What’s the Best Resume Format in 2022? (2023)

FAQs

What is the most preferred resume format? ›

The chronological resume (also known as the reverse-chronological format) is the most popular format and the best resume format for experienced candidates. The chronological resume emphasizes your work history section, where you list information about current and past jobs with the most recent job first.

Depending on the job description and your work experience, your resume should be one or two pages long. If you have over 10 years of relevant experience, a multi-page resume works better than a one-page. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind if your resume does go over several pages long.

Don't include lots of information that's irrelevant to the job you're applying for. “Sure, you've got hobbies, interests, languages, favorite bands, and ambitions,” Cenedella says. “But keep the information that doesn't address your ability to be responsible, accountable, and a hard worker to a reasonable level.”

There are mainly four things that recruiters and hiring managers look for in the resume scanning stage: work experience, education, skill set, and personality.

Chronological is the most common type of resume. It lists your work history, with the most recent positions shown first. Employers typically prefer this type of resume because it's easy to see what jobs you have held and when you worked at them.

Chronological is best if you have a strong career path that shows current and previous experience related to your field. However, if you are new to the workforce, a functional resume may be better suited to show your skills.

There are three common resume formats: chronological, functional, and combination.

There's no need to include personal information on a resume such as your social security number, marital status, nationality, sexual orientation, or spiritual beliefs. In fact, it is illegal for employers to ask for these personal details.

What font should a resume be in? ›

Times New Roman is widely-considered the most classic and traditional font to use on a resume. If you want to play it safe, this is the #1 font to use.

Most experts recommend including 10-15 years of work history on your resume. For the majority of professionals, this includes between three and five different jobs.

Do employers prefer Word or PDF resumes? ›

What if they say to send the resume in PDF or Word? When in doubt, use the Word doc. Word documents are the preferred resume file type for applicant tracking systems (ATSs) because they are easier to parse than a PDF, so if you are applying for a job through an ATS, make your resume a . docx (or .

For many older job seekers, it may be best to use a hybrid resume. This resume style allows you to highlight your relevant skills at the top of the resume without drawing attention to your dates of employment. While you include your work history in chronological order, it doesn't take center stage.

The "skills" section of a resume is the most important, according to many employers. A candidate that lacks experience should still have the necessary skills, showing a potential for growth. A variety of skills is also important to indicate that a candidate has a number of interests.

The 3 F's of resume writing are Function, Form(at) and (e)Ffectiveness. When these 3 elements are adhered to simultaneously in the resume, they make it the perfect fit for the role you're applying to.

Should you put your address on your resume? It's optional. In certain situations, including it could be helpful, but leaving it out won't get you rejected. Put the city and zip code of the employer in your professional summary if you're really concerned about being rejected by the ATS.

The best colors for a resume are black, white, and blue.

If you're looking for the best color scheme for your resume and want a resume color that's proven and safe to use, go with the same color that these big brands use — blue.

It's recommended to have 3-6 bullets under each role with more focus on functions that are relevant to the job. It is also crucial to start your bullet points with action verbs and quantify what you did in your previous jobs.

Can my resume be 2 pages? ›

Can a Resume Be 2 Pages? A resume can be two pages long. Just make sure your resume isn't longer just because it includes unncessary details like irrelevant work experience or skills unrelated to the job you're applying for.

A bad resume lacks both measurable and individualized outcomes. Instead of listing the tasks you perform or talking about your company's accomplishments, explain how you used your skills to create measurable results for your employer.

Key Takeaways. You Don't Need to Include Every Job on Your Resume: Highlight jobs that demonstrate your experience, skills, and fit for the role. Leave Off Jobs That Are Unrelated: You can also omit jobs that are more than 10 to 15 years old, to avoid age discrimination.

Best Resume Fonts

When speaking with recruiters, it quickly became clear that classic fonts are still the best options. "I'm a big fan of the 'classics' for resumes – Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, and Cambria.

Typically, resumes stay within a single-spaced format up to 1.5-point spacing. You want enough space to keep your resume scannable without leaving too much white space between lines of text.

The font size matters, too

If it's too large, your resume will look bulky and end up being longer than it needs to be. To avoid making any mistakes when it comes to font sizes and formatting, here are my three general rules: Your name (at the top): 18 to 24 points. Headings: 12 to 16 points.

A resume headline (also known as a resume title) is a brief phrase that highlights your value as a candidate. Located at the top of your resume under your name and contact information, a headline allows a recruiter to see quickly and concisely what makes you the right person for the job.

The five basic but important elements to include in your resume should be: a heading, your objective, skills and experience, education, certifications and awards, interests and finally, references. We deep-dive into points for considerations under each of these seven key elements.

The core contents of a resume include: contact information, resume summary / resume objective, work experience, education and skills.

How many jobs should you list on your resume? ›

Even if you have a long work history, expounding on only three to five jobs is the most effective way to highlight your expertise. After that, you could save space by writing the rest of your history without a description.

A declaration in a resume states that all the information you have included is correct to the best of your knowledge. It is typically placed at the end of a resume as an affirmation that all the information presented is the truth. Along with the declaration, the statement also includes the writer's name and the date.

It's totally fine just to list years on your resume as long as it doesn't significantly misrepresent your background — for example, don't list a six-week job from December 2022 to January 2023 as "2022-2023," but you can list a job you held from March to October 2022 as simply "2022."

How Many Jobs Should You List on a Resume? You should list as many jobs on your resume as you can assuming they are all relevant and you're not going beyond the 10-15 year limit. The number of jobs typically varies between 7 and 3. As long as each job or position is relevant, you shouldn't worry about the exact number.

For the majority of job-seekers, the best resume format in 2023 is the reverse-chronological resume format. This resume format involves listing your resume information (e.g. your work experience and your education) starting with the most recent one and going backward through relevant jobs, degrees, or qualifications.

You should use a resume summary section when you want to highlight your skills, experience, and overall showcase your professional background to recruiters. Use this opportunity to intrigue and draw them further into your resume by helping them get a quick overview of your know-how and how you can be a valuable asset.

Colors for Resume 2022? It seems that most hiring managers believe that colors on a resume won't make or break an application unless you're in a conservative field. If you're applying for a creative career, adding a few tasteful colors to an eye-catching resume template may be the way to go.

In general, avoid putting a photo on your resume. Studies show recruiters spend less than seven seconds looking at a resume, so you don't want to distract them in any way. Resume photos can be a distraction.

Your resume is too long. As you progress in your career, your resume will get longer. But too much information can overwhelm readers and make your resume seem outdated. When an employer reads your resume, they're not looking for a list of everything you've done.

What should you not put in a resume summary? ›

Allowing your resume to run longer than the standard one-page length may actually help you get further in the job hunting process, research suggests. A 2018 study found that employers preferred two-page resumes over one-page resumes, regardless of a candidate's job level.

Black and white create the highest contrast possible, so it is considered one of the best color schemes to use on a resume. You can choose a pale background and intensive dark lettering. Just keep in mind that your resume may be printed in black and white, so don't use pale on pale.

Conclusion: Best Colors on a Resume

A black, white, and blue color scheme will appear modern, trustworthy, and grab the reader's attention without being distracting. Beyond blue, other good choices include green, red, and orange.

Should you put your address on your resume? It's optional. In certain situations, including it could be helpful, but leaving it out won't get you rejected. Put the city and zip code of the employer in your professional summary if you're really concerned about being rejected by the ATS.

You'll want to have anywhere between 5 and 10 skills in the skills section of your resume. Your resume's skills section is a key part of impressing a hiring manager and recruiter. It's important to tailor your resume to the specific job, and put any skills that the job description is asking for.

For most candidates, a resume should be only one page. Be brief and concise with anything you write on your resume. Customize your resume for the job you're applying for and include only relevant experience. If you've done everything right, you shouldn't get past one page.

Do not include references on a resume unless an employer asks you to. Look for alternative methods of spotlighting a former employer's endorsement, like a recommendation letter. Never include professional references without first checking with each person you list. If you do include references, list three of them.