Definition of Best Resume Types
A resume is one of the most crucial and essential documents, which contains all the details and relevant facts about the individual’s background emphasizing his career prospects and objectives. It defines the character and qualities of the person in a summarized manner. It informs you about specific educational qualifications, work experience, and specialized interests and throws inadequate light on whether the candidate is suitable for a particular job. The other names for the resume are Curriculum Vitae or (C.V.) and Biodata.
The importance of a cover letter cannot be denied
The most significant part of any resume is the cover letter. This is because it highlights your career’s most important aspects and key skills. If you have faced any interviews, you will notice that many interviewers tend to ask questions from your cover letter. Thus, writing an effective and engaging cover letter should be the prime objective while preparing a resume. Try to include the vital points but do not give any false information. When you apply for a particular job, your resume competes with the resumes of other applicants, as the employer chooses the best.
The Various Best Resume Types
Preparing a resume according to the specific job and its requirements is important. As such, there are different kinds of resumes, so you can just have a quick look at them and then decide which one is appropriate for you according to your needs. When you search on the internet for relevant help before preparing one, you will notice that they have different formats, so your job is to find a suitable layout. Some of the popular best resume types have been discussed below-
Functional Resume
The Functional Resume highlights more on the professional skills and caliber of the individual rather than giving prime importance to educational qualifications and academic background. While writing this type of resume, you have particular information about your special abilities and achievements. You must dedicate a separate section discussing your qualities and talent and why you stand apart. Apart from that, you must mention whether you have done any voluntary work earlier. It is crucial to emphasize your previous work experience in the specific field. Also, write in a few lines regarding your hobbies.
Now let’s focus on its pros and cons-
The Pros
- The Functional Resume can be quite effective if the person constantly keeps changing jobs or from one company to another.
- It is also very helpful when applying for a job after a long period. Here you can just highlight your skills to get the said post.
- Not everyone likes the department he is posted in. So there is always an opportunity to switch over. You must also prepare a Functional resume when you want to change your department or field.
- This kind of resume will also work perfectly fine for people with high experience and older than the youngsters applying for jobs.
The Cons
- Often it is said that the career growth of an individual becomes stagnant in the case of a functional resume.
- It only underlines your skills and achievements, but other important factors equally need consideration.
- Many people do not have many skills to highlight in their resume so they can lack behind others.
Chronological Resume
The chronological resume is quite different from the functional resume and is said to be one of the most popular and used resume formats. Most job aspirants prefer this pattern over others because it lays stress on all the important aspects of their careers. Here you can just jot down your work experience in chronological order, which can impress any employer. Moreover, it also emphasizes educational qualifications which were absent in functional resumes. You need to specifically mention whether the course you completed was regular, part-time, or through distance education. Using a resume builder can make creating a chronological resume faster and more efficient.
The Main Ingredients of this resume
- First and foremost, it commences with a brief introduction about you that includes your name, residential address, mobile number, and email id.
- Next, you have to write about your educational qualification in a sequential manner. You can start with matriculation, intermediate, graduation, and post-graduation, but it is unnecessary to include the first two facts if you are an experienced professional.
- Then comes the turn for other qualifications such as a diploma or certificate course which you did and are specializing in some field.
- After completing this part, it’s time to tell about your experience in the field. If you are a fresher, then you can highlight certain achievements. Another vital aspect is to talk about your hobbies. This will create a positive impression in the minds of the employer.
Now the Benefits
- As mentioned earlier, this is the most preferred resume format, and most job applicants use it. The employer can notice every detail about the job seeker and decide whether to hire him.
- This is best suited for both experienced as well as freshers.
- Every information is given in a systematic manner
The Drawbacks
Although most job seekers prefer this format, that does not mean that it does not have drawbacks.
- Firstly, if you want to change your job field, then it is better not to go with this format as it will not help your cause in any way.
- Again, it will fail to impress an employer if you apply for the job after a long gap. This means that what proved advantageous in the functional resume was a disadvantage.
The Combined Resume
As the name suggests, the combination resume is an amalgamation of chronological and functional resumes. Since it is a combination, you can expect it to be a little elongated and lengthy than the other two.
The Wow Factors
- If you want to throw light on your strengths and weaknesses, which is a basic question in every interview, then present this resume format to your employer, who will certainly get impressed
- When you have this resume format, you can expect positive growth in your career and highlight all the important points you want to display to the interviewer. Present all the facts methodically.
The Ouch Factors
- Its lengthiness is its biggest disadvantage. The interviewer has a very short time to scan and scrutinize the resume, which might sometimes irritate him.
- The resume is certainly not meant for the freshers as they have not had many skills and achievements to exhibit to the employer
- The recruiter might not go through your resume, and this will certainly prove to be a big drawback in getting good job opportunities
The Non-Traditional Resume
With the advancement of technology, even resume writing formats and styles have undergone a drastic change. One of the apt examples is the non-traditional resumes which have gained huge prominence worldwide. However, it has been sub-categorized into different best resume types based on particular needs. They include-
- Resume for LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn has become a very popular and useful social media platform where you can display all your information that, includes your personal details, education, work experience, and key skills and achievements. It is not difficult to create an account on LinkedIn, and then you can search for jobs accordingly and connect with more people from your field.
- Creating Best Resume Types on Social Media Platforms
Another interesting way to exhibit your caliber and prove your skills is by posting a short resume on social media, such as your Facebook profile. You can join various groups related to your field. That way, the employers will notify you.
- Creating Best Resume Types for Job Portals Websites
Nowadays, there are several online job portals where you will come across hundreds of jobs in different locations covering almost every field. But before you can find a suitable job for yourself, it is advisable to create the best resume types which you will have to submit to apply for it. The resume covers all the details.
- Infographic resume
This is a unique kind of resume with graphic visuals and images or charts. This is a visual presentation of your resume.
- Video Resume
Now that sounds interesting! With the internet becoming part and parcel of life, you can even consider uploading a video resume. The best channel to use is YouTube, where you can briefly describe yourself, focusing on skills and experience, and then upload it only to be viewed by employers. However, this has not become a trend but is expected to become a hit in the coming days.
- Portfolio Resume
This can be an ideal resume for someone willing to exhibit his special qualities, caliber, and achievements desired in the job criteria.
The Advantages
- This is an ideal format for someone who is working as a freelancer and wants to showcase his experience through sample work
- Individuals willing to make a career in the creative field or social media can try out this handy format
- Even if you do not have much work experience, you can make use of the layout
Disadvantages
- Not many people use graphics and images in their resumes. At best, they only add their passport-size photograph.
- Not all employers want the resume in a non-traditional format, so you cannot use it when needed for a traditional one.
Some other formats or Best Resume Types
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Keyword Resume
The keyword suits particular conditions, specifically if the employer wants to scrutinize your CV minutely. When posting the job criteria, the employer mentions the skills as the keywords and hence the name. Therefore, you can just underline and bold a few of your important skills while writing the resume to come to the forefront. However, it is not a very popular format nor a unique way of presenting a resume for applying for a job.
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Inventory Resume
You will be surprised to note that there are the best resume types, even for nonjob seekers. Yes, you read it right! The inventory resume is for someone with no particular aim or interest in applying for a specific job. The benefit of this resume is that you can send it to various recruiters at the same time. It includes your skills, experience, qualification, and accomplishments.
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Targeted Resume
People often have to prepare a particular resume file type to attain a specific job. This is when the Targeted resume file types will prove to be a huge asset in your kitty. Since it is targeted for a specific job, you must keep it simple and straightforward. This will make the recruiter’s task easier as he will only focus on those vital points. Therefore, the choice of words while preparing the resumes becomes extremely crucial.
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Mini Resume
One can make out from the name itself that it is a shorter version of the resume file type where every detail is brief and concise. In bullet points, you can give all the details, such as education, experience, and skills. This is handy for people with enough work experience applying for higher posts where they just need to show their work. However, if you want to give a lengthy description, you better choose another format.
Note: For professional assistance, you might consider hiring a resume writer.
The Final Word
From the above discussion, you must be very careful when choosing a particular resume format when applying for a job. You should be aware of the dos and don’ts while creating a resume file type and see that there is no error in spelling or grammar.
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