Did you know that an average recruiter typically spends no more than a couple of seconds on a candidate’s resume? This means you only have a brief couple of moments to capture their attention, or risk having your resume be thrown into the pile consisting of the ones that didn’t make the cut. Therefore, the visual appeal and the content structure of the resume that you send in is arguably even more important than what you mention inside of it; after all, no one will notice how brilliantly you’ve crafted your sentences if the resume don’t look promising at first glance.
With that in mind, let’s briefly examine some of the most attention-grabbing resume formats that you can use:
Chronological resume format
Without a shred of doubt, this is one of the most popular and functional resume formats in existence today. It’s very friendly to the reader, since it makes learning about the candidate’s career history quite simple and straightforward. Due to its chronological design, it’s easy to update as well. However, it may not be the ideal choice for jobseekers who have significant gaps in their work history, since it tends to cast unwanted spotlight on them.
Functional resume format
Unlike the chronological resume format that we’ve discussed before, a functional resume format highlights what you can do instead of listing where you used to work before. In order to present your skills effectively, take a look at Hloom resume templates to see how great-performing functional resumes are structured.
Pinstripe resume format
The pinstripes are there to quickly draw attention to the most important areas of your resume. Oftentimes, you’ll see lots of bullet points being used throughout the document, which allows for quickly skimming through the content by losing as little time as possible in order to determine the candidate’s most important skills and accomplishments.
Infographic resume format
Infographics are colorful and organized, which makes them a surefire way to get your resume noticed by being distinctively different in appearance than the vast majority of others. It’s pleasant to one’s eyes and attracts attention unlike any other format while allowing for all the creativity you can muster.
Portfolio resume format
This resume format is quite popular in the creative industries, especially among painters, illustrators, photographers, and the like. If you’re a graphic designer trying to get a job at one of the graphic design firms, relying on this format to convey the message will accomplish much more than what you could ever hope to achieve with words.
Hybrid resume format
Also known as the combo resume format, this option is the best for those who don’t fancy the idea of sticking to a predetermined set of formatting rules and would prefer having to come up with something on the spot, effectively adapting to whatever the situation seems to be calling for.
Conclusion
Each of the resume formats listed above offers something unique in terms of structure, functionality, and attention-grabbing. Your final choice should take into account all the necessary variables, such as the level of formality that’s expected of you in the work environment you’re trying to become a part of. In the end, choosing the right one often means being able to find a middle ground between standing out and following the rules, at least to a certain extent.