The format of your resume matters more than you might think. According to research from High5Test, 73% of hiring managers reject candidates due to poor resume formatting. Choose the wrong format, and recruiters might miss your best qualifications entirely. Choose the right one, and your experience speaks for itself.
But with three main formats to choose from, how do you know which is right for you?
This guide breaks down each resume format with examples, explains when to use each one, and helps you make the right choice for your situation.
The 3 Resume Formats Explained
There are three main resume formats, each with a different structure and purpose:
Format
Best For
ATS Compatibility
Reverse-Chronological
Most job seekers with consistent work history
Excellent
Functional (Skills-Based)
Career changers, significant employment gaps
Poor
Combination (Hybrid)
Experienced professionals, career changers with relevant skills
Good
Let's explore each in detail.
1. Reverse-Chronological Resume Format
The reverse-chronological format is the most widely used and recruiter-preferred resume format. It lists your work experience in reverse chronological order, with your most recent position first.
You have a consistent work history without major gaps
You're staying in the same industry or career path
Your most recent roles are your most impressive
You've shown clear career progression
According to Jobscan's research, this format is preferred by most recruiters and is the most compatible with applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Whichever format you land on, confirm it parses cleanly with our free ATS resume checker before you send it.
Chronological Resume Example
SARAH CHENLondon, UK | sarah.chen@email.com | linkedin.com/in/sarahchenPROFESSIONAL SUMMARYMarketing Manager with 7 years driving growth for B2B technologycompanies. Led demand generation strategies that increased qualifiedleads by 280% and reduced customer acquisition costs by 32%. Skilledin marketing automation, content strategy, and team leadership.WORK EXPERIENCESenior Marketing Manager | TechCorp Ltd | 2022 - Present- Led team of 6 marketers, growing department revenue contribution by 45%- Implemented HubSpot automation workflows that increased lead nurturing conversion by 35%- Developed content strategy generating 200,000+ monthly organic visitors- Managed annual budget of £400K across paid, organic, and event channelsMarketing Manager | StartupXYZ | 2019 - 2022- Built marketing function from ground up, establishing brand presence in competitive SaaS market- Launched product marketing campaigns that contributed to 150% YoY revenue growth- Created sales enablement materials that reduced sales cycle by 20%Marketing Coordinator | Digital Agency Co | 2017 - 2019- Managed social media accounts for 12 clients across B2B and B2C sectors- Coordinated 25+ client events with average 200 attendees- Produced monthly analytics reports tracking campaign performanceEDUCATIONBA Marketing | University of Manchester | 2017SKILLSMarketing Automation (HubSpot, Marketo) | Content Strategy | SEO/SEMPaid Advertising | Team Leadership | Budget Management
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Recruiters prefer it and know exactly where to find information
Recent experience gets the most attention (problematic if it's not your strongest)
2. Functional Resume Format (Skills-Based)
The functional format (also called skills-based) organises your experience by skill category rather than job history. Work history is minimised or placed at the bottom.
Structure
Contact InformationProfessional SummarySkills/Qualifications (grouped by category)Work History (brief - often just titles and dates)Education
When to Use Functional Format
Use this format if:
You're making a major career change and your job titles don't reflect your target role
You have significant employment gaps you want to de-emphasise
You're re-entering the workforce after a long break
Your relevant experience comes from non-work activities (volunteering, education)
A Warning About Functional Resumes
Most recruiters and career experts now advise against using purely functional resumes.
According to Jobscan's research on recruiter opinions, "Functional resumes often feel like they're hiding something." Career expert Clair Levy notes: "Some recruiters see a functional resume and immediately think, 'What are they hiding?'"
The Interview Guys' 2025 analysis states that "the Pure Functional Format has fallen sharply out of favor with both ATS systems and human recruiters."
Key problems with functional resumes:
Creates suspicion - Recruiters wonder what you're hiding
Lacks context - Skills without job context are hard to evaluate
ATS issues - Research shows functional resumes are 70% more likely to be misinterpreted by ATS
Career progression unclear - Recruiters can't assess your growth
If you're considering a functional resume, the combination format is almost always a better choice.
Functional Resume Example
JAMES WILSONBirmingham, UK | james.wilson@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jameswilsonPROFESSIONAL SUMMARYCustomer-focused professional with 8 years in client relationshipmanagement transitioning to account management. Proven track recordof increasing customer satisfaction and retention through consultativeapproaches and problem-solving.RELEVANT SKILLS & ACHIEVEMENTSClient Relationship Management- Maintained 95% customer satisfaction scores across 200+ client accounts- Built relationships that increased repeat business by 40%- Resolved escalated customer issues with 98% positive outcomesSales & Business Development- Identified upselling opportunities generating £120K additional revenue- Developed proposals that won 15 new accounts worth £400K annually- Created customer referral programme with 25% participation rateCommunication & Presentation- Delivered product demonstrations to groups of up to 50 decision-makers- Wrote case studies featured in industry publications- Trained 20+ colleagues on customer engagement best practicesProject Coordination- Managed implementation projects for enterprise clients- Coordinated cross-functional teams of 5-10 members- Delivered projects on time with 100% client satisfactionWORK HISTORYCustomer Success Specialist | ServiceCo Ltd | 2020 - 2024Senior Customer Service Representative | RetailCorp | 2016 - 2020EDUCATIONBA Business Studies | Birmingham City University | 2016
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Highlights transferable skills for career changers
De-emphasises employment gaps or inconsistent work history
Useful when job titles don't reflect actual responsibilities
Cons:
Recruiters often view it negatively (appears to hide something)
Harder for ATS to parse correctly
Lacks context for achievements
Difficult to verify claims without job context
Considered outdated by most career experts
3. Combination Resume Format (Hybrid)
The combination (or hybrid) format merges elements of both chronological and functional formats. It leads with a skills section but follows with a full chronological work history.
You have extensive relevant skills that deserve prominent placement
You're an experienced professional with diverse expertise
You're targeting roles that require specific technical skills
You want to highlight skills while still providing work history context
You're changing careers but have relevant transferable skills
According to FlexJobs, "If your work experience cannot stand alone on your resume, using a hybrid resume is safer. It's especially beneficial when switching industries because the recruiter can see consistent work history, but you can still highlight your transferable skills."
This format works particularly well for senior professionals, technical roles, and those with 10+ years of experience.
Combination Resume Example
PRIYA PATELManchester, UK | priya.patel@email.com | linkedin.com/in/priyapatelPROFESSIONAL SUMMARYSenior Data Scientist with 9 years building machine learning solutionsfor financial services. Led development of fraud detection model thatsaved £12M annually. Expert in Python, deep learning, and translatingcomplex analytics into business strategy.TECHNICAL SKILLSProgramming & ToolsPython (NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn) | R | SQL | TensorFlow | PyTorchSpark | Hadoop | AWS (SageMaker, EC2, S3) | Docker | GitMachine Learning & AnalyticsSupervised/Unsupervised Learning | Deep Learning | NLP | Time SeriesA/B Testing | Statistical Modelling | Data Visualisation (Tableau, D3.js)Domain ExpertiseFraud Detection | Risk Modelling | Customer SegmentationRecommendation Systems | Forecasting | Credit ScoringPROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCELead Data Scientist | FinanceBank PLC | 2021 - Present- Lead team of 8 data scientists developing ML models for risk and fraud- Built real-time fraud detection system reducing losses by £12M annually- Developed customer churn model improving retention by 23%- Established MLOps practices reducing model deployment time by 70%- Present quarterly insights to C-suite and board committeesSenior Data Scientist | InsureTech Ltd | 2018 - 2021- Developed pricing optimisation model increasing profit margins by 12%- Built NLP system automating claims processing, reducing handling time by 45%- Mentored 4 junior data scientists, 2 promoted to senior roles- Published 3 papers at industry conferencesData Scientist | ConsultingCo | 2015 - 2018- Delivered analytics projects for 15+ clients across banking and retail- Built customer segmentation model adopted by FTSE 100 retailer- Created automated reporting dashboards saving 20 hours weeklyEDUCATIONPhD Machine Learning | Imperial College London | 2015MSc Statistics | University of Edinburgh | 2012CERTIFICATIONSAWS Certified Machine Learning SpecialtyGoogle Professional Data Engineer
Pros and Cons
Pros:
Highlights both skills and experience effectively
Provides context that functional format lacks
Works well for technical and senior roles
More acceptable to recruiters who dislike functional resumes
Still ATS-compatible due to chronological work history
Cons:
Can become lengthy if not carefully edited
May be redundant if skills are obvious from work history
Requires more effort to format effectively
Which Resume Format Should You Choose?
Use this decision guide:
Choose Reverse-Chronological If:
You have 2+ years of relevant work experience
Your work history shows clear progression
You're staying in the same field
You don't have significant employment gaps (1+ years)
This is the default choice for 90% of job seekers. It's what recruiters expect, it's ATS-friendly, and it clearly shows your career trajectory.
Choose Functional If:
You're making a major career change AND have no relevant work history at all
You have gaps of 3+ years you need to address
Your relevant experience is primarily non-work (education, volunteering)
5-15 years experience: 1-2 pages (2 pages is acceptable in UK)
15+ years or academic CVs: 2-3 pages
Note: UK CVs can be slightly longer than US resumes. A 2-page CV is standard in the UK for experienced professionals.
Font and Size
Fonts: Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Georgia, or Times New Roman
Size: 10-12pt for body text, 14-16pt for your name
Headings: 12-14pt, bold
Margins and Spacing
Margins: 0.5 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm) on all sides
Line spacing: 1.0 to 1.15
Section spacing: Add white space between sections for readability
File Format
PDF for most applications (preserves formatting)
Word (.docx) if specifically requested or for older ATS systems
ATS Considerations by Format
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) parse resumes to extract information. According to Enhancv's research, over 97% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS, and format choice significantly affects how well your resume is parsed.
Most ATS-Friendly: Reverse-Chronological
Standard section headings and clear structure make chronological resumes easiest for ATS to read. This format has near-perfect parsing rates.
Moderately ATS-Friendly: Combination
Skills sections are well-parsed, but more complex layouts can cause issues. Use standard headings and avoid tables.
Least ATS-Friendly: Functional
Research from Cultivated Culture shows functional resumes are 70% more likely to be misinterpreted or incorrectly categorised by ATS. Important information may be missed or placed in wrong fields.
Tip: Regardless of format, use standard section headings like "Work Experience," "Education," and "Skills." Avoid creative alternatives like "Where I've Made an Impact" or "My Journey."
Each format requires slightly different organisation. Here are skeleton templates (for real-world examples with full content, browse our template gallery):
Complex tables can confuse ATS systems. Keep the main content in a simple, single-column layout. Two-column layouts can work but require careful implementation.
2. Including Photos
Unless you're in modelling or acting, photos don't belong on resumes in the UK and US. They can introduce bias and waste space.
3. Using Creative Section Headings
"My Professional Journey" sounds nice but confuses ATS. Stick with standard headings like "Work Experience."
4. Inconsistent Formatting
If one job uses bullet points, they all should. If dates are right-aligned for one entry, do the same for all.
5. Cramming Too Much
White space is your friend. A cluttered resume is harder to scan than one with breathing room.
6. Using Headers and Footers
Many ATS systems can't read content in headers and footers. Keep your contact information in the main body of the document.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a creative resume format?
For creative industries (design, advertising, media), visual resumes can work well. For most other industries, stick to traditional formats. Remember that even creative resumes need ATS-friendly versions for online applications.
Should I use colour on my resume?
Subtle colour can work (navy headings, for example), but ensure it prints well in black and white and doesn't distract from content. Stick to professional colours and avoid bright or neon shades.
What if I have both employment gaps AND a career change?
The combination format is your best bet. Lead with transferable skills, then provide chronological context. Consider addressing gaps briefly in your cover letter or professional summary.
How do I format remote work?
List remote positions like any other job. You can note "Remote" after the company name or location if it's relevant to demonstrate your ability to work independently.
Do recruiters really care about format?
Yes. A clear, well-organised resume shows attention to detail and makes their job easier. Research shows that poor formatting is one of the top reasons resumes get rejected.
Is the UK CV format different from the US resume format?
Yes, slightly. UK CVs are typically 2 pages (vs 1 page preferred in US), include a "personal statement" instead of "objective," and may include date of birth (though this is becoming less common). The reverse-chronological format is preferred in both countries.
Ready to Build Your CV?
The right format is just the foundation. You still need compelling content, proper keywords, and professional presentation.
Browse our community template gallery to see real examples of professionally formatted CVs, or create your own with JobSprout. We provide ATS-friendly templates in all three formats, with AI assistance to help you write compelling content. Free to create and download.
