Three formats. You almost certainly want the first one

1. Reverse chronological — the default

Most recent job first, working backwards. This is what recruiters expect, what applicant tracking systems parse most reliably, and what you should use unless you have a specific reason not to.

It works because it answers the two questions a hiring manager has in the order they have them: what are you doing now, and how did you get there. Any other order makes them hunt.

Use it if: you have work experience and no gap longer than about a year. That is most people.

2. Functional (skills-based) — the trap

Groups everything by skill and pushes employment history to a bare list at the bottom, or omits dates entirely. It is usually recommended to people with gaps or career changes.

The problem is that experienced recruiters know exactly why people use it. A functional resume reads as an attempt to hide something, so the first thing they do is look for what. You have spent your document's credibility before they reach your skills.

If you have a gap: use the chronological format and explain the gap in one clause in your summary. "Returning after a two-year caregiving break" costs you six words and closes the question. Hiding it costs you the reader's trust.

Genuinely use it if: you are a contractor or freelancer with thirty short engagements where a chronological list would be unreadable. That is roughly the only case.

3. Combination — for senior and technical roles

A skills or technical-competency block near the top, then a full reverse chronological history underneath. Nothing is hidden; the skills block just front-loads what a keyword search is looking for.

Use it if: you are technical and your tool list is a real qualification, or you are senior enough that a short competency summary saves the reader work. The Core Skills section in this builder gives you this by default.

Section order that works

The rule underneath the table: whatever is your strongest argument goes highest. For a fresher that is education and projects, so pushing experience to the top of an empty section wastes the best real estate on the page.

Length

One page up to about seven years. Two pages after that, or earlier if you are technical with a genuine project list. Three pages needs a reason — academia, or twenty years of senior roles.

Nobody is counting. What they notice is padding: a second page that is two-thirds empty, or a first page inflated with "excellent communication skills". If your content is a page and a bit, cut it to a page. The builder handles the in-between case by adjusting type size to what you have written.

File type, margins, fonts

• PDF, unless the application form explicitly asks for Word. Then send Word.
• A4 for India, UK and Europe. US Letter for the US and Canada — the difference is small enough that nobody rejects over it, but A4 content printed on Letter can clip at the bottom.
• Margins of 10–12mm minimum. Below that it looks crammed and risks clipping on print.
• A font that ships with the operating system — Calibri, Arial, Georgia, Cambria. Every template here uses one, which is why nothing substitutes when the file is opened elsewhere.
• Body text at 10.5–12pt. Under 10 is where recruiters start squinting.

Naming the file

Ananya-Iyer-Business-Analyst-Resume.pdf, not resume_final_v3(1).pdf. It sits in a folder with two hundred others and someone has to find yours again.

Next

Pick a layout from the template gallery, look at a worked example in a role near yours, then check the draft with the resume checker.