Resume Format Guide (with Examples)

Updated 29 July 2023

A great resume can capture the attention of a recruiter or hiring manager and help you stand out from other applicants. Formatting your resume is an important step in creating a professional, readable resume.

There are several different ways to format your resume. One of the first decisions you are required to make is the type of resume you would write: chronological, functional or combination. Each of these resume types is beneficial for different people who have various backgrounds and objectives. When making specific formatting decisions like margin size or font style, your goal is to deliver a document that allows employers to quickly see why you are a good fit for the job.

In this guide, we discuss the best ways to format your resume for your career objectives. While you might be formatting your existing resume for new job applications, you can also make certain formatting decisions before you begin writing. This allows you to construct a resume within the guidelines of proper formatting. For example, setting one-inch margins provides a structure so you know how long your resume is when formatting is applied. From there, you can adjust font size and style as needed.

Let us begin by looking at the three main types of resumes and which would be best for you.

Most Popular Resume Formats

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

Chronological resume

A chronological resume lists your work experience in reverse chronological order starting with your most recent position at the top. This is the most traditional resume format and for many years it remained the most common.

A chronological resume format usually includes the following information in this order:

Contact information
Objective or summary statement
Professional experience
Relevant skills
Education
Additional information (i.e. volunteer work and special interests—optional)

A chronological resume is a good choice for anyone whose employment history shows a consistent, advancing career path. For example, you might select a chronological resume format if you have spent the past several years in the same industry and each role you have held was more senior than the last. It is also often used by people who are applying to a position in the same or similar field for the majority of their work experience.

But, if you have multiple gaps in your employment history, you are looking to change careers or your work experience is heavily varied, you may want to consider a functional or combination resume.

Functional resume

A functional resume focuses more on relevant skills than work history. While the chronological format highlights work experience with detailed summaries of the achievements within each position, the functional format focuses on the applicant’s skill set.

A functional resume format usually includes the following information in this order:

Contact information
Objective or summary statement
Summary of relevant skills
Work experience
Education
Additional information (i.e. volunteer work and special interests)

A functional resume is best if you have multiple gaps in employment, are shifting careers with little to no experience in the industry in which you are applying or if you are re-entering the workforce after a lengthy break.

In some cases, a functional resume might be too limiting. If you have some experience and few or no gaps in your employment history, a combination resume might be the right choice.

Combination resume

A combination resume is a blend of the chronological and functional resume types. This resume format allows you to emphasise both your work experience and relevant skills. Because your skills and employment history consume most of your resume space, you may be required to eliminate optional sections such as volunteer work or special interests.

A combination resume format usually includes the following information in this order:

Contact information
Objective or summary statement
Work experience
Summary of most relevant skills
Education

The combination resume is a more flexible format so you are required to list either your skills or your work experience first depending on which you consider more important for the role. For example, if you have many unique skills that are especially valuable to the industry in which you are applying for work, you might consider listing them above your work experience. It can also be helpful to look for clues in the job posting to understand what is most important for the employer in an ideal candidate.

How To Format A Resume?

The goal of formatting your resume is to create a professional-looking, easy to read document. Employers have only a short time to look through your resume so your formatting decisions are required to make information clear and easy to find. If you are formatting an existing resume, you might require to adjust certain words or phrases to ensure it is still easy to read after you applied formatting changes. If you are formatting a resume before you write it, be sure to pay attention to how the information looks on the page and adjust as needed.

Here are the key steps for formatting a resume:

Apply appropriate margins.
Select a professional, readable font.
Make your font size 10–12 points.
Feature section headers.
Use bullet points.
Ask for feedback.

Let us look at each of these components in detail. Consider how you might apply each of these when drafting or updating your resume.

1. Apply appropriate margins

Setting proper margins for your document ensures the information fits within a highly readable space on the page. Standard margins for resumes and other professional documents like cover letters or resignation letters is one inch on all sides. If you have a fairly short resume with a lot of blank space, you can use wider margins to create a less distracting document that appears fuller. If you decide to adjust your margins, you require to keep them below 1.5 inches.

You are also required to make sure to left-align your resume so it is easy to read. If appropriate and readable, you might decide to center-align certain section headers to stylise your resume.

2. Select a professional, readable font

When deciding what font to use for your resume, keep in mind that it is clear and easy to read. Making sure employers do not require to do any work to understand words on your resume is the most important factor when choosing a font. It is also helpful if your resume is sent through an application tracking system (ATS). Many employers use an ATS, which does not always read and interpret intricate fonts well. You are also required to avoid “light” or “thin” fonts which can sometimes be difficult to read on a screen or on paper.

There are two main categories of fonts—serif and sans serif. Serif fonts have tails while sans serif fonts do not. Sans serif fonts (or fonts without tails) are generally good fonts for resumes because they have clean lines that are easy to read. There are fonts like Georgia but there are few more that are still widely accepted among employers as simple and professional.

Here are some examples of the best resume fonts:

Avenir
Calibri
Cambria
Constantia
Corbel
Franklin Gothic
Garamond
Georgia
Gill Sans
Helvetica

3. Make your font size 10–12 points

Another factor in making your words highly readable is setting an appropriate font size. Generally, you are required to stay between 10 and 12 points. If you are trying to reduce white space, select a 12-point font. Anything more might appear cartoonish or unprofessional. If you have a lot of information on your page, start with a 10-point font and increase it if you have space.

If your resume is still more than one page with a 10-point font, avoid reducing your font further and see if there is opportunity to make your ideas briefer instead. You can do this by removing any irrelevant or extraneous information, combining ideas or making your ideas briefer with shorter sentences and less filler words.

For example, here is a resume sentence that can be shortened:

“Performed inventory audits on a monthly basis and discovered issues with over-ordering—executed an organisation solution across all teams which resulted in a 10 percent increase in revenue over the next two quarters.”

Make your ideas concise and remove filler words to include only the core value of your statement:

“Performed regular inventory audits, identified and solved over-ordering problem to achieve 10 percent revenue increase.”

Here are a few other techniques you can use to write a shorter resume:

Consider removing filler words such as ‘like,’ ‘with,’ ‘a,’ ‘and’ and ‘that’.
Instead of listing each function of every job you have held, pick 2–3 key impacts you made in those roles.
If you have two points that are similar, consider combining them into one brief statement.

4. Feature section headers

Bolding, underlining or increasing the font size for section headers can help employers quickly find the information they are looking for. Be careful when formatting section headers. They are required to be differentiated from the section body in a clean, professional way. You can stylise your headers in a few different ways.

Use a ‘bold’ font on your section headers.
Increase the size of your section header fonts to 12, 14 or 16 points.
Underline your section headers.

You can also apply these styles to your name and contact information at the top of your resume. This information is required to be the first thing employers see and ensure it is easy to read and reference.

5. Use bullet points where appropriate

Using bullet points in your experience, skills or education sections allows employers to easily pick the most relevant pieces of information from your background. Bullet points are required to be used to list your achievements. Avoid using one or two bullet points. If you have less than three pieces of information, simply list them without bullets in sentence form or use other punctuation to separate different ideas.

For example, under a position you have held in the experience section, you would use bullets to communicate how you were successful in that role:

_Consistently operated overhead cranes, hoists, power tools and other project equipment in a safe manner.
Anticipated needs of 11 on-site workers and delivered parts to 23 field technicians.
Completed weekly service reports, time cards and other related project equipment paperwork._

In the education section, you might not have three or more ideas to share so it might look something like this without bullet points:

TIVS UNIVERSITY
August ’10–May ’14
Chartered Accountant
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

6. Ask for feedback

After you have finished writing and formatting your resume, ask trusted friends or colleagues to review it. It can be helpful to have a third party provide their view and feedback. While they look for grammar and spelling mistakes that you might have missed, they are also required to pay attention to your formatting. Ask them to look for readability, consistency and a professional look and feel.

Resume format examples

When drafting or updating your resume, consider reviewing resume samples in your industry and job title. While they are not to be used as exact templates, it can give you ideas for how best to present your qualifications to employers.

Here are examples of what a resume might look like following each of the three formats:

Chronological

Viren J Verma
1234 Gandhi Street
Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh 474004
vjverma@email.com
Objective
I am a passionate and dedicated communications professional seeking a position with a non-profit organisation where I can apply my public relations skills and my passion for philanthropy.
Experience
Public Relations Manager
The Volunteer Foundation, 2017–Present
Plan and direct public relations programmes to create a positive public image for The Volunteer Foundation. Manage PR staff and act as mentor to junior public relations personnel.
Public Relations Specialist
The Volunteer Foundation, 2015–2017
Worked alongside the PR team to ensure all fundraising efforts, local events and other special projects met the organisation’s brand guidelines and upheld a favourable public image.
Communications Coordinator
ABC Company 2013–2015
Helped increase brand visibility through various marketing efforts including social media campaigns and digital advertising efforts. Helped conceptualise and distribute printed marketing materials.
Professional Skills
• Public relations management
• Corporate communications
• Team leadership
• Interpersonal communications
• Process streamlining
Education
Jawaharlal Nehru University, 2008–2012
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism
Volunteer Work
Indian Red Cross Society
Disaster Volunteer, Public Affairs
2016–Present

Functional

Jaya Shah
234 City Street
New Delhi, India 11001
jayas@email.com
Objective
I am a hardworking and driven sales professional with more than ten years of experience. I am seeking an account management position in the healthcare industry.
Areas of Expertise
Medical Device, Supplies and Pharmaceutical Sales
I have a wealth of experience in selling to healthcare organisations ranging from large hospitals to small private practices. In previous roles, I have managed prospecting efforts, relationship development, new client on boarding and account management within both the medical device and pharmaceutical product verticals.
Relationship Management
I am skilled at developing new relationships with prospects and nurturing relationships with existing clients. In previous roles, I used a combination of proficiency in conflict resolution and my ability to build rapport to increase client retention rates as high as 300 percent year over year.
Sales Team Leadership
I have managed sales teams of more than ten sales associates at a time. I have coached and mentored junior sales representatives and regularly led teams to exceed monthly, quarterly and yearly quotas.
Work Experience
Regional Sales Manager
ABC Medical Supplies Pvt. Ltd., 2012–2017
Managed a team of sales associates. Trained and mentored new sales representatives. Oversaw regional account lists averaging more than 90 existing clients and 40 prospects.
Account Manager
XYZ Pharma Co., 2008–2012
Managed a lengthy account list including private practices and mid-sized clinics. Worked to maximise account growth through regular on-site visits, monthly check-ins and quarterly updates.
Junior Sales Associate
XYZ Pharma Co., 2006–2008
Increased awareness of XYZ Pharma Co. products to small private practices through on-site education. Shared information about new medications to help establish relationships with new prospects.
Education
University of Delhi, 2002–2006
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Certifications
Certified by the Indian Pharmaceutical Association

Combination

Aarti Singh
555 Main Avenue
Chennai, Tamil Nadu 65034
arsingh@email.com
Professional Experience
Creative Director
ABC Company, 2015–Present
Managed a team of twelve creatives including designers and copywriters. Oversee all in-house creative projects and ensure all deliverables meet brand guidelines.
Senior Graphic Designer
ABC Company, 2013–2015
Designed creatives for all digital properties. Spearheaded website redesign. Developed in-house brand style guide currently used by the entire creative department.
Graphic Designer
XYZ Creative Agency, 2010–2013
Developed visual concepts for web and print design including websites, mobile sites, digital advertisements, business cards and trade show collateral.
Related Skills
Team Management
Coordinate team of creative resources, lead team meetings and offered mentoring as needed.
Project Management
Managed all aspects of creative projects including timeline, resource coordination, internal communication and sharing progress reports with outside stakeholders.
Branding
Created logos, design brand marks, offered brand colour recommendations and created style guides to ensure cohesiveness across all assets.
Additional Skills
Illustration, Typography, Client Communication, Time Management, Mobile Design, Adobe Creative Suite
Education
Madras University 2005–2009
Bachelor of Art in Advertising, Certificate in Graphic Design

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