The Best Resume Format for Your Experience in 2025

Why resume format is important in 2025

The right modern resume format makes your content quick to scan, clear, and stays focused on your strengths.

Here’s what strong formatting does:

Sends a professional signal

A well-formatted resume shows that you care about the details. That you take your job search seriously. That you know how to present yourself professionally. That impression matters—especially when employers are choosing between candidates who look equally qualified on paper.

💡 Pro Tip: Use clean resume templates built for modern hiring systems—like Teal’s free resume templates, optimized for both ATS and recruiters.

Resume format vs. layout and design

Format is the structure of your resume—how your experience is ordered and what’s prioritized.

Layout is the visual design—fonts, spacing, colors, and how it all looks on the page.

Senior Graphic Designer Harriet Clayton has spent 10+ years in the design industry. Here's what she has to say about how these elements work together.

"Format and design work best when they’re in sync. A well-structured resume with thoughtful design makes your experience easier to scan and your strengths easier to see.”

Need more info? Learn more about what a resume should look like.

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Chronological resume format (aka reverse-chronological)

This is the most universally recommended resume format—and for good reason. It’s what recruiters expect, it’s easy to scan, and it’s optimized for both human eyes and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

It lists your most recent job first, then works backward—making it easy to follow your career path and spot relevant experience.

✅ Best for: Most professionals across industries and levels
⚠️ Skip it if: You have zero relevant work experience or a highly nontraditional background

💡Pro Tip: Want this format to work harder for you? Make sure each section is clean and skimmable. Here’s how to structure your resume sections for maximum clarity.

Functional resume format (aka skills-based resume)

The functional resume flips the script. Instead of organizing by job title, this professional resume format groups your experience under core skills. It's built to highlight what you're good at—even if your timeline is nonlinear. Your focus can be on technical skills or soft skills relevant to the job description.

✅ Best for: Career changers, returners, or early-career professionals
⚠️ Skip it if: You're applying for roles where a clear timeline is critical

Combination resume format (aka hybrid resume)

A hybrid format blends the strengths of the other two. You lead with top skills, then follow with a traditional job history. It’s flexible, strategic, and great for professionals who want to show both what they can do and where they’ve done it.

✅ Best for: Mid-career pros, technical roles, creative industries
⚠️ Skip it if: Skills aren't as important in your field as chronological experience

Step 1: Look at your recent experience

Do you have relevant, recent work history in your target field? If yes, a chronological format is likely your best fit. If not, you may need a format that helps fill in gaps or highlight transferable skills.

Step 2: Identify your top strengths

What do you want to lead with—your job titles and career progression or your skills and qualifications? Chronological resumes highlight your growth over time. Functional and combination resumes focus more on what you can do.

💡 Pro Tip: Not sure what your top strengths are? Try building a master resume in Teal first, then pull what’s most relevant into a tailored version using the best format for your goal.

Step 3: Consider your audience

Hiring managers typically scan resumes in seconds. If your format makes it easy to spot impact, alignment, and key skills, it’s doing its job. Choose a format that supports clarity—not just creativity.

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Based on where you are in your career, here’s how to apply that framework.

Best resume format: Freshers, entry-level job seekers, or new graduates

If you’re just getting started in your career, the chronological format is still your best bet—as long as you have any relevant internships, part-time work, freelance projects, or class-based experience worth highlighting.

If you truly have no experience, a functional format can help you lead with transferable skills from school, volunteering, or personal projects.

Example: When Taylor graduated without internships, they used a functional resume to highlight leadership roles in student government and collaboration on a campus-wide sustainability initiative.

Best resume format: Mid-level professionals

If you’ve built up a few years of experience and are starting to show depth in your field, a chronological format is your strongest foundation. It highlights your growing responsibilities and gives hiring managers a clear picture of where you’ve made an impact.

Example: After five years in marketing, Devon used a chronological resume to show a progression from coordinator to specialist—backed by strong metrics and campaign outcomes.

Best resume format: Career changers or pivoting professionals

If you’re moving into a new industry, your most recent job titles might not align with your next goal. That’s where format becomes critical. A functional or combination resume can spotlight your transferable skills while still giving a nod to past roles.

Example: When Alex transitioned from hospitality to operations management, they used a hybrid resume to lead with their project coordination skills and include freelance logistics work under a dedicated experience section.

Best resume format: Experienced or senior-level professionals

If you’ve built a long career with increasing responsibility, a chronological format is usually your strongest asset. It shows career growth, role progression, and long-term impact.

Example: After 15 years in finance and several internal promotions, Riley used a chronological resume to show steady growth and achievements tied to revenue targets.

Best resume format: Creative or technical roles

In fields where your skills are the star (think: design, engineering, content strategy, or data science), a combination resume lets you show what you know and where you’ve applied it. Rather than a creative resume format, stick to one that hiring managers and recruiters are used to seeing.

Example: As a freelance front-end developer, Jordan used a hybrid resume to highlight technical proficiencies in JavaScript and React before listing chrnological work experience.

Best resume format: Freelancers and gig workers

If your background includes contract work, freelance projects, or short-term gigs, a combination format gives you the flexibility to organize your resume by skills while still including relevant clients and outcomes.

Example: Sky used a hybrid resume to group project management and writing skills at the top, then listed clients from Upwork, agency contracts, and consulting engagements in a streamlined experience section in reverse chronological order.

💡Pro Tip: If you're trying to decide between resume formats, try Teal's AI Resume Builder. Use the Drag-and-Drop Editor to see which works best for you without having to manually arrange your content (and then manually reformat it again if you don't love what you see).

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How to format a resume - chronological

This format is all about clarity and progression. Use clear, bold section headers and reverse-chronological order throughout your Work Experience.

Recommended resume sections order:

1. Contact Info
2. Target Title
3. Summary
4. Work Experience (in reverse chronological order)
5. Education
6. Certifications
7. Skills
8. Optional (Projects, Awards, etc.)

✏️ Formatting Tip: Use consistent spacing between job entries and align your dates to keep timelines clean.

How to format a resume - functional

In this format, your Skills section gets top billing. Group your abilities into 2–4 categories and list achievements beneath each. Your job history appears briefly near the bottom.

Recommended resume sections order:

1. Contact Info
2. Target Title
3. Summary
4. Skills (with 3-5 bulleted achievements underneath)
5. Limited Work History (just job title, company, and dates)
6. Education
7. Certifications
8. Optional Sections

✏️ Formatting Tip: Use bold skill category headings, then standard bullet formatting beneath each one. Keep your experience section minimal to avoid overwhelming the reader.

How to format a resume - combination

The hybrid format blends both: lead with a Skills section, then follow with detailed Work Experience. It’s ideal for showcasing both expertise and context.

Recommended resume sections order:

1. Contact Info
2. Target Title & Summary
3. Skills Highlights
4. Work Experience (reverse-chronological)
5. Education
6. Certifications & Optional Sections

✏️ Formatting Tip: Keep this section organized with consistent visual spacing between skills to avoid clutter.

Resume example format: No work experience

Recommended format: Functional resume

Why it works: This structure allows you to lead with relevant skills instead of job history, which is especially useful if you’re a student, recent grad, or career starter.

What to notice: The summary highlights what this candidate can do, not just where they’ve worked (or haven’t). The skills section is formatted with measurable achievements that prove potential. This format keeps the focus on value—even without traditional job titles.

‍Example resume format: Career pivot

Recommended Format: Combination (Hybrid) resume

Why it works: This format balances transferable skills and relevant experience, making it ideal for someone moving into a new industry or role.

What to notice: This candidate leads with a mix of certifications and soft skills that align with their new target role while still including a concise, chronological work history to maintain credibility.

💡Pro Tip: Try Teal’s free resume tools to format your resume the smart way.

‍Example resume format: Creative roles

Recommended Format: Chronological resume

Why it works: It’s the best way to showcase a strong career trajectory in creative industries, where hiring managers want to see both consistency and output over time.

What to notice: This resume strikes the right tone between creativity and professionalism. It keeps the formatting clean and emphasizes accomplishments while inviting readers to learn more through the included portfolio URL.

‍Example resume format: Technical roles

Recommended Format: Combination (Hybrid) resume

Why it works: This format allows candidates to highlight technical proficiencies at the top—without losing the depth of their work history.

What to notice: The resume clearly surfaces relevant tools, languages, and platforms alongside specific accomplishments and progression.

Resume format example: Senior-level position

Recommended Format: Chronological resume

Why it works: It emphasizes leadership, growth, and long-term impact—exactly what senior-level roles require.

What to notice: Each section uses bullet points to highlight strategic outcomes, measurable achievements, and team leadership. Despite the candidate’s extensive background, the formatting keeps it concise and readable.

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1. Be consistent from top to bottom

Formatting inconsistencies are a resume red flag. Your job titles, company names, dates, and bullets should all follow the same pattern throughout.

If you bold one job title, bold them all. If you right-align dates, stick with it throughout. Consistency shows attention to detail.

2. Use clear hierarchy and spacing

Formatting guides the reader’s eye. Use bold for section headers and job titles, regular font for descriptions, and consistent spacing between each section.

3. Stick to bullet points—not paragraphs

No matter your format, bullet points are easier to scan and more effective at showing impact. Use 3–5 bullets per role or skill. Keep them short, action-driven, and results-focused.

4. Label sections clearly and conventionally

Use standard headings like "Work Experience," "Skills," and "Education." Avoid non-traditional labels that may confuse recruiters or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

5. Always include a timeline somewhere

Even in a functional or hybrid format, your resume still needs a clear employment timeline. Dates, job titles, and company names provide essential context. A resume with no dates can signal a lack of experience or make it harder to assess relevance.

6. Don’t overcomplicate formatting

Avoid text boxes, graphics, and multi-column layouts that aren't part of an ATS-friendly resume format. Even for functional or hybrid formats, stick to clean, text-based formatting that prioritizes legibility.

7. Use an ATS-friendly resume format

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are digital filing systems used by recruiters to organize resumes and during the hiring process.

To make sure your resume scans correctly into these organizational tools, make sure to use an ATS-friendly template that's widely accepted and easily parsed by any modern ATS.

8. Use the right file format

In most cases, you should save and send your resume as a PDF vs. a Word document. This helps preserve formatting and ensures consistency across devices.

Word documents (.docx) can break or reflow depending on how they're opened. The only time to use a Word file is if the job post explicitly asks for one.

💡 Pro Tip: Before uploading your resume, double-check the file name. Use a clear, professional format like "firstname-lastname-resume.pdf" to avoid confusion or looking unpolished. Here's how to name your resume file the right way.

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