RESUME TYPES EXPLAINED

The different types of resumes are more similar than you might think. There is no right or wrong format, and the samples provided here are just that: samples, or examples, of ways you could format them. The
way you decide is by asking yourself, “Which format helps present my skills, experience, and achievements in the best way?” The goal here is for you to gain crucial understanding that takes the guesswork out of
the process and helps you gain the confidence you need so that when you make decisions about your resume, you know they are strong decisions that give you a good chance at landing an interview.
There are three basic types of resumes that we mention in the course: (1) Chronological, (2) Functional, and (3) Combination. I know I say you can use some of these terms interchangeably so not to worry about
what “classification” your resume is as long as it works. However, I wanted to provide a visual aid to make this clearer.
One last note, I always recommend beginning every type of resume with a profile or summary section as discussed in the course. I intend this section to go before any of the sections discussed in this handout.

Past Positions CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME FUNCTIONAL RESUME COMBINATION RESUME

This includes
• The name of the
positions & companies
you’ve worked for
• 1-2 brief lines of text
explaining basic info
about the company &
position
• Think of this as the Why
& Where you did what
you did
Achievements
This includes the
achievements, wins,
accomplishments, and
finished projects you have
been involved with. This
includes S.T.A.R.
achievements. Think of this
as the What you did.
Skills
This includes more detailed
information than
achievements including
software, intrapersonal,
technical, and other
specialized skills. Think of
this as the How you did it.
A chronological resume presents information in the
traditional format used on resumes and CVs. Each job entry is
self-contained and includes all information concerning the
position, achievements, and skills.
Past Positions
You start each job entry with your past position
information – position title, company name, location, and
start and end dates.
Achievements
Follow this with 1-3 bullets of achievements and
accomplishments using the S.T.A.R. or a similar model.
Skills
Finish each job entry on a chronological resume with 1-3
bullets of technical, industry-specific, software, IT, or
other relevant skills you used and developed at this
position.
Functional resumes de-emphasize the individual positions
and companies you’ve worked for by placing them at the end
of the resume, while also putting greater emphasis on your
achievements and skills by featuring them first and foremost.
Achievements
Start your Functional resume with a focus on the relevant
achievements you’ve accumulated in your career. Put the
focus on why you stand out. Occasionally, when you have
several skills and only 1-2 achievements, you can combine
your achievement and skill sections.
Skills
Next, list your relevant and most marketable skills. Unlike
a chronological resume where skills at each place are
listed in separate bullets, a functional resume usually
combines these into 2-4 bullets that include all skills from
your career. These bullets are typically organized by
category depending on your industry, like IT skills, project
management skills, industry specific skills, etc.
Past Positions
Your positions and employer history come last. Each entry
is given only 1-2 lines. To avoid volunteering the fact that
some of your work history isn’t as relevant as you want,
you sometimes should omit everything except the
position, company, location, and start and end dates.
A combination resume uses elements of both resumes. You
can include your skills up front with your achievements, list
them with each individual job, or do a bit of both (e.g.
highlighting key skills up front while keeping more basic skills
listed with the relevant position).
Achievements
Begin with your achievements to put your best foot forward.
List as many relevant and impressive achievements as you have
using the S.T.A.R. model.
Skills
• A combination resume is usually strongest w/ 1-2 bullets of
key skills in the opening achievements section. (Label this
section “Relevant Achievements & Core Competencies”).
Other skills are usually listed with individual jobs.
• If you have a lot of relevant/key skills, separate your skills
into a new section like on a functional resume to help draw
extra attention to your extensive and/or specialized skill set.
• If you have few relevant skills, you may want to keep them
with each job in your professional history. Doing this draws
attention away from fact your skillset isn’t the strongest.
Past Positions
• You’re trying to place greater emphases on achievements,
so for each job only include your position, employer,
location, start/finish dates, and a brief description.
• You may include 1-3 bullets for each job of skills and
responsibilities. Avoid repeating what you say above, but it
is okay to re-mention key skills like a specific technology
that you want to emphasize.
 RESUME TYPE EXAMPLES
See below for examples of how each of these resumes might look.
CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
JOE SMITH
1234 First Ave | Albany, NY | (###)###-#### | exampleemail@domain.com
MEDIA CONTENT INTERN
Photography and videography specialist studying media arts at ABC University. Enthusiastic, Adaptable, and Excited
about intern opportunities in audio/video post-production. Strong communication skills, self-motivated, and able
work independently or in collaboration with talent, on-set personnel, and key stake holders. Familiar with set and
studio best practices and eager to acquire additional technical and production skills.
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Bachelor Degree in Film Production - ABC University (Expected Graduation Date: May 2018)
 Relevant Coursework: Course A, Course B, Course C, etc.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
INTERN – XYZ PRODUCTION COMPANY (June 2016 – September 2016)
Los Angeles, CA – Post-production intern assisting editing, syncing, and effects layering for special effects
company contracted on several television reality productions.
 Assisted in the editing and syncing of post-production on-screen effects for Show #1, Show #2, and Show
#3 using cutting edge production tools like X, Y, and Z.
 Ensured edits met pre-established quality guidelines, recording any issues, determining the solution, and
communicating with designated team members for corrections.
 Worked on-set as backup to various roles including X, Y, and Z.
ASSISTANT SALES REPRESENTATIVE – MEDIA SOLUTIONS FIRM (June 2015 – September 2015)
Los Angeles, CA – Summer Sales Position for a B2B media equipment and services company offering
rentals, leasing, and consultation on filming and production equipment.
 Assisted Sales Rep for NE Bay region with 20+ regular clients with scheduling, planning, logistics, etc. to
ensure year-over-year growth throughout quarter.
 Developed strong familiarity with media and post-production equipment and tools such as A, B, C, D, and E
CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE – SALES COMPANY 123 (January 2010 – July 2014)
Sacramento, CA – Over-the-phone customer representative for B2C furniture company serving California,
Nevada, and Oregon. Responsible for daily inquires, complaints, and special requests from phone-in
customers.
 Highest customer satisfaction rating for three consecutive years, 2010 – 2013. Routinely went above and
beyond to solve issues outside of job description, ensuring outstanding customer service recovery.
 Developed best practices for over-the-phone customer service including standards and training materials
that are used for each new hire.
FUNCTIONAL RESUME
JOE SMITH
1234 First Ave | Albany, NY | (###)###-#### | exampleemail@domain.com
MEDIA CONTENT INTERN
Photography and videography specialist studying media arts at ABC University. Enthusiastic, Adaptable, and Excited
about intern opportunities in audio/video post-production. Strong communication skills, self-motivated, and able
work independently or in collaboration with talent, on-set personnel, and key stake holders. Familiar with set and
studio best practices and eager to acquire additional technical and production skills.
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Bachelor Degree in Film Production - ABC University (Expected Graduation Date: May 2018)
 Relevant Coursework: Course A, Course B, Course C, etc.
RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENTS & SKILLS
 On-set and Post-Production Experience including editing, syncing, and effects processing for
reality programs like Show #1, Show #2, Show #3.
 Currently studying media production with a focus on X, Y, Z using cutting edge solutions and
equipment like A, B, C, D.
 Strong familiarity with media and post-production equipment and tools like A, B, C, D, E, and F.
 Demonstrated strengths in account management and service recovery including the development
of training materials. Experienced with scheduling, planning, and business logistics.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
 INTERN – XYZ PRODUCTION COMPANY (Jun 2016 – Sep 2016) Los Angeles, CA – Post-production
intern assisting editing, syncing, and effects layering for special effects company contracted on
several television reality productions.
 ASSISTANT REPRESENTATIVE – MEDIA SOLUTIONS FIRM (Jun 2015 – Sep 2015) Los Angeles, CA
– Summer Position for a B2B media company offering rentals, leasing, and consultation on filming
and production equipment.
 CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE – SALES COMPANY 123 (Jan 2010 – Jul 2014) Sacramento,
CA – Over-the-phone customer representative for B2C company responsible for daily
inquires, complaints, and special requests.
COMBINATION RESUME
JOE SMITH
1234 First Ave | Albany, NY | (###)###-#### | exampleemail@domain.com
MEDIA CONTENT INTERN
Photography and videography specialist studying media arts at ABC University. Enthusiastic, Adaptable, and Excited
about intern opportunities in audio/video post-production. Strong communication skills, self-motivated, and able
work independently or in collaboration with talent, on-set personnel, and key stake holders. Familiar with set and
studio best practices and eager to acquire additional technical and production skills.
EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE
Bachelor Degree in Film Production - ABC University (Expected Graduation Date: May 2018)
 Relevant Coursework: Course A, Course B, Course C, etc.
RELEVANT ACHIEVEMENTS & CORE COMPETENCIES
 On-set and Post-Production Experience including editing, syncing, and effects processing for
reality programs like Show #1, Show #2, Show #3.
 On-Set Skills & Experience: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, etc.
 Post-Production Tools & Skills: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, etc.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
INTERN – XYZ PRODUCTION COMPANY (June 2016 – September 2016)
Los Angeles, CA – Post-production intern assisting editing, syncing, and effects layering for special effects
company contracted on several television reality productions.
 Assisted on post-production for Show #1, Show #2, and Show #3
 Ensured edits met pre-established quality guidelines, recording any issues, determining the solution, and
communicating with designated team members for corrections.
 Worked on-set as backup to various roles.
ASSISTANT SALES REPRESENTATIVE – MEDIA SOLUTIONS FIRM (June 2015 – September 2015)
Los Angeles, CA – Summer Sales Position for a B2B media equipment and services company offering
rentals, leasing, and consultation on filming and production equipment.
 Assisted Sales Rep for NE Bay region with 20+ regular clients with scheduling, planning, logistics, etc. to
ensure year-over-year growth throughout quarter.
 Developed strong familiarity with media and post-production equipment.
CUSTOMER REPRESENTATIVE – SALES COMPANY 123 (January 2010 – July 2014)
Sacramento, CA – Over-the-phone customer representative for B2C furniture company serving California,
Nevada, and Oregon. Responsible for daily inquires, complaints, and special requests from phone-in
customers.
 Highest customer satisfaction rating for three consecutive years, 2010 – 2013. Routinely went above and
beyond to solve issues outside of job description, ensuring outstanding customer service recovery.
 Developed best practices for over-the-phone customer service including standards and training materials
that are used for each new hire.