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Reverse Chronological
vs. Functional Resumes
by
ResumeEdge.com
- The Net's Premier
Resume Writing and
Editing Service
In modern resumes,
information about skills
and experience can be
listed using three
distinct formats:
-
Reverse
chronological
-
Functional
-
A combination of the
two
Reverse chronological
Generally speaking,
hiring managers prefer
that employment data is
provided with the most
recent job listed first,
followed by the next
most recent, and so on.
In that way, it’s easy
to see career
progression from an
entry-level position to
a more senior status.
It’s also easy to detect
gaps in dates of
employment. These gaps
lead some candidates to
use a functional format
instead.
Functional
Functional formats
stress what skills you
have, rather than where
and when you used them.
These formats are best
for students who have
just graduated from
college and have little
“real-world” experience,
those who have been out
of the workforce for
long periods because
they were raising
children, and job
seekers who are
transitioning from one
career or industry to
another. However,
sometimes combining a
functional format with a
reverse chronological
format makes the most
sense. These are called
combination resumes.
Combination
With this format, skills
that are relevant to the
current job search are
placed in a special
section by function,
while the Professional
History or Work
Experience is presented
in a standard,
reverse-chronological
format. This format
offers the best of both
worlds, and is highly
popular with modern job
seekers and hiring
managers.
Samples
Combination – Sample One
Combination – Sample Two
Combination – Sample
Three
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