Try these resume formats when job searching

Chronological. Chronological résumés organize career experience and achievements according to time periods. Gala Jackson, owner and senior consultant at the career consulting boutique InterviewSnob, says these résumés “are a good, standard, simple format and could work in any industry.” Heather Wieshlow, chief career strategist and owner of Turning Point Coaching and Consulting, says this type of résumé is a good general source for information. “Recruiters like to see where applicants started, their progression, gaps, levels of companies,” she says. “It’s a clear snapshot.” On the other hand, Wieshlow says chronological résumés don’t work well for someone switching careers or with unexplained gaps in employment history that highlight missing qualifications.

Targeted. Targeted résumés use a job’s requirements and qualifications as its foundation to provide direct examples to hiring managers and recruiters of how your skills match the job you’re seeking. “The objective should be targeted to what the potential employer is looking for. The résumé should highlight the skills the HR manager is looking for,” says Vicki Krotzer, human resources consultant with Maximum Business Consulting, LLC. Even though this is one type of format, targeted content should be included in every résumé. “You have to adapt your résumé to what a company is looking for to fill a position,” Wieshlow says.