How to pick the best resume format in 2020

Your resume is your life story; within a minute or two, it tells the recruiter about who you are, what you have done with your life and what do you plan to do! This one page story must be attractive enough for the recruiter, otherwise you are certainly going to be jobless for a long time.

There is a lot that goes into a great resume and one of those most important elements is your format. In order to craft a perfect resume, you need to choose the right format for it as well. This is where the majority of people lose their chances for landing their dream job; they fail at picking the right format. You need to choose the best resume format that is able to showcase your abilities and educational and work experience in a very smart, professional and effective way. The power of a good format is that it enhances your resume a lot and makes everything look professional.

Tips for picking the best resume format in 2020:

In this piece of article, we will be providing you with some basic tips for resume formats in 2020 which will help you upgrade your resume efficiently. These tips will help you largely in boosting your resume smartly and will also make it appear professional.

Major Resume Formats:

Before we discuss the tips to select the best format for your resume, it is important that you must know about the major formats that exist.

The most basic and most used resume format is the Reverse Chronological resume format. As this format is used by 90% of people, recruiters don’t really get excited with this layout. It is basically too ordinary. But in this layout, the recruiter is most interested in the work experience section.

Secondly we have the Functional Resume Format which is also famous as the skills based format. This is one of the most unpopular formats and majority of the recruiters are not familiar with it. This layout dedicates a huge space to the skills which deviates the focus from the work experience and achievements.

Lastly we have the Combination Resume Format and the name states it all; it is a combo of the reverse chronological and functional resume format. It is basically the best from both the world as it focuses on the work experience and skills section both.

How to pick the best format?

Now that you are familiar with the three most basic and commonly used resume formats; you need to have some tips about how to pick the best one. The basic element to keep in mind is that the format should be close to your personal life. For instance, Reverse Chronological format is considered great for students or entry level people and likewise, it can be used by seniors and mid level job seekers too. On the other hand, Functional resume formats are considered best for seniors and the Combination format is not useful for students.

Now, your work experience is not the only basis upon which your resume format has to be picked. You need to weigh the company and the position that you are applying for. Formatting basically helps you to tailor your resume according to the company or industry that you are applying in. Your major aim is to make it stand out and look unique amongst a bunch of other resumes. For instance, if you are pursuing your career in arts and design, then your resume has to be creative and unique. You probably won’t be using the traditional layouts.

Reverse chronological resume format is the most used format, so if you pick this one, you need to think about how you can make it stand out. Using different layout elements and try to enhance it, so that it appears different than others. On the other hand, functional resume is not really recommended and you need to think twice before choosing this one. Lastly, the combination format is wonderful for people who have a lot of experience and skills and can have the recruiters attention drove towards both the sections.

Final Verdict:

In a nutshell; it is your story and you know how to deliver it. You know the importance of your resume and you don’t want it to go to waste! Make sure that you make a wise pick and do justice with your resume in order to bag your dream job.