Resume Outlines for Commonly Used Formats
Below you'll find links to all of the resume outlines on this site including functional, combination, chronological, text, technical and student resumes.
Chronological Format: A chronological resume highlights your work history and can be a good choice for a person who has a solid work history. It is usually not the best choice for someone who has issues such as gaps in employment or several jobs in a short period of time.
This sample chronological resume outline will show you how this style will typically look once it is correctly formatted.
Combination Template: The combination resume is an extremely versatile format that highlights your skills as well as your work experience. It works well in many different situation. It is a particularly good choice for career changers, people with gaps in their employment history and recent graduates.
This combination resume outline will show you how to set up your own combination resume. Tips for using this style are included under each section heading.
Functional Resume Outlines: Functional resumes highlight your skills but not your work experience. They are often not very effective, so it is important to think carefully before you choose to use this format. Usually a combination resume is a better choice for someone who is considering using a functional style.
This sample functional resume template will show you how a functional resume will typically look once it is correctly formatted.
Scannable Format: Any time a resume will be read by a computer as opposed to a human, it will require special formatting considerations. Here is an example of a scannable resume (also known as a text resume) to help you format your own scannable resumes. You'll see it looks quite different from a traditional resume.
Technical Template: If you work in any field that required a very high degree of technical skills, you will need to determine the best way to highlight those skills on your resume. Specifically, you will need to use the combination style so you can include a very detailed, easy to read summary of your technical skills. This technical template will give you a sense of how an IT resume will typically look once it is correctly structured.
Student Format: Students and recent graduates also have special considerations to keep in mind. For the majority of students, a combination format will be the best option. Also, most students will not have established a strong work history, so students and recent graduates typically benefit from including the education section before the work history section and expanding on the education section with details about course work, internships, and awards received.
This sample student resume outline will show you how a student resume will typically look once it is correctly formatted.
Best Format: If you are unsure about which format is the best choice for you, this article, which analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the three major types of resumes, will help you to determine the best format for your needs.
