Why Format Matters More Than You Think
The content of your resume matters most, but the format determines how that content is perceived. A strong career history in the wrong format can look weaker than it is. An unconventional background in the right format can look exactly like what the hiring manager needs.
There are three standard resume formats. Each one organizes the same information differently, and each one sends a different signal to the reader. Picking the right one is not about personal preference. It is about strategy.
The Three Formats at a Glance
Here is a side-by-side comparison:
| Chronological | Functional | Combination | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | Work history in reverse time order | Skills grouped by category | Skills section + reverse chronological work history |
| Emphasis | Career progression and tenure | Transferable skills and abilities | Both skills and experience |
| ATS Compatibility | Excellent | Poor | Good |
| Recruiter Preference | Strongly preferred | Often disliked | Well received |
| Best For | Steady career progression | Career changers, gaps | Senior professionals, pivoters |
| Worst For | Career changers, gaps | Anyone with relevant experience | Entry-level candidates |
| Risk Level | Low | High | Medium |
Let's break each one down.
Reverse-Chronological Format
This is the standard. If you are unsure which format to use, use this one.
A reverse-chronological resume lists your work experience starting with your most recent position and working backward. Each role includes the company name, your title, dates of employment, and bullet points describing your accomplishments.
Structure
[Contact Information]
[Professional Summary]
[Work Experience — most recent first]
- Company Name | Job Title | Dates
- Accomplishment bullet points
[Education]
[Skills]
Who Should Use It
- Professionals with a clear career progression in one field
- Anyone applying to a role similar to their current or recent role
- People with no significant employment gaps
- Anyone who wants maximum ATS compatibility
Who Should Avoid It
- Career changers whose recent experience is in an unrelated field
- People with significant gaps that will draw immediate attention
- Those whose most relevant experience is not their most recent
Why Recruiters Prefer It
Recruiters scan resumes in a predictable pattern. They look at your most recent role first, then scan backward to see progression. The chronological format aligns with this scanning behavior. It answers the recruiter's first two questions immediately: "What are you doing now?" and "How did you get here?"
A 2024 survey by TopResume found that 76% of recruiters and hiring managers prefer the reverse-chronological format. It is the path of least resistance.
Functional Format
The functional resume organizes your experience by skill category rather than by timeline. Instead of listing jobs in order, you group your accomplishments under headings like "Project Management," "Technical Skills," or "Client Relations."
Structure
[Contact Information]
[Professional Summary]
[Skills Categories]
- Category 1: Relevant accomplishments from any role
- Category 2: Relevant accomplishments from any role
- Category 3: Relevant accomplishments from any role
[Work History — brief, dates and titles only]
[Education]
Who Should Use It
- Career changers moving into a completely different field
- People returning to the workforce after an extended absence
- Professionals whose skills are more impressive than their job titles suggest
- Military veterans translating service experience to civilian roles
Who Should Avoid It
Almost everyone else. That sounds harsh, but there is a real problem with functional resumes: many recruiters view them with suspicion. When a recruiter sees a functional resume, their first thought is often "what is this person hiding?" Gaps, job hopping, lack of progression, being fired. The functional format can trigger assumptions that may not be true.
Additionally, ATS systems struggle with functional resumes. Most ATS software is built to parse chronological work histories. When it encounters a functional format, it may misattribute accomplishments, lose date information, or fail to parse the resume entirely.
"When I see a functional resume, I immediately wonder why the candidate chose it. Nine times out of ten, I wish they'd just used a chronological format and addressed the gap or change in their cover letter." — Hiring manager at a mid-size SaaS company
When It Works Despite the Risks
If your recent work history genuinely has no connection to your target role, the functional format prevents the reader from immediately dismissing you based on your current title. A customer service manager pivoting to UX research, for example, might have deep user interview skills that get buried in a chronological format but shine in a functional one.
The key is to be honest and strategic, not evasive. Still include a work history section with dates. Just keep it brief and let the skills categories do the heavy lifting.
Combination Format
The combination (or hybrid) format gives you the best of both worlds. It leads with a skills-based section that highlights your key qualifications, then follows with a standard reverse-chronological work history. The reader gets the skills context first, then sees where and when you developed those skills.
Structure
[Contact Information]
[Professional Summary]
[Core Competencies / Key Skills]
- Category 1: Relevant accomplishments
- Category 2: Relevant accomplishments
[Work Experience — reverse chronological]
- Company Name | Job Title | Dates
- Additional accomplishment bullets
[Education]
Who Should Use It
- Senior professionals with 10+ years of experience and a broad skill set
- People making a lateral career move (e.g., marketing manager to product marketing manager)
- Professionals whose skills span multiple roles and are hard to capture in a single chronological narrative
- Consultants or freelancers who have worked across many short engagements
Who Should Avoid It
- Entry-level candidates (you don't have enough skills to fill a dedicated section)
- People with a straightforward career progression (chronological will serve you better with less complexity)
Why It Works
The combination format solves the biggest weakness of both other formats. Unlike the functional resume, it still gives the reader a full chronological work history, so there is no suspicion about what you might be hiding. Unlike the pure chronological resume, it lets you lead with your strongest skills rather than hoping the reader connects the dots across multiple roles.
It is particularly effective for senior professionals who have held varied roles. A VP of Operations who has led supply chain, customer support, and IT teams over 15 years can use the combination format to group accomplishments by function, then show the career timeline below.
Making Your Decision
Choose your format based on your situation, not your preference:
Use chronological if your career tells a clear, upward story and your most recent role is relevant to your target job. This is the safe, effective default.
Use functional if your work history would actively work against you in a chronological format and you are confident your skills and accomplishments can stand on their own. Be aware of the risks and compensate with a strong cover letter.
Use combination if you have deep experience across multiple areas and want to control the narrative about what you bring to the role. This format takes more effort to write well, but it gives you the most control.
One more thing: whatever format you choose, keep it to one or two pages. A well-structured single page beats a sprawling two-page document in any format. The format is the frame. Your accomplishments are the picture.
Formatting Pitfalls Across All Three Types
Regardless of which format you choose, these mistakes will hurt you:
- Inconsistent formatting. If you bold one job title, bold them all. If you use bullet points in one section, do not switch to paragraphs in another.
- Fancy design elements. Columns, text boxes, headers with background colors, and icons all break ATS parsing. Save the creative layout for a portfolio site.
- Putting skills before contact info. Your name and contact information always go first. Always.
- Missing dates. Even in a functional resume, include a work history section with dates. Omitting dates entirely is a red flag.
Build the Right Resume for Your Situation
Choosing the right format is step one. Filling it with targeted, impactful content is step two. If you want help with both, Superpower Resume analyzes your experience against specific job descriptions and builds an optimized resume that highlights your strongest qualifications.
Upload your background, paste the job you are targeting, and get a tailored resume in the right format with the right content.
Sources
- TopResume: Recruiter Preferences Survey — Survey data showing 76% of recruiters prefer reverse-chronological resumes and insights on what format choices signal to hiring managers
- SHRM: Résumés, Applications and Cover Letters — SHRM guidance on how HR professionals evaluate different resume formats during the screening process
- Glassdoor: Resume Format Tips — Recruiter-sourced advice on choosing the right resume format, with data on how functional resumes affect ATS parsing success
