What is the best resume format?
For most job seekers, the reverse-chronological resume format is best: contact details, a short professional summary, work experience starting with your current or most recent job, then education and skills. Keep it to one or two pages, use standard headings and send it as a PDF.
The 3 types of resume format
Almost every resume follows one of three formats. They contain the same information; what changes is the order and what you emphasise.
Reverse-chronological resume format
Lists your work experience starting with your most recent job. It is the most common resume format and the one recruiters and applicant tracking systems expect.
Best for: Most job seekers with steady work history in the same field.
- Familiar to every recruiter
- Shows career progression clearly
- Parsed reliably by ATS software
- Makes employment gaps more visible
- Less flexible for career changers
Functional (skills-based) resume format
Groups your experience by skill instead of by employer and date. It shifts attention away from your timeline and onto what you can do.
Best for: Rarely recommended; sometimes used with long gaps or very scattered experience.
- Highlights transferable skills
- Downplays gaps and short roles
- Many recruiters distrust it
- Some ATS software struggles to read it
- Hides context for achievements
Hybrid (combination) resume format
Opens with a strong skills summary, then lists work history in reverse-chronological order. You get the skills focus without hiding your timeline.
Best for: Career changers, senior professionals and people with highly technical skill sets.
- Leads with your strongest skills
- Still shows a clear timeline
- Works well with ATS
- Can get long if not edited carefully
- Needs a tight, relevant skills section
Which resume format should you use?
Match the format to your situation:
- Steady career in one field
- Reverse-chronological
- Student or recent graduate
- Reverse-chronological, with education and projects first
- Changing careers
- Hybrid, leading with transferable skills
- Returning after a career gap
- Hybrid, with a short honest note on the gap
- Senior manager or executive
- Reverse-chronological or hybrid, two pages
- Academic, research or medical role
- Academic CV (long-form, includes publications)
Standard resume format: sections in order
A standard resume uses these sections, from top to bottom:
- 1
Contact information
Name, phone, professional email, city and country, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link.
- 2
Professional summary
Two to four sentences on your target role, experience and strongest qualifications.
- 3
Work experience
Job title, employer, location and dates, with three to six achievement-focused bullet points per role.
- 4
Education
Degree, institution and graduation year. Put this above experience if you are a student or recent graduate.
- 5
Skills
The hard and soft skills the job asks for that you genuinely have.
- 6
Optional sections
Certifications, projects, languages, volunteering, awards or publications, when relevant to the role.
See these sections filled in for real roles in our resume examples by job title.
Resume formatting rules
Length
One page for most early-career roles, two pages for experienced professionals. Academic CVs can be longer.
Fonts
A clean, readable font such as Calibri, Arial, Helvetica or Georgia, 10–12 pt for body text and 14–20 pt for your name.
Margins and spacing
Margins of about 0.5–1 inch (1.3–2.5 cm) with consistent spacing between sections.
Headings
Standard names like Work Experience, Education and Skills so recruiters and ATS software find them instantly.
Dates
One consistent format, such as Jan 2023 – Present, aligned the same way in every role.
File type
PDF keeps your layout intact on every device and is accepted by most employers. Send Word only if the posting asks for it.
Not sure about file types? Read PDF vs Word for your resume.
Resume format by country
Resume and CV conventions change around the world. Follow the norms of the country where the job is based, not where you live now.
United States and Canada
Called a resume. One page (two for senior roles), no photo, no date of birth, marital status or nationality. Reverse-chronological is standard.
US resume format guideUnited Kingdom and Ireland
Called a CV. Usually two pages, no photo, British spelling. A personal statement replaces the summary in many UK CVs.
UK CV format guideEurope
Called a CV. A professional photo and more personal details are common in Germany, France, Spain, Italy and other countries. The Europass format is accepted across the EU.
Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia and the GCC)
A photo, nationality, visa status and sometimes date of birth are commonly expected. Two pages is typical.
Middle East CV guideIndia
Called a resume or CV. Two pages is common; personal details and a photo are optional, and a clear summary with key skills near the top helps.
Australia and New Zealand
Called a resume or CV. Two to three pages is normal, no photo, and referees are often listed or offered on request.
Asia-Pacific
Conventions vary widely. Photos and personal details are common in several markets, while Japan often uses its own standardised application forms.
Africa
Usually called a CV. Two pages with contact details, a profile and reverse-chronological experience; a photo is optional in most countries.
Still unsure which document you need? Read CV vs resume: what's the difference.
ATS-friendly resume format
Many employers use applicant tracking systems to sort applications. A clear format helps the software read your resume correctly, although no format can guarantee you an interview.
Do
- Use a single-column or clearly structured layout
- Keep standard section headings
- Mirror keywords from the job description where they honestly apply
- Write dates, job titles and employers consistently
Don't
- Put key information in images, text boxes, headers or footers
- Use creative headings like "Where I've been"
- Stuff keywords you can't back up
- Rely on tables or graphics to carry important text
Learn more in how to structure your resume for ATS, or check your resume score free.
Get the format right automatically
Every CVeezi template already follows these formatting rules. Pick a design, add your details with AI help and download a correctly formatted resume as a PDF.
Resume format FAQ
What is the best resume format?
The reverse-chronological resume format is the best choice for most people. It lists your most recent job first, is familiar to every recruiter and is read reliably by applicant tracking systems.
What is the standard resume format?
A standard resume includes contact information, a professional summary, work experience in reverse-chronological order, education and skills, followed by optional sections such as certifications, projects or languages.
Should my resume be one page or two?
One page suits students, graduates and people with under about 10 years of experience. Two pages is normal for experienced professionals and in many countries outside the US, such as the UK, the Middle East and Australia.
Should I send my resume as a PDF or Word document?
Send a PDF unless the job posting asks for Word. PDF keeps your formatting identical on every device and is accepted by most employers and applicant tracking systems.
Is a functional resume a good idea?
Usually not. Many recruiters see functional resumes as hiding something, and some ATS software reads them poorly. A hybrid format gives you the same skills focus while keeping your work history visible.
Is a resume format different from a CV format?
For most jobs worldwide, a CV and a resume follow the same format; the name simply changes by country. The exception is the academic CV used in the US and Canada, which is a longer, comprehensive record of research, teaching and publications.
Should I put a photo on my resume?
It depends on the country. Leave the photo off in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and Australia. A professional photo is common in much of Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia.