Choosing the Best Résumé Type•Depending on the way information is organized into sections, résumés can be categorized as•chronological(employment history in reverse chronological order; detailed descriptions for job tasks;•functional(employment history in reverse chronological order; extended Summary of Skills to preface alist of jobs (the summary lists 5-8 skills relevant for the job sought & present them as outcomes of tasksperformed in previously held jobs; the list of jobs mentions only the position, the organization, and thedates of employment).•Applicants withextensive experiencein the field in which they are seeking a new job tend to produce achronologicalrésumé – to stress the wealth of experience they accumulated.•Applicants with minimal or no experience in the field in which they are seeking a new job (recent graduates/people interested in a career change) generally produce afunctional résumé, so they can insist on thetransferrableskills accumulated through employment experiences and other means (volunteering work,education, etc.) – skills that arerelevantfor the job sought•Another option is to use a combination– provide a Summary of Skills as well as a detailed EmploymentHistory section. This would allow you to use the best features of both types. If you choose this option, avoidduplicating information (do not repeat information in the Summary of Skills and in the Employment Historysections).
