The three resume formats
Reverse-chronological
Your work experience is listed from most recent to oldest, with dates for every role. Skills and education come in their own sections. This is the standard format in the US, the one recruiters expect, and the one applicant tracking systems parse most reliably.
Functional (skills-based)
Instead of a job-by-job history, the resume groups accomplishments under skill headings such as "Customer Service" or "Project Coordination", with a short employment list (sometimes without dates) at the bottom. It is designed to downplay gaps or unrelated jobs, but many recruiters view it with suspicion because it makes it hard to see what you did where and when.
Combination (hybrid)
A combination resume starts with a substantial skills or "core qualifications" section, often with a few achievement bullets, followed by a full reverse-chronological work history with dates. It suits people whose most relevant strengths are not obvious from their latest job title.
Comparison table
| Reverse-chronological | Functional | Combination | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Jobs in date order, newest first | Skill groups, brief job list | Skills section + full job history |
| Best for | Most job seekers with steady history | Rarely recommended | Career changers, varied backgrounds |
| Recruiter perception | Expected and trusted | Often seen as hiding something | Generally accepted |
| ATS parsing | Most reliable | Weaker: achievements not tied to jobs | Good if headings are standard |
| Shows career growth | Clearly | Poorly | Clearly |
| Length | 1–2 pages | 1 page | 1–2 pages |
Which format should you use?
- Steady work history in your field: reverse-chronological. This covers most people.
- Student or recent graduate: reverse-chronological, with education and projects moved up. See the college student example.
- No work experience: reverse-chronological with education, projects and volunteering. See resume with no experience.
- Career changer: combination, so transferable skills appear first while your history stays transparent.
- Employment gap: reverse-chronological is still usually best. Briefly and honestly explain the gap (caregiving, study, relocation, health) on its own line or in your cover letter rather than hiding it.
Layout rules that apply to every format
| Element | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Margins | 0.5 to 1 inch on all sides |
| Font | A common, readable font such as Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, Georgia or Garamond |
| Font size | 10–12 pt for body text, 14–20 pt for your name |
| Line spacing | 1.0 to 1.15, with a little space between sections |
| Columns | One column for ATS safety |
| Headings | Standard: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills, Certifications |
| Dates | Month and year, in one consistent style (e.g. Jun 2023 – Present) |
| Length | One page for most; two for long or senior careers |
| File type | PDF with real text, or Word (.docx) if the posting asks for it |
| File name | FirstName-LastName-Resume.pdf |
Details on page count are in how long should a resume be.
Example: the same person, three formats
Imagine a fictional applicant, Dana Ruiz, who spent five years as a restaurant shift manager and now wants a job as an operations coordinator.
- Reverse-chronological: her restaurant job comes first, with bullets about scheduling 25 staff, ordering inventory and handling vendor issues. Clear and honest, but the recruiter must connect the dots to operations.
- Functional: headings like "Scheduling" and "Vendor Management" with bullets under each, and a bare job list at the bottom. It reads well at first, but the recruiter cannot tell where or when any of it happened.
- Combination: a short "Core Qualifications" section naming scheduling, inventory control and vendor coordination with one example each, followed by her full job history with dates. This is usually the best choice for her.
Whichever format you choose, every achievement must be real and tied to a role you actually held, with numbers you can explain.
Standard section order
- Header: name, phone, email, city and state, LinkedIn or portfolio.
- Summary: two to four lines. See summary examples.
- Experience: title, employer, location, dates and three to six bullets per role.
- Skills: 8–15 relevant skills.
- Education: degree, school, year.
- Optional: certifications, projects, volunteering, languages.
Students and people with little experience can move education and projects above experience. Technical professionals often move skills higher.
Consistency checklist
- All dates use the same style and are aligned the same way.
- Job titles are formatted identically (for example, all bold).
- Bullets use the same symbol and end the same way, with or without periods.
- Tense is consistent: present for your current job, past for earlier jobs.
- Spacing between sections is even, and nothing runs into the margin.
Formatting for applicant tracking systems
No format can guarantee that an ATS reads your file perfectly or that you will get an interview, but a clean layout removes avoidable problems. Our ATS-friendly templates follow these rules, and the resume checker highlights formatting risks in a file you already have. Browse all resume templates to compare styles.