Professional Resume Format Examples for 2021

Let me break some disturbing news to you—

Recruiters don’t read resumes.

They merely skim them for most relevant information. Only the very best resumes will get more attention.

Which ones exactly?

Those that use an elegant, professional resume layout and proper resume formatting.

Let me show you an easy way to make a resume like that in no time.

In this guide you’ll learn:

• How to format a resume so that it lands you the interview.
• Easy-to-use tips and tricks for a professional resume layout.
• Which of the three resume formats to choose: reverse-chronological, functional, or combination (hybrid).
• Resume format templates and samples (MS Word included) better than 9 out of 10 others.

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To begin with, here’s a sample resume format in Word. Read on for a breakdown of what makes it so great!

1. How to Format a Resume for Greatest Impact

Good resume layout serves two purposes: it quickly leads recruiters’ eyes to where you want them to and it highlights your top strengths and achievements.

Here’s how to format a resume step by step:

1. Set one-inch margins on all sides.

2. Divide your resume into sections.

In the following order: contact information, summary or objective, work experience, education, skills, and additional sections (e.g. courses, certifications, publications, conference attendance).

3. Choose a clear, legible, and elegant resume font.

Stick to it throughout your resume. Go for 11 or 12 pt. Use 14 to 16 pt for your name at the top and bold for section headings.

4. Put a single blank line before and after your section headings.

5. In the experience and education sections, use reverse-chronological order.

Start with your most recent job or school, follow it with the one before it, and so on.

6. Make strategic use of bullet points.

They save space and help you get your message across concisely.

7. Try to make a one-page resume, but don’t obsess over it.

It’s better to have a two-pager than to omit important information. It’s even worse if you jam-pack the contents of your resume using tiny fonts and too little white space. How far back should a resume go? 10 to 15 years will more than suffice in most cases. 

8. Save your resume in the PDF format.

Unless the job ad states otherwise, submit your resume in PDF. Word files can go south in transit.

These are the basics. But there’s more to resume layout than this.

In the next section, you will see how to choose the best resume format for your job application.

Expert Hint: When should you use a resume, and when is it better to use a curriculum vitae? It depends. CV and resume actually have a different meaning across languages. Read about the difference between a resume and a CV here.

2. The Three Standard Resume Formats: Examples

To make a professional resume that appeals to recruiters, you need to follow professional resume format rules.

First off, here are the three most common resume formats that recruiters expect to see.:

• Reverse-chronological resume format
• Functional resume format
• Combination (hybrid) resume format

Choosing the proper resume style is all about dividing your resume into specific sections and putting them in the correct order.

Below, we break down how each one of these resume formats works and give our recommendations on who should pick which.

Reverse-Chronological Resume Layout

The reverse-chronological resume layout consists of:

1. Personal Information

2. Resume Summary or Resume Objective

3. Work Experience

4. Education

5. Skills

6. Additional sections (Courses, Conferences, Publications, Awards, or Hobbies and Interests)

Let’s check how the rev-chron resume format works in practise:

Sample Reverse-Chronological Resume Format

What is the main focus of the reverse-chronological resume layout?

Work experience.

And that’s exactly why it’s so popular amongst job seekers and valued by recruiters.

It can be explained by science.

A fascinating eye-tracking study by The Ladders found that recruiters spend up to 80% of their resume review time on the following parts:

• Name and job title
• Current position, company, start and end dates
• Previous position, company, start and end dates
• Education

The reverse-chronological resume format makes all that information easily available.

And it gives you an additional edge: it’s sure to pass an Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) scan.

Just like recruiters, the ATS bots are familiar with this resume format so they’ll extract your data without any glitches.

(And yes, it’s very important. This report has shown that almost 98% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS in recruitment.) Use an ATS-friendly resume template to make it past the bots.

Expert Hint: No wonder the good ‘ol rev-chron resume is the most popular US resume format. It’s elegant, clear, and useful to everyone. This format will be your safest bet!

Now, on to the most controversial of the three resume layouts.

The invention of the nineties:

Functional Resume Layout

The key ingredients of the functional resume layout are:

1. Contact Information

2. Resume Objective

3. Skills Summary

4. Additional Skills

5. Work Experience

6. Education

See the example to get the idea:

Sample Functional Resume Format

Looks fine at first glance. But let’s take a closer look—

Something seems wrong, doesn’t it?

Glassdoor survey amongst top talent acquisition pros revealed what recruiters really want to see on a well-formatted resume.

The key thing?

“Resume is easy to follow—we don’t have a lot of time to decipher qualifications. The easier a resume is to read and follow, the better,” says Karen Whyte, Senior Recruiter at Big Fish Games.

Functional resume format forces recruiters to do just that—decipher qualifications and read between the lines.

Sure, skills and qualifications are important.

But—

You can’t just randomly put them at the top of the resume in whatever order you see fit while not giving any tangible proof.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

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Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You’re the perfect candidate and we’ll prove it. Use the ResumeLab builder now.

Expert Hint: Unless you’re in a creative field (where a portfolio matters more than your resume) or you’re a military transitioner (whose detailed military job descriptions would be too hard to follow), drop the idea of a functional resume format. It’s just confusing. Plus, it might make recruiters feel like you’re trying to hide something.

So you’re bound to stick to the standard reverse-chronological resume layout, right?

Wrong.

There is an alternative:

Combination (Hybrid) Resume Layout

The combination resume layout is made up of:

1. Personal Information

2. Summary of Qualifications

3. Additional Skills

4. Experience

5. Education

Bringing theory to practice:

Sample Combination (Hybrid) Resume Format

I know what you’re thinking:

Well, this resume layout is almost identical to the functional format!

And you’re perfectly right. But there is a clear difference. I’m sure you can spot it.

The top part of the resume, your most valuable real estate, is also focused on skills. But—

Every single skill listed is backed up with verifiable, quantified proof.

Plus, have a look at the experience section:

It’s not as elaborate as in the reverse-chronological resume format, but still detailed enough to give a clear view of your career progression.

Already in love with the hybrid resume format?

Hold up a sec—

Expert Hint: The combination resume layout can only be used by very experienced job seekers. Usually, either people targeting higher-management positions or career changers with extensive work history. If you’re not that experienced yet, stick to the tried-and-tested reverse-chronological resume layout.

Time for a quick recap then:

3. How to Choose the Best Resume Format

Here’s a handy table comparing the three standard resume formats and layouts.

So, as you can see the best resume format is the one that works for you.

More times that will mean the classic, respected reverse-chronological resume layout.

Expert Hint: Not all Free Resume Builders are ATS friendly. To make sure your creative resume reaches a human reader, send it directly to the recruiter's inbox.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

Here are the key ingredients of the best resume format:

• Divide your resume into easily distinguishable sections.
• Make your resume formatting consistent: use one font, stick to a single date format.
• Make strategic use of white space and bullet points.
• Use one of the standard resume formats: reverse-chronological works for virtually all candidates, functional is good only for creative roles, combination suits very experienced job seekers.
• Reading from outside the US? Check out how to format an American resume. 

Got more questions? Need further help writing a resume? I’m here to listen and assist. Drop me a line in the comments. Let’s chat!