This video cover the various resume types and resume formats so you may chose the best resume format for you.
You should choose the right resume format or resume type for you by reflecting on your particular vocational and educational strengths and compose it to highlight them, obviously.

The first type of resume we’ll look at is the Chronological Resume. It’s the most common among resume formats: it lists your objective first, followed by your job experience, education and other skills or interests. When choosing this type of resume format, start by listing your work history with the most recent position listed first: your jobs should listed in reverse chronological order with your current, or most recent job, first. Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it’s easy to see what jobs you have held and when you have worked at them. Here’s a tip: this type of resume works well for those of you who have a strong, solid work history. If not, here’s a couple of other alternatives:

Another type of resume is the Functional Resume: it begins with an objective and subsequently focuses on a person’s specialized skills over their education and job history. The functional resume does not follow a chronological order and leaves out the names of employers educational history and all dates. This type of resume is best for people who have little to no job history, such as recent college graduates, or for those who are just starting a career. As this type of resume focuses on your skills, abilities and experience, it’s used most often by people who are changing careers or who have gaps in their employment history.

Yet another type of resume is a Combination Resume. It combines the chronological and functional formats and typically starts with a career synopsis that outlines your objective, volunteer work and special skills or accomplishments. Basically, list your skills and experience first and then your work history. With this type of resume you can highlight the skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for, and also provide the chronological work history that employers prefer.

We already talked about the Targeted Resume format in episode 8: Just to re-cap: A targeted resume is a resume that is customized so that it specifically highlights the experience and skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for. It definitely takes more work to write a targeted resume than to just click to apply with your existing resume. However, it’s well worth the effort, especially when applying for jobs that are a perfect match for your qualifications and experience.

Then there’s a Mini Resume: it contains a brief summary of your career highlights and qualifications. It can be a useful tool for networking purposes or shared upon request from a prospective employer or reference writer who may want an overview of your accomplishments, rather than a full length resume.

In short, only you know what format is best for you given your particular set of circumstances. However, here’s a few tips when it comes to resumes: use a Targeted Resume when applying for a specific job – it’s well worth the effort: keep an up to date Mini Resume handy for ‘just in case’ and have a long (or formal) up to date resume on hand as well as a shorter version of the same, in case you’re asked for no more than a ‘one pager’.

To view other videos in the “Marketing You” Video Series about marketing yourself to employers and recruiters please view Introduction to Marketing You, Success and Creative Visualization, 60 Second Pitch,  Job Interview Tips, Resume Writing and Resume Cover Letters videos. The next video in this series is Resume tips and Resume Layout Tips for a Professional Resume Video 4.

You may also want to download one of our Marketing You FREE E-books or visit our vast Resources Section including Tax Tip Videos and the Interview Coach articles.