TL;DR
For most people: use reverse chronological. It's what recruiters expect and what ATS handles best. Use functional if you're changing careers or have major gaps. Use combination if you need to highlight specific skills while showing progression. Always use a single-column layout for ATS compatibility.
The Three Resume Formats
Every resume follows one of three basic structures. Each has tradeoffs. Understanding them helps you make the right choice.
| Format | Structure | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Chronological | Experience listed newest to oldest | Most job seekers, traditional career paths |
| Functional | Skills-based sections, minimal timeline | Career changers, employment gaps |
| Combination | Skills section + chronological experience | Senior professionals, skill-heavy roles |
1. Chronological Format (Recommended)
The chronological format-technically "reverse chronological"-lists your experience starting with your most recent job and working backward.
Structure
Contact Information
Name, phone, email, LinkedIn, and location at the top.
Professional Summary
A brief 2-3 sentence overview of your qualifications.
Work Experience (newest first)
Your job history in reverse chronological order.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant training.
Skills
Technical and soft skills relevant to the role.
Why it's the default choice
- Recruiters prefer it. It's the format they're used to scanning.
- ATS parses it well. Standard structure means fewer parsing errors.
- Shows progression. Career growth is immediately visible.
- Easy to follow. Your story reads in a logical order.
When to use it
- You have a steady work history
- You're staying in the same field
- Your recent experience is your strongest selling point
- You're not sure which format to use (this is the safe choice)
When to avoid it
- You have significant gaps in employment
- You're making a major career change
- Your recent experience isn't relevant to the target role
Chronological Format Example Structure:
Sarah Chen
[email protected] | (555) 123-4567 | linkedin.com/in/sarahchen
Professional Summary
Product manager with 5 years of experience launching B2B SaaS products...
Experience
Senior Product Manager - Acme Corp (2022 - Present)
- Achievement bullet 1
- Achievement bullet 2
Product Manager - StartupCo (2019 - 2022)
- Achievement bullet 1
- Achievement bullet 2
Education
MBA, Business School - 2019
Skills
Product Strategy, User Research, Agile, SQL, Figma
2. Functional Format
The functional format organizes your resume by skill categories rather than by job. Work history is minimized or moved to the bottom.
Structure
Contact Information
Name, phone, email, and LinkedIn.
Professional Summary
Brief overview of your qualifications and goals.
Skills Categories
Skills grouped by category with examples under each.
Work History (brief)
Job titles and dates at the bottom.
Education
Degrees and certifications.
When to use it
- You're changing careers and your job titles don't reflect your skills
- You have significant employment gaps
- You're re-entering the workforce after a break
- Your skills are more relevant than where you learned them
The problem with functional resumes
Recruiter Concerns
Here's the truth: many recruiters don't like this format.
- Raises red flags. Recruiters wonder what you're hiding.
- Hard to assess experience. They can't tell what you did where.
- ATS struggles. Non-standard structure can cause parsing issues.
Use this format only when chronological would actively hurt you. Even then, consider the combination format as an alternative.
3. Combination Format
The combination (or hybrid) format gives you the best of both worlds: a skills section that highlights your strengths, followed by chronological experience.
Structure
Contact Information
Name, phone, email, and LinkedIn.
Professional Summary
Brief overview of your experience and key strengths.
Skills / Core Competencies
Key skills with brief examples demonstrating each.
Work Experience (chronological)
Full job history in reverse chronological order.
Education
Degrees and relevant certifications.
When to use it
Best For
- You're a senior professional with diverse skills to highlight
- You're applying for skill-intensive roles (technical, creative)
- You want to emphasize specific competencies while showing progression
- You're changing careers but have relevant transferable skills
Benefits
- Skills get immediate visibility at the top
- Still shows career progression
- Better ATS compatibility than pure functional
- Works for career changers without hiding your history
Combination Format Example Structure:
Alex Rivera
[email protected] | (555) 987-6543
Professional Summary
Marketing leader with 8 years driving growth for tech companies...
Core Competencies
Digital Marketing: Led campaigns generating $2M+ in pipeline...
Team Leadership: Built and managed team of 6 marketers...
Analytics: Implemented attribution model that improved ROAS by 40%...
Experience
Director of Marketing - TechCorp (2021 - Present)
Marketing Manager - GrowthCo (2018 - 2021)
Education
BS Marketing - State University
Format Decision Guide
Not sure which format to use? Answer these questions:
Use Chronological if:
- ✓ Your work history shows clear progression
- ✓ Your recent experience is relevant to your target role
- ✓ You don't have major employment gaps
- ✓ You're applying within your current field
Use Combination if:
- ✓ You have 10+ years of experience with diverse skills
- ✓ You're applying for senior or technical roles
- ✓ You want to highlight specific competencies
- ✓ You're changing careers but have transferable skills to showcase
Use Functional only if:
- ✓ You have very significant employment gaps
- ✓ Your job titles don't reflect your actual skills
- ✓ Chronological would actively hurt your candidacy
- ✓ You understand the risks and limitations
Layout Considerations
Single Column vs. Two Column
You've probably seen sleek two-column resume templates. They look modern. The problem: they often break ATS parsing.
Single column:
Safest for ATS. Content reads in order.
Two column:
Can cause content to be read out of order or missed.
Our Recommendation
Use single column unless you're confident the resume will be reviewed by humans first (referrals, creative industries).
One Page vs. Two Pages
- One page: Best for early-career (0-10 years) or when applying to startups
- Two pages: Acceptable for senior roles (10+ years), executives, or academia
The rule isn't about length-it's about relevance. Every line should earn its place. A tight one-pager beats a padded two-pager.
Format Mistakes to Avoid
Common Format Mistakes
- Creative templates for corporate jobs. Stick to clean and professional.
- Tables and text boxes. ATS can't read them properly.
- Headers and footers. Often ignored by ATS.
- Inconsistent formatting. Same style throughout.
- Tiny fonts to fit more content. If it doesn't fit, cut content.
- Photos. Not standard in the US and can cause bias issues.
This is one reason people use MORT's Resume Builder-every resume it generates uses ATS-safe formatting automatically. No worrying about whether your template will break the parser.
Format matters. Tailoring matters more.
The right format gets you in the door. Tailored content gets you the interview. MORT's Resume Builder handles both-creating ATS-optimized resumes customized for each job.