The two main types of format in use are chronological and functional formats.

When to Use Chronological Resume Format

A Chronological resume is easiest to create and it is also most widely used format. Chronological resume format allows you to list your job experiences starting with most recent and moving back in time.

This allows employers to see your progression in career field If you are staying in your career field, this format will allow employers to see if you are qualified for job you are applying for. It may not be beneficial for people changing career fields.

When to Use Functional Resume Format

There are many options of available to today's job seeker. With a quick change of graphical elements such as fonts and style, feel of a resume can change from traditional and conservative to creative and modern.

Printed Resumes

A print version of your resume refers to version of your resume that is ready to print; either for mailing for job leads or for hand delivering to potential contacts.

This version may contain bold print, italicized text, bulleted lists and less well known fonts, however these should be used sparingly.

Whitespace

The amount of whitespace should also remain consistent throughout resume. The use of whitespace in a resume can be critical. Too much whitespace will draw attention to a resume that may be lacking in skills and experience.

Scannable Resumes

A scannable resume contains exact same information as print version resume layouts but is presented in a less 'fancy' manner.

A scannable resume is to be used for those situations when you wish to cut and paste your resume into online databases. There are a few guidelines that should be adhered to when creating a scannable resume, however to avoid disaster.

Fonts