I recently finished up a series of resume workshops for downsized senior professionals and executives - while the audience varied in career background and experience for week to week, the resume questions remained the same.
One area of resume writing that some jobseekers struggle with is determining the right format to highlight their experience, qualifications and talents to prospective employers.
Should you use a functional, chronological or combination format and is there a preferred format that employers want to see?
Well, it is more simple than you think - the resume format that you select is directly related to the type of position you are targeting, the employer's needs, and your relevant experience and achievements.
Here is a simple checklist that you can use to help you determine the right resume format for your executive job search.
If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you should be using a Chronological Resume Format
-- Do you have steady career progression in the past 10+ years and are seeking similar career opportunities in the same industry?
-- Has your experience been with Fortune 500 or top name, industry leading companies?
-- Are you partnering with an executive recruiter as part of your job search campaign?
-- Are you launching an international job search to take advantage of career opportunities in other countries?
-- Are you targeting more conservative career fields or industries like law, accounting, banking or government?
-- Are you are changing fields but looking to maximize your same functional expertise? (For example: marketing executive in media industry targeting marketing executive positions in healthcare industry)
If you answer "yes" to any of the following questions, you should be using a Functional Resume Format
-- Are you re-entering the workforce after a long break and want to transition into a new career?
-- Are you changing careers and pursuing opportunities that are a different function from your past experience?
-- Is your work history inconsistent - you have changed jobs very frequently and have employment gaps?
-- Does your entire career consistent of positions with essentially the same responsibilities over and over again?
Regardless of the resume format that you decide to use, it is very important to remember to let the employer's requirements/needs guide you in determining what aspects of your career background content gets included in the resume.
Only include relevant work experience, qualifications, education, training and expertise that market you as the right fit for the position.
