Resume  and types of Resume .

Definition : A resume is a written compilation of your education, work experience, credentials, and accomplishments and is used to apply for jobs.

Types of Resumes: There are several basic types of resumes used to apply for job openings. Depending on your personal circumstances, choose a chronological, a functional, combination, or a targeted resume.

Main sections of information appearing in a chronological resume :

Contact Information : Like most resumes, the chronological resume starts off with a banner that includes your name and contact information.  This includes street address, telephone number, email address etc..

Academic Qualifications : The next section you'll find in a chronological resume is a table of your educational background.  Many jobs today list a "required" or "desired" educational background.  If it's that important to someone screening a resume, it might as well be right up front in the resume.  You're either qualified or you're not qualified for a job.

Professional Qualifications : The third section in a chronological resume contains a bulleted list of the certifications, educational honors, or professional licenses you might hold.  For example, a certified public accountant would include that certification in this section of the resume.

Practical Work Experiences : This section of the chronological resume really helps to define this particular resume format.  In the work experience section of this resume, you will include the reverse chronological listing of your work experience. 

Advantages of the Chronological Resume :

• If your recent work experiences are aligned with the job that you are seeking, then one of the advantages of the chronological resume is that these job descriptions, and job titles, are highlighted in the chronological format.
• The progression of your career is easy to follow, since the chronological resume lists jobs in a timeline sequence.  The sequence of jobs listed in this resume format is a reverse chronological order.
• A chronological resume highlights not only your job position or job titles, but also the organizations you've worked for in the past. 
• Since the chronological resume has a built-in timeline, it is believed to be more fact based.  The advantage here is that the chronological resume carries with it additional credibility in the eyes of the recruiter.

Disadvantages of a Chronological Resume :

• Your work experience is listed in reverse chronological order if you use this resume format.  If there is a gap or break in your work experience timeline, then the chronological resume makes that gap stand out.
• The chronological resume allows potential employers to figure out if you've been switching jobs every couple of years.  This is something they might not like in a job candidate.
• A chronological resume makes it nearly impossible to hide your age from potential employers.  This can be a big disadvantage for both younger and older job seekers.
• If your career path might seem somewhat illogical to the reader, then a chronological resume would highlight that fact.

View Sample of a Chronological Resume

Functional Resume:

The functional resume places a great deal of emphasis on what you know, and what you've accomplished, rather than where you've worked.  This allows the reader to see all of the skills, accomplishments and qualifications of the job applicant presented in a logical fashion.

Main sections of this format :

Name / Contact Information : Like most resumes, functional resumes start off with a banner that includes your name and contact information such as street address, telephone number, and email address.

Educational Background : The next section you'll find in a functional resume is a table of your educational background.  Many jobs today list a "required" or "desired" educational background.  If it's that important to someone screening a resume, then it might as well be right up front in the document.

Professional Qualification (if any) : The third section in a functional resume contains a bulleted list of the certifications, educational honors, or professional licenses you might hold.  For example, a certified public accountant would include that certification in this section of the resume.

Skills / Knowledge : The fourth section you'll find in the functional resume is a bulleted listing, or table, of the skills and knowledge you've accumulated over time.  Since this section is so visible on this type of resume, you'll want to take a great deal of time making sure it projects the best image of your experience.
For example, if you're looking for a sales position, you'll want to emphasize skills such as sales training, P&L responsibilities, client development, and product management.

Career Achievements : The next, and final, section appearing in a functional resume are bulleted listings of what you believe are your most significant career accomplishments.

Advantages of a Functional Resume :

• If your career path is not immediately apparent, then a functional resume can help conceal that perceived "problem."  You don't want the recruiter to get the impression that you don't really know what you want to do, because you probably do.  You avoid this problem with the functional format.
• If you're new to the workplace, such as a graduating college student, then a functional resume helps you to highlight what you know, not where you've worked.
• When you have employment gaps in your career, a functional resume can help to cover up those gaps. Unlike a chronological resume, you don't need to show where you worked in the past.
  If you changed jobs several times , then you might not want your next employer to pick up on that habit. You may have been rewarded with higher compensation, but no one wants to invest money getting you up to speed, only to have you leave their company. A functional resume can help you hide what might look like job-hopping.
• Finally, if you are "overqualified," or are looking upwards from your past jobs, then a functional resume can help to emphasize your skills, and avoid bringing attention to job titles.

Disadvantages of a Functional Resume :

• The big disadvantage of a functional resume is that the hiring manager might be looking for the very information that the functional resume allows you to avoid putting on your resume.  Unfortunately, this can make the recruiter suspicious or nervous when the job seeker uses this format. 
  
  You need to make sure the advantages outweigh the disadvantages before using a functional resume.
  
  View Sample of a Functional Resume

A combination resume lists your skills and experience first. Your employment history is listed next. With this type of resume you can highlight the skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for, and also provide the chronological work history that employers prefer.

The combination resume generally starts with a functional resume format that allows the reader to see the skills, accomplishments, and qualifications of the job applicant.  This is sometimes referred to as the "page one" format.

The second page of the combination resume is a  reverse chronological ordering of your career work experiences.  The combination resume first lets the reader see the experience you have that is related to the job opening, while the second page or part of the resume lets the potential employer look at your work history.

This format allows the reader to first match your qualifications against the needs of the job opening, and then gives the reader a sense of security by identifying where the accomplishments took place.

Combination resume Layout :.

Contact Information : Like most resumes, combination resumes start off with a banner that includes your name and contact information such as street address, telephone number, and email address.

Academic Qualification : The next section you'll find in a combination resume is a table of your educational background.  Many jobs today list a "required" or "desired" educational background.  If it's that important to someone screening a resume, then it might as well be right up front in the resume.

Professional Qualification : The third section in a combination resume contains a bulleted list of the certifications, educational honors, or professional licenses you might hold.  For example, a certified public accountant would include that certification in this section of the resume.

Careers Skills / Knowledge : The fourth section you'll find in the combination resume is a bulleted listing or table of the skills and knowledge you've accumulated over time.  Since this section is so visible on this type of resume, you'll want to take a great deal of time making sure it projects the best image of your experience.
For example, if you're looking for a sales position, you'll want to emphasize skills such as sales training, P&L responsibilities, client development, and product management.

Career Achievements : The next section of a combination resume should contain a bulleted listing of what you believe are your most significant career accomplishments.  Listing out your career achievements, skills, and knowledge upfront adds to the overall attractiveness of the combination resume format.

Practical Work Experience : This sixth, and final, section of the combination resume is a listing of your work experience. This is identical to the section appearing in a chronological resume.  Again, we're providing a link to an example of this resume format at the end of this article.  This way you can see exactly how this section is going to look in an actual resume.

Advantages of the Combination Resume :

• If you're a student with little work history, then the combination resume format allows you to showcase your skills first before revealing your short work history.
• If you've worked for the same company for a long time, or held the same type of position for a while, a combination resume allows the reader to see the skills you've accumulated while at work.
• If you are making a radical career change, once again, this format places emphasis on achievements and skills first, rather than pointing out that this is a big change in your career path.

Disadvantages of the Combination Resume :

• If you have switched jobs frequently, then the chronological portion of this format still highlights the frequent switching as well as the timeline gaps in employment history.
• If you have unrelated experience, or have followed a career path that might seem illogical on the surface, then the chronological portion of this resume would highlight that path.
• Finally, if you are trying to conceal your age, the combination resume format would give a potential employer enough information to get a rough idea of when you were born.

View Sample of a Combination Resume