3 Best Resume Formats for 2025 (Tips and Examples)
Which resume format is right for you? Get to know the three resume formats and find out which one will put you in a position to get your dream job.
Our customers have been hired by:*Foot Note
The 3 formats for a resume
Proper resume formatting matters. It can make a chaotic resume clean and professional. It can help you hide gaps in your employment, emphasize different sections, and, yes—the best resume format can help you get a job.
This guide will give you:
- An overview of the 3 common resume formats.
- The best resume format for your needs.
- How to put together a simple resume format.
- Resume format templates you can use right away.
What Are the Top 3 Resume Formats?
The three most popular resume formats are chronological, functional, and combination. When you’re choosing the right format for your resume, always think about your career progression and the type of job you’re seeking. The breakdown below will help you:
- The chronological resume format, also called the reverse-chronological resume format, is the most common. It typically centers on the work experience section, listing your most recent job first and going back through time to detail your earlier jobs.
- Also known as the skills-based resume, the functional resume format focuses on your resume skills instead of your work history. In a functional resume, your employment history will be brief with no bullet points and usually located at the bottom of the page, leaving space for the different skills sections this format features.
- The combination resume format, also called a hybrid resume format, combines the best parts of the functional and chronological formats. It emphasizes your skills and work history by giving you ample space to provide information on both.
Now, let’s explore these common resume formats in detail, so you can see the differences and learn their strengths.
Build my resume1. Chronological Resume Format
The chronological resume format is one of the most popular resume formats. It features your work experience in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent position and moving backward.
It’s also the best resume format for most scenarios, as recruiters and ATS programs are the most familiar with this style of resume. The chronological resume format features:
-
- Professional summary for a resume or a career objective: Two to three sentences summarizing your work experience and best skills.
- Work history section with the most recent job at the top: Each job title should have three to five bullet points (Use the STAR method to make them stand out) with your work accomplishments and major responsibilities.
- Skills section with a mixture of 5–10 hard and soft skills.
- Education section: Feature your college and post-graduate experience, with the high school listed only if you have no college education. Keep your most recent degree on top.
The chronological resume format best suits candidates with a consistent work history and a clear career progression within a specific industry. It’s a simple resume format that’s great for almost everyone. Plus, it’s especially suitable for experienced professionals and mid-to-senior-level job seekers who want to highlight a stable work history and advancing responsibilities. It’s also the best resume format for passing ATS scans.
Pros & Cons of the Chronological Resume Format
- Easy to Read—Since this is the most common format, hiring managers can quickly understand your career path.
- Highlights Career Growth—Shows a clear progression and increased responsibility over time.
- ATS-Friendly—The straightforward structure is easily read by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
- Not Ideal for Career Gaps—Gaps in employment are more obvious with this format.
- Less Emphasis on Skills—It focuses more on work history than specific skills, which may not suit those with specialized skill sets outside traditional roles.
- Not Suitable for Career Changes—If you’re switching fields, it may not effectively highlight the skills needed for the new industry.
2. Functional Resume Format
The functional resume, or skill-based resume, emphasizes skills and abilities over chronological work history. This resume format focuses on a candidate’s transferable skills rather than specific job titles or career progression, making it ideal for those with varied work backgrounds or those looking to change careers.
The functional resume format includes:
-
- Resume profile: Located below your contact information, it indicates your strengths, skills, and career goals.
- Different sections for your key skills: Usually “Core Competencies” and “Additional Skills,” to give the recruiter or hiring manager an idea of what your resume strengths are.
- Reduced work experience section: With very few or no bullets per job title.
- Education section: You can include a brief overview of your educational achievements, including certifications and professional training.
A functional resume is ideal for job seekers with gaps in their employment history, those writing a career change resume, or candidates with freelance or project-based experience. This format allows you to showcase specific skills that may align with the desired role, regardless of when or where those skills were acquired.
Pros & Cons of the Functional Resume Format
- Emphasizes Skills—Highlights abilities and qualifications rather than chronological job progression.
- Minimizes Work Gaps—De-emphasizes dates, making employment gaps less noticeable.
- Useful for Career Changers—Allows candidates to highlight relevant skills over unrelated past jobs.
- Less Familiar to Recruiters—Hiring managers may find this format unconventional or difficult to scan quickly.
- Can Raise Questions—Omitting specific work details can lead to questions about work history.
- ATS Compatibility—This format is sometimes less ATS-friendly, as it doesn’t follow a traditional structure and may affect how keywords are picked up.
3. Combination Resume Format
The combination resume, or hybrid resume, merges the functional and chronological formats. It emphasizes skills and qualifications at the top of the resume, followed by a chronological list of work experience. This format offers the flexibility to highlight specific skills while also providing a clear employment history.
The combination resume format has these elements:
- Summary statement or resume objective. In a combination resume, this section can be substituted with a Summary of Qualifications.
- Skills summary section: Include 3–6 curated skills, each described by strong bullet points.
- Work history section with your jobs in reverse chronological order: Add a few bullet points with your professional accomplishments.
- Education section with your highest education credentials.
The combination resume is ideal for those with consistent job experience who want to highlight specific skills. Unlike the previous resume formats, a hybrid resume requires a lot of relevant work experience. It allows job seekers to spotlight both relevant skills and solid employment history, which can appeal to employers looking for specific expertise alongside proven experience.
Pros & Cons of the Combination Resume Format
- Flexible Focus—Combines skills emphasis with a chronological history, appealing to a wider range of employers.
- Good for Career Changers—Allows candidates to tailor skills to a new field while showing past experience.
- Balances Skills and Experience—Effectively showcases key accomplishments and work continuity.
- Can Be Lengthy—Combining two formats can result in a longer resume, which may be challenging to keep within a standard one-page limit.
- Is Less ATS-Friendly—If not formatted carefully, it can sometimes confuse the ATS, as it mixes chronological and skill-based sections.
- Requires Careful Tailoring—To be effective, a combination resume needs to be carefully customized for each job application, which can be time-consuming.
Things to Consider When Choosing the Best Resume Format
What’s the best resume format for you? Picking one is not too complicated as long as you answer these questions:
1. What’s My Overall Work Experience?
If you have consistent, relevant experience in one industry or field, a chronological resume format will be the best choice for you. Likewise, if you’re writing a resume with no experience, you should also stick to the chronological format. When you have no job experience, focus on your education and additional sections.
If you have a varied or mixed background or have done freelance work in different fields, consider a functional or combination resume format to showcase diverse skills and experience.
2. Do I Have Career Gaps or Unrelated Jobs?
If your work history has no breaks, or the breaks are one month long, the chronological format for a resume will work best, as it will showcase your steady career growth.
But if you have longer breaks in employment, or need to omit certain jobs as they have zero relevance to the position you’re currently pursuing, consider the functional resume format.
3. Am I Changing Careers?
If yes, consider a functional resume format to showcase transferable skills while downplaying past roles in unrelated fields.
If you’re staying in the same field, a chronological resume format will better underscore your experience in that field.
4. Are Skills My Strong Suit?
If you have impressive work experience in addition to your skills, you can best emphasize them using the functional or the combination resume formats.
If you want to showcase mostly your professional accomplishments, stick to the chronological resume.
To summarize, check the table below:
Best Resume Format for You—Table
Resume Format | Best For | Highlights | Pros | Cons |
Chronological | Candidates with a strong, consistent work history relevant to the job | Work history in reverse order, showcasing career growth | ATS-friendly and familiar to recruiters, showcases career progression | May emphasize employment gaps or unrelated roles, less suited for career changers or limited experience |
Functional | Candidates with limited experience, employment gaps, or switching careers | Focuses on skills and achievements over job titles and dates | Ideal for highlighting relevant skills, de-emphasizes job gaps | Less ATS-friendly, may lack specific job progression details recruiters prefer |
Combination (Hybrid) | Mid-level candidates or those with diverse skills and relevant experience | Balances skills and work history, showing strengths and experience together | Combines skills focus with work experience, ideal for demonstrating versatility | Requires careful organization to avoid overcrowding, which can be complex for ATS |
Resume Templates for Each Resume Format
A good resume template is essential when deciding on a resume format because it sets the foundation for how effectively your information is presented and received. Here’s why:
- Clear Structure and Readability: Resume templates designed with readability in mind help organize your content logically and intuitively. For example, in a chronological resume, a clear work history section in reverse order showcases your career growth and stability effectively. Functional or skill-based resume formats benefit from templates that highlight skills prominently, ensuring the recruiter immediately sees your relevant strengths.
- ATS Compatibility: ATS-friendly resume templates increase the chances of your resume passing through automated systems.
- Adaptability Across Career Levels and Industries: A well-designed template will be versatile enough to suit different career stages and goals, from entry-level to executive roles. For example, modern resume templates that can adjust to emphasize either skills or work experience are ideal for both career changers and established professionals. A professional or traditional resume template allows you to stand out in roles that demand specific industry styling—think marketing versus banking—and can help frame your resume to best suit the norms of the industry.
You can browse our resume format templates below, and click on any of them to use it in our resume builder.
8 General Resume Formatting Tips
Regardless of the resume format you choose for your application, there are certain general rules you should follow. Here they are:
1. Use Bullet Points and Concise Phrases
Recruiters and hiring managers usually spend less than a minute reviewing a resume. Make it easier for them to read your information using bullet points and short phrases.
2. Keep the Right Margins
Using the proper margins on your resume format will ensure the information fits within the page. All sides of your resume should have 1-inch margins—it’s the industry standard.
3. Use Professional Fonts
A resume format isn’t the place to get too creative. Your resume font should be clear and easy to read for the prospective employer. Your font choice also plays a big role in whether your resume will make it through ATS, which might have a harder time reading unusual fonts.
4. Apply Proper Font Sizes
Generally, the body text on your resume format should be between 10 and 12 points. Your name on the header can be 16 or 18 points, while the subheadings should stay somewhere between 12 and 14 points.
Adjust the sizes depending on the space. If you have a lot of white space, feel free to use a 12-point size on the body text. If your resume is packed with important information, however, consider taking it down to 10.
5. Use Standard Headings
You might be tempted to replace the “Work History” header with “My Professional Background” but you shouldn’t do it. It’s unprofessional and ATS might have difficulty reading your resume sections.
Here are 3 things you can do to make your resume format stand out:
- Bold the heading
- Underline the heading
- Increase the size by one or two points, so it’s different from the body text
Sometimes, you can also use a different font to differentiate the subheadings from the body text. This isn’t typically recommended, but if you work in a creative industry and know how to choose the correct font combinations, you can play around with them to create a dynamic resume.
6. Keep Your Resume One to Two Pages Long
In many cases, you should aim for your resume’s length to be just one page long. But, if you have an extensive work history that requires two pages, it’s OK to submit a two-page resume.
7. Save in a Readable Format
Unless the job description specifies the file type they want, it’s best to save and submit your resume in Word DOCX or PDF format. They’re universally accepted and easy to access.
Our online resume builder allows you to download your preferred resume format in several file types. You can also create as many resumes as you want for different jobs. So if you’re unsure whether you need a chronological, functional, or combination resume format and feel like creating all three, you can.
8. Don’t Add Photos
You shouldn’t add a photo to your resume format unless you’re working a BFOQ job. But, you should also avoid including other types of graphics on your resume. Infographic resumes are vastly unreadable by ATS programs. On top of that, graphics in Word documents tend to mess up formatting whenever anything is moved in the document.
If you’re looking for additional resume-writing resources, check out the guides below:
- Adding Programming Projects to a Resume
- How To Create an Eye-catching Resume
- How Far Back Should a Resume Go
- Most Important Resume Sections
- Useful Resume Tips
- Resume Dos and Don’ts
FAQ: Resume formats
Have questions? We’re here to help.
What is the best resume format in 2025?
The best resume format in 2025 is the chronological resume format. It’s the most widely accepted format. It’s also a very versatile and ATS-friendly type of resume. The chronological format focuses primarily on your work experience.
Can I use a resume template for any resume format?
Some resume templates available online only work with a specific resume format. However, templates available in ResumeHelp’s resume builder are customizable, making them a great choice for creating a resume in any of the 3 main resume styles.
Our resume examples library is a great place to view our templates in action. Our samples are made by experts following the standard resume formats, so you can find inspiration or use it as a base.
Which format is the best for a resume with no experience?
When crafting a resume with no work experience, the chronological resume can be highly effective, especially when tailored thoughtfully. The chronological format showcases education, internships, and volunteer work in an easily scannable layout that hiring managers are used to seeing.
How do I make sure that my resume format is ATS-friendly?
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is software that automatically scans incoming resumes for resume keywords that fit the job being applied for. If your resume doesn’t have those keywords, the ATS could reject it outright without ever sending it to recruiters.
To ensure your resume format is ATS-compliant, follow these tips:
- Use readable serif fonts.
- Utilize clear headings.
- Apply bullet points when listing professional accomplishments.
- Avoid excessive images, infographics, or icons.
Couldn't find the answer you're looking for?