What You Should Know About Resume Styles

By Carlee Evie

When it comes to today's job market, competition is fierce. You want to be seen as one of the best, and you want a powerful resume. Although there are tons of resume styles to choose from, it's vital that you choose only the right one.

You may be wondering why there even has to be so many styles. Well, for starters, resumes aren't just presented as physical documents any more. There's a growing trend for people to view documents like resumes on the computer. A style that works splendidly as a printed document just will not work as well when sent through email or fax. So, this has naturally led to more styles for each medium.

The particular position that you are applying for may also require a very specific resume style, and you should be prepared to adapt your present resume to best display your skills according to the situation at hand. This after all is what the main purpose of a resume is: to show off your capabilities.

By far, the most widespread form of resume writing is the chronological style, which as the name implies lists all of the positions that you have worked in starting with the most current.

Then there is the functional style, a slightly newer template that has been getting more attention lately. Instead of listing your jobs and accomplishments by date, you list your most impressive qualifications first and then work your way down to the lesser ones. This kind of resume is easy to skim, which helps a prospective employer decide if you sound like a good match for the job. It also helps beef up your strong points.

There are a few other commonly used resume styles, but these are mostly variations of the two aforementioned styles. This brings up an important point: do not be afraid to mix up resume styles to suit your purpose or a specific need. Remember, you want to showcase your abilities the best way possible and using the ideal resume style will allow you to do just that.

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