Skip Navigation LinksKern Patriot Partnership Home > Military to Civilian Resume Guide > Resume FormatsChronological Résumé vs. Functional Résumé
What’s the Difference?
The two most commonly-used résumé formats are: Chronological and Functional. Below you will find descriptions of these types of résumés, plus their respective advantages and disadvantages:
Chronological | Functional |
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- Use if you have extensive, uninterrupted employment in the area in which you are seeking employment
- Lists, describes and dates the specifics of each job and educational experience separately
- Listings under each category are placed in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent
| - Use if you:
- Lack direct job-related experience
- Have too much or too varied professional experience and wish to consolidate it
- Are attempting a career change and need to emphasize transferable skills
- Are experienced, but have ”gaps” in your work history that you would like to minimize
- Focuses on your strengths and skill areas, and de-emphasizes positions and dates
- Skills are organized into categories
- Always add a Work History section after your skill categories to give credibility to your experience and skills
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Advantages |
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- Easy to read, write and follow
- Has been the most traditional
- Emphasizes continuity and career growth
- Usually stresses the most recent employment
- Highlights the name of employer
| - Maximizes impact in a functional area without being tied to "paid" work experience
- More flexibility in organizing information, e.g., according to interests, not chronology
- De-emphasizes short–term work history
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Disadvantages |
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- If done the traditional way, hard to communicate skills and general strengths/qualities
- Emphasizes gaps in employment
- Dramatizes short-term employment
- Most dependent upon past experience
| - Some employers are not accustomed to this format, and it can be confusing for employers to follow
- It tends to play down direct work experience with specific employers
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