A resume/CV is a document that outlines your personal data, career background, skills and experiences, key achievements and qualifications. This makes it a vital document; as it is a compulsory part of the job seeker starter pack. Most companies and hiring managers consider it an important prerequisite for screening and employment opportunities.

With the global surge in unemployment and the never-ending output of job-seeking graduates, an entire universe has been built out of this document. Several tools, businesses, and institutions have surfaced as a result of the need for a perfect CV. A popular example of these tools is Job Seeker which provides customizable templates.

It is also within this purview that many people; job seekers, recruiters/recruiting agencies, and even ordinary hustlers bombard search engines with thousands of queries daily on how to draft a CV.

As much as there is nothing wrong with looking up a CV drafting tutorial on the net, there is a not-so-good possibility of towing that path. Most CV how-to’s on the internet are generalist in nature. They tend to focus on creating general formats. This somehow dampens your chances of getting your dream job.

Recruiters and talent acquisition experts agree that there are different CV/Resume formats and styles for divergent job roles, industries, and experience levels. Truth be told, a number of them are not too strict in following this rule. However, you wouldn’t want your incorrectly drafted resume on their table on a bad day.

3 Common Resume Formats For Different Job Roles

So we will be taking you on a tour of three common formats fitting different job roles to help you format your resume accordingly and help you get that dream job of yours.

Format 1: A Chronological Resume

As the name implies, a chronological format arranges your relevant experience in an orderly fashion. It itemizes your work experiences, milestones and achievements starting from the current or most recent to the oldest.

Alright, let’s be practical; lets show you how a chronological resume works.

In a such format, you arrange your details as follows:

1. Name and Contact Information: Phone numbers, email, social media handles, address (Be sure your recruiter needs them; do not fill up the place with unnecessary details).

2. Professional Summary: Professional summaries highlight your experience, achievement and skills relevant to the job. More like, “Hey, I am the best Digital Marketer in the world, hire me!” (Tip: A lot of recruiters decide if they will hire you or not from this point. Do what you will with the information).

3. Professional history: This section of your resume will take the most space on your resume, trust me.  Experiences, milestones, skills, and duties in your previous places of employment will all be properly documented in this section of your resume. Remember the order!

4. Educational History: This does not mean you take the recruiter on a biographic journey. Just indicate the highest educational level you have attained at the bottom, and you are great.

5. Skills and abilities: Hard or soft skills, paste them here. Do not however, paste everything considered a skill in this section. Ensure the listed skills are relevant to the position you seek.

A chronological format is the best fit for experienced candidates seeking job roles. Recent graduates, internship candidates, and entry-role job seekers should look at the next resume type in this study.

Format 2: Functional Resume

A functional format showcases one’s strengths, skills, and abilities in higher priority than roles or places of employment. This resume format focuses on your competencies, skills and strengths. It does not pay much attention to your work experiences, roles, and former employers unless they are relative to these skills relative to the job you are applying for.

This resume format comes in the following order:

1. Contact Information: These should come in the same form as a chronological resume: Name, address, phone, email, and so on.

2. Career Aim or Objective: This is a statement concisely stating where you are headed in your career. Your career vision in sentences few enough to not bore the eye while being significant enough to convey complete meaning.

3. Functional Section: In a few paragraphs, this section will outline your strongest abilities, achievements, milestones and the rest using past-tense and emphasizing on action words and phrases.

4. Employment History: Depending on experience level, you may skip this section or briefly state your roles and previous place(s) of employment.

5. Education: This should indicate qualification, graduating year, institution, and grade point (if needed)

6. References: When needed, include names, portfolio, relationships, and contact

A functional format is the most suitable for recent graduates, internships, entry role seekers, job switchers, and people with gaps in their resumes. In contrast, however, people with rich work history, technical job roles do not opt for the functional resume format.

Format 3: Combination Resume

Sometimes neither a chronological or functional resume ticks the box. This is when a combined format becomes the best option. A combined format is a blend of the chronological and functional resume types. Being hybrid, allows one to showcase both work experience and relevant skills.

A hybrid format has the following sections:

1. Contact: Name, phone, mail

2. Summary: Skills and experiences relevant to the job

3. Skills and Abilities: Soft and hard skills relevant to the job in question.

4. Professional experience: This should be carried out as prescribed in the chronological resume.

       5. Education: Highest educational level attained, including date, grade and institution.

      6. Awards: Career milestones and accolades will fit in here.

A hybrid format is perfect for those seeking career transitions, managerial positions, job gaps, and so on. Recent graduates, entry role seekers, and interns should opt for a functional resume format instead.

With the appropriate resume format, your chances of getting on a date *winks* with the recruiter greatly improve. However, it is important to note that getting a job is dependent on several variables. We outlined previously, 7 ways to get a high-paying job without sweat. A resume is valuable considering its importance in conveying the best possible impression to the recruiter. Ensure to use appropriate formats and styles to increase your chances of clinching your job.