms of employment. This format is totally different from the Chronological format of Resumes. In this format, the dates in which you worked are less emphasized and the main focus is made on your skills. In this format your skills and work experience is the primary point while the dates through which you were working at the listed firm or were employed at become less emphasized and our listed under your skills.
Should you use it ? - The Functional Format for Resumes is used by those people who have lapses in their terms of employment or new college grads who do not have a very enriching work history. This format is also used by people who are in the middle of a career path transition and / or have a diverse career with no clear field.
We have written down a sample of this resume format enlisting the sequence in which these points are to be mentioned, for your assistance, do check it out-

I. Name II. Contact information III. Skills required at your earlier jobs IV. Relevant jobs that you worked ( excluding dates ) V. Educational background

C. Combination Format for Resume - This is one of those formats which we strongly recommend . This Resume format just like it’s name can be described as a combination of both the above mentioned resume formats that is functional format and chronological format .
In this format the person enlists both their skills and their work experience while also backing up all the claims they make by true and factual data that is their work experience in a chronological order listing their latest job and dating back to their earliest job .
Should you use it ? - This format is pretty flexible in nature and helps you to cater exactly to the needed job and tell hiring managers the story of your career.
This format is mostly used by those people who want to include the best points from both the formats mentioned above and want to tell hiring managers the kind of employee they are.
We have written down a sample of this resume format enlisting the sequence in which these points are to be mentioned, for your assistance, do check it out-

a) Name b) Contact information c) Professional skills and relevant jobs d) Professional experience. (containing the dates through which you worked the job) e) Educational history and credentials

As we have now explained the different types of Resume formats in details , let us take a quick look at the Pros and Cons of each format one by one. As the famous saying goes,’every coin has two sides’. So without further ado let us get straight to it -

Pros of a Chronological Resume

• Most employers prefer the resumes written in this format because it shows them in a quick scan your entire work history and the progress that you made .


• The general categories and the order in the chronological resume include a Summary paragraph, Qualifications, Experience and Education.

Cons of a Chronological Resume

• If you have gaps in your employment history this format makes it more relevant .


• If you are trying to change career paths , this format is not suitable at all because instead of highlighting your relevant skills it will instead highlight the irrelevant ones to your employer.

Pros of a Functional Resume

• Before the Combination Format , people used this format to highlight their skills for the job .


• However today the combination format can do both the jobs that is highlight skills and include the chronological order of work experience .

Cons of a Functional Resume

• This format is not preferred by employers and raises a lot of red flags.


• This format though successful in hiding unemployment gaps is unsuccessful in highlighting career growth .

Pros of a Combination Resume

• This format can do both the jobs that is highlight skills and include the chronological order of work experience.


• Even with work experience that is not directly relevant it shows how it can be applied and how it can be relevant.

Cons of a Combination Resume

• This format brings a lot of light to employment gaps and job hopping which is not suitable .
• This format is pretty modern in approach so it can tick off some traditional employers .

We sincerely hope that you found this helpful , All the best!