With all of these elements, the next logical question is, "How do I order them?" The short answer is whatever order best sells you to a particular employer.

As we've said, when you submit a résumé to a potential employer, you have one goal: to get an interview. In most cases, the employer will read your résumé as part of a screening process. You have, at best, a few minutes - if the résumé looks promising - but more often only seconds to make your case, to sell yourself to that employer.

Employers screen résumés based on two critical elements: content and appearance. They ask two questions:

• Does this candidate have the qualities and qualifications we need?

• Does this person look like someone we want to work with?

The questions will not be separate; in fact, the appearance question often comes first. Many people have the qualifications needed for a particular position; far fewer are truly suited for the position and the company.

Often, your résumé represents the first impression you can make on a potential employer. If your résumé is well organized and attractive, then you'll probably make a good impression. If the résumé enables a potential employer to learn a lot of information about you at a glance and is neat and attractive, you have a good chance of making the first cut. If employers can't find what they need, you won't.

As you organize the information, then, focus on highlighting your abilities in a way that will stand out from the rest. And as in most workplace writing, put the most important information first. That is, arrange your categories so that the skills and experiences most closely linked to the position you're applying for appear at the top, with less relevant experience at the bottom.

Types of organizational strategies

When it comes to organizing your résumé, you have four basic choices:

Chronological - list all your experiences in reverse chronological order. This format is most useful if you have experience directly related to the position you're applying for, but it can also be effective if you don't have much experience. Typically, other categories (Activities, Honors and Awards) follow unless they include information more directly related to the position.

The chronological résumé is the most common resume and the easiest to create.   Organized by job titles with the most recent position listed first, the chronological résumé format is useful if you have a lot of experience and a logical job history. Schoolwork and work experience are presented in reverse chronological sequence.   Writers emphasize school and employer names along with dates of attendance/employment. 

This résumé focuses on dates rather than skills, so if you do not have job experience or are a new graduate, and most of your work has consisted of part-time jobs while you were in school during the summer (for two or three months at a time), then this probably isn't the best résumé for you. However, if you have had jobs for extended periods of time, that are relevant to the job search, then perhaps this résumé will suit your needs.

Some employers prefer the chronological résumé because the format lists prior positions beginning with the most current. Employers perceive this résumé style as fact-based and easily skimmed.

Functional - separate your experiences into categories based on their relevance to the position you're applying for (e.g. Programming Experience, Customer Support Experience, Related Experience, Other Experience). Put the most relevant category first, and put unrelated experience in a separate section.

Skills - focus on the skills you have that relate to the position, listing them (usually broken down into categories) before your experience. This format is particularly useful if you don't have much work-related experience.

The skills résumé highlights what you have accomplished.   By arranging employment history into section areas of skills and abilities, you shift the emphasis from dates or how long you have had a particular job to specific skills you have. For instance, if you can use certain software applications, that is a skill that should be highlighted. Or if you can program in any computer program languages, that is also a skill that should be emphasized. The functional resume can help you do just that.

This format is perfect for new graduates who do not have a long work history. Or it is perfect for someone who is changing fields. It is also great for someone who has had job titles that do not fully describe their abilities (e.g. "Research Assistant" or "Lab Assistant").

Combination - as the name implies, combine elements from each format to present the information in a way that makes it easy for the reader to connect who you are and what you've done to what you can do for them.

The combination résumé draws on the best features of the other three.  Use this style to emphasize your capabilities while presenting a job history.  Because it is flexible, new graduates find this a good choice.

Important: Keep these points in mind as you work

• Don't choose a format until you draft your text.
• Don't try to make your information fit into someone else's template. Create your own. You may use a template to get started, but don't rely on it.
• Be willing to change formats based on the position you're applying for - the order that works best for one position may not work as well for another. Always consider your audience

 

The following table provides a comparison of the typical heading categories and relative layout of chronological and functional résumés.
Chronological	Skills
Personal Information: name, address, phone, e-mail	Personal Information: name, address, phone, e-mail
Objective	Objective
Summary of Qualifications	Summary of Qualifications
Experience	Skills
Education and Training	Employment History
References	Education and Training
Contact Information	References
	Contact Information

Tips on Writing an Effective Résumé-->