3 Best Resume Formats for 2024 (Tips and Examples)

Most employers and recruiters prefer the chronological format because it’s the easiest to read. However, not everyone has the experience necessary to fill this resume format. That’s why it’s important to consider the other formats and how it might benefit you to use them.

For example, if you’re a recent college graduate with no experience, your reverse chronological format will have a lot of white space, whereas your functional format will look full.

There are several major differences between the three main resume formats but especially the chronological and functional resume.

One thing that differentiates them is their purpose. The chronological layout is the best resume format to present extensive work experience and career progression, while the functional resume is the best format to showcase a wide range of skills and abilities.

The heart of the chronological resume is the work history section. It’s almost at the top of your resume, right below the resume summary and takes a good chunk of space. It organizes your professional history in reverse chronological order, so your most recent job is at the top.

The chronological format also only features one skills section after the work history, followed by the education section. Its strong emphasis on career progression makes it the best resume format for people with extensive careers.

On the other hand, the functional resume has multiple skills sections and reduced work history. This format doesn’t place that much importance on your previous work experience because it places it on your abilities. That’s why we always say it’s the best resume format for candidates with little to no experience.

Yes! A good resume format will determine how your resume looks and reads. Each of the main resume formats serves a different purpose and is targeted at different job seekers, so you need to review each carefully to make sure the format you choose is a good fit for you.

For example, choosing a chronological layout when you have little to no experience might do more harm than good. A reverse chronological resume is ideal for candidates who have a long professional history, so recent graduates may have a hard time making their resume look full.

Resume formatting is also a big part of ensuring your resume looks professional. The best resume formats follow standard formatting guidelines, such as using appropriate fonts, clear resume section headings and the right margins across the document.

For more ways to have the best format for a job, check our resume formatting advice further up on this page. You can also choose one of our resume templates and remove all formatting guesswork.

You should save and send your resume in a PDF format, even if you created your resume as a Word document. PDFs are the safest file format and the most commonly accepted by prospective employers. Saving your resume as a PDF ensures it will look good digitally and printed.

If the job description specifically requests a different file format, go with what the employer is asking for and follow their guidelines to format a resume the way they want to receive it.

The structure of your resume will be determined by the resume format you choose. For those targeting positions in the United States, the format typically aligns more closely with what is commonly referred to as a US resume format. This means focusing on concise, achievement-oriented descriptions of your work experience, educational background, and relevant skills. The typical structure includes:

1. Name and contact information
2. Resume summary or resume objective
3. Skills
4. Work experience
5. Education

You may include additional sections to your resume such as certifications, relevant training, extracurricular activities, volunteer work or awards. The key is to ensure that the information you feature on your resume is relevant to the job and company.

There are different factors that contribute to your resume design looking professional.
First off, the layout itself needs to be clean and sophisticated. The easiest way to ensure your resume fits the bill is by using a professional resume template. As tempting as it is to use overly colorful designs, it’s not the right way to attract a hiring manager’s attention.

The second aspect you should consider is resume formatting. Are you using a professional resume font? Are the margins consistent throughout the document? Did you write the correct subheadings? These small details come together to make a professional resume that not only reads well but looks great.

At ResumeHelp, we have dozens of resume templates you can use that are pre-formatted to fit industry standards, so you don’t have to worry about spacing or margins and can focus on your information.

Candidates who are making a college resume or a resume with no experience should use the skills-based resume format.

The functional resume features different sections that focus on highlighting skills summary information as opposed to work history. So, your resume will have a skills summary, “Summary of Qualifications” and a “Professionals Skills” section, while the work experience section is moved to the bottom and only details the company’s name, the dates of employment and your job title.

Job seekers with little to no experience should also think outside the box when it comes to their past experience. Internships, volunteer work and extracurricular activities count as experience if it’s relevant to the job you want.

For example, if you’re an aspiring graphic designer who finished an internship at an advertising agency, you can include that experience. Likewise, if you’re an aspiring journalist who wrote articles for your school’s newspaper, you can include that too.

Lastly, candidates with no experience should write a resume objective.

In two-to-three sentences, include your top skills relevant to the job and state your desire to get hired. A resume objective is meant to establish your career goals.