Choosing the best resume format for 2020 career choices may prove to be challenging if you are not in tune with the latest trends in the market. The latest research in the field of career development suggests that employers seek easy-to-understand, skimmable resume format examples with data visualization features such as blocks, tables, bars, etc. However, due to the dozens of resumes received by the career organizations, things have started to get more simplified yet mechanized. Most of the times resumes are not actually scanned manually by the hiring professionals especially if there are numerous applicants for a single job designation.

A Resume Format Example Using Bars for Showcasing Skill Expertise Range
A Resume Format Example Using Bars for Showcasing Skill Expertise Range

The transitional revolution in this technological era has led employers to set up the resume monitoring systems that offer automatic skimming of a bulk of resumes received by the employers for any particular job. This has made things quite mechanical for the job seekers. They have to format their resumes keeping these automatic resume-checking bots in mind instead of a human. Therefore, the best resume formats in 2020 are adjusted according to the application tracking softwares and automatic resume reviewing systems.

Picking up the wrong format would lead these application management systems to discard your resume and it could never reach your respective human HR recruiting manager after the initial automatic filtration process. Let us provide you with the best resume format for 2020 to be used as your go-to choice.

Best Resume Format for 2020:

Among the most effective resume formats for 2020, we have selected and listed below the top picks for you from which you can select the best resume format according to your respective requirements and job demand:

  1. Reverse Chronological or Career Ladder Resumes:
    This type of resumes focus on experience and accomplishments more and are in a timeline format. This may not be the best resume format for freshers but it is an ideal style to be adopted for those having extensive professional experience in a consistent manner throughout the years. The career ladder can be a graph style infographic used for showcasing year wise experience detail while the chronological table or sections in a reverse manner demonstrates work experiences from newest or current to the oldest. Most influx styled resumes are formatted in chronological order suited for business and marketing professionals.
  2. Skill and Competencies Based Resumes:
    This format is most suitable for entry-level job seekers having little or no work experience to show but have an impressive skill set. They can use this format to showcase their skills in a positive way using skill bars and rating scales, etc. The competencies can also be listed in a bulleted format to include and portray whatever skills and abilities you have relevant to the targeted job position.
  3. Functional Resumes:
    Functional resumes are the best resume format for freshers, amateurs, or interns seeking an appropriate career path and having no particular skills or professional expertise. Some people having skills but no work experience or work experience with a lot of gaps in between also opt for this format. This is due to its portrayal of a more generalized focus on the overall personal story of an individual. Without a specific emphasis on neither the skills nor the experience, the functional resumes provide a sufficient overview of the job seeker’s profile.
  4. All Rounder Resumes:
    All rounder resumes are ideal for those wanting to create an all-inclusive resume for diverse jobs. Even though being specific is very important for a resume as it has limited space to showcase the best things about you, sometimes an all rounder resume is needed for go-to application choice for various general job with no specific expertise required. In this format, you can list down your work experience, education, and skills in a diversified manner and each time you apply for a general job you can custom-edit your career objective.
  5. Hybrid or Combination Resumes
    Hybrid as the name suggests involves a mix of both the skills and the experience mentioned in a proper format such that equal emphasis is put on both sections. Mostly, functional and chronological resume format combination results in a hybrid format resume.

Best Resume Format to Use:

The more attention you pay to the details and formatting style of your resume, the more likely it is that your resume will stand out and grab the right attention. Getting the right attention means that your resume is not an odd one out in the group instead, it stands out due to being properly formatted.

The 7 Most Essential Contents or Components of a Resume:

Every resume format must include these six crucial elements in a section wise, properly detailed manner. In contrast to the comprehensive CVs, resumes are briefer and more precise. However, these components are a must-included part of any resume and sufficient information should be mentioned under each of the following sections.

  1. Career Objective
  2. Professional Title
  3. Contact Details
  4. Professional Work Experience
  5. Educational Qualification
  6. Skills and Competencies
  7. References, Testimonials, and Recommendations

Some other sections may include additional skills, languages, resume summary, honors and certificates, publications, projects, volunteer experience, etc.

Formatting your own resume:

Below are some pointers to use as guidelines while choosing your pick from the best resume formats for 2020. After reviewing the resume formatting advice below, you will be able to answer the most puzzling question that the aspirants face while furnishing their resumes that is:

How Do I Format My Resume?

  • Brief and Compact is Better:
    Always remember, your resume is a brief personal branding story of your skills, education , and experiences. It is not as detailed as a CV so you have to format it wisely.
  • Specific is Sophisticated:
    Being specific is the key. Most of the time people showcase skills or pick up a format that is not relevant or properly aligned with the job position they are applying for.
  • Style Consistency is Crucial:
    Being consistent in the formatting style matters a lot. If you have chosen Arial as your heading font and Georgia as your resume text body font, stick to this setting throughout your resume. Inconsistent font style and page formatting come off as unprofessional.
  • Page Margins (Typography) and Alignment:
    Setting up a 1 inch margin on all four sides of the page is recommended along with a justified text alignment unless there are columns to be used in your resume.
  • Line Spacing, Paragraphs, and Section Breaks:
    Put at least 1 (single) or 1.5 line spacing and add appropriate spacing before and after the paragraphs. Adding page and section breaks provide proper formatting for your resume and will end your page without filling it with text unknowingly. This will help you preserve your resume format and print it out easily prior to its submission to the prospective employer.
  • Using MS Word as the Text Editor:
    Many resume writing professionals recommend using MS Word for setting up the best resume formats for 2020. Even though some of the people from the design and graphics industry prefer using applications such as Canva or Pixel Lab for added visualization and aesthetics. However, the other mainstream public prefer simple text editors such as MS Word. Even the resume writing experts find word processing tools in MS word more effective for a text-only resume format where employers don’t expect photos and other graphic images on the resume.
  • Publishing the Resume as a PDF:
    Most employers specifically ask for a PDF format resume and this is also very useful to lock and preserve your style formatting done on MS Word. The simple way to publish your finalized resume on MS Word is to click on the Export button in the file menu. Then select publish as PDF from the opened options. This will lead to the published PDF format version of your resume that you created on MS Word.
  • Using Online Resume/CV Styling and Creating Tools:
    Online resume builders are a very suitable option for properly formatted resumes. Your resume builder will let you adjust your resume according to the best resume format examples and templates that are easily accepted by the popular ATSs (Application tracking systems) out there.

The Employers’ Favorite Resume Format Examples:

Employers mostly prefer the chronological resume format. This traditional and most common resume format has been in trend for years and is among the best resume formats for 2020. Therefore, if you have a consistent professional work history without any noticeable employment gap, then this format is very much recommended for you. However, if you are looking for best resume format for freshers, then a functional or a skill based resume format such as this one, can be more effective and employers would be likely to focus more on your showcased potential talents.