Every week we receive questions about resumes and how to prepare them. A major consideration is whether to prepare a resume using a functional or chronological order when presenting past and current work experience. Although there is no right answer to this question, here are some things to consider:

If you are on a straightforward career path and your most recent job is the most relevant to the new position you are applying for, you should use a standard chronological resume. In this format, you will list your employment beginning with the most recent. Each employer should have a section and the job description should be summed up in a few precise sentences that envelop your experience. Your most recent job should be placed first as employers are most likely to read this experience before others.

If you are going back to something you used to do, changing careers, or have a scattered history, a functional resume will serve your experiences better. This resume will list your achievements first while dividing them into two to five categories. The next section will list past employment with relatively little discussion. In this style of resume you will commonly run two pages. Just remember to list the most relevant categories first as employers are likely to read them before others. In closing, we would like to mention the most common format that is used is the chronological resume because job seekers are most likely to be continuing there career path in the same field and the last job performed is usually the best showcase of their talents and abilities.