5 Alternatives to a Traditional Resume Format

5 Alternatives to a Traditional Resume Format5 Alternatives to a Traditional Resume Format8Theres no shortage of resume advice online, but what if yur work experience doesnt fit the perfect mold of a traditional resume? There are alternatives to a traditional resume that may help you.We know how hard it is when you dont havea perfectly linear and chronological work history. So weve outlined five of the most effective alternatives to a traditional resume format.Whether you are changing careers, transitioning back into the workforce, or just trying to get your foot in the door- weve got a format for you. Here are five alternatives to a traditional resume format.5 Alternatives to a Traditional Resume Format1. Resume of Relevance In many cases, what youve most recently done in your work history is not what is most relevant to the role you are targeting. The only way your resume will be effective is if you put the relevant information first. Here is one of our alternatives to a traditiona l resume that may work for you.You canseparate the typical chronological work experience section into two separate sections. The first section should only highlight your relevant work experience in chronological order. The second section will be titled Additional Experience and highlight your other roles in chronological order so the hiring manager can see what youve been up to outside of your relevant roles.2. Career Transition Resume Youve recently decided you want to target a completely new career, so youre either going back to school or taking some courses on the side to build up your skill set. However, your current resume shows your work experience at the top, and it has nothing to do with your new career. There are alternatives to a traditional resume that can help yourevamp your resume for your career transition.Place your academic and professional development before your work experience. This will show the hiring manager that you are a working professional who is targeting a new field and has taken the initiative to upgrade your skill set to qualify for the job. In your work experience, forget about your daily tasks from your former roles. Instead, place the focus on the transferable skills you gained in those roles that will relate to your new career goals.3. Achievements-Based Resume Youve held a lot of roles in the last five to ten years, and in those roles youve had some really great achievements that relate to the role that you are targeting, but they are really spread out. You need to focus your resume around those achievements to show the hiring manager exactly what you are capable of.The best method to do this is to place a Selected Achievements section before your work experience. In this section you should pick up to five of your most impressive achievements from any of your past roles that relate as closely as possible to the role you are targeting. This method offers alternatives to a traditional resume that will highlight your achievement s to the hiring manager immediately, rather than getting lost in your long list of roles in your work experience section.4. Functional Resume Though many people believe a functional resume is the best alternative when you have gaps in your work experience or during a career transition, we completely disagree. The three above listed resumes are the best options in those cases. A functional resume is most effective when you have completed identical tasks in every role youve held.This is common for medical practitioners like nurses or dental hygienists. They perform the same tasks in every role however, they have worked with different clinics or medical institutions. Therefore, their resume begins with a full list of their skills and what they are capable of, followed by a list of their employment.5. Portfolio-Style Resume If you are in the schriftart of field that requires a portfolio of what you are capable of, why not let your resume be an example of those capabilities? This is one of thegreat alternatives to a traditional resume for professionals in creative industries, such as graphic design or video production.You could choose to incorporate graphics onto the resume or develop a video resume that literally shows the hiring manager your skills in video production. This type of resume brings the saying Show, Dont Tell to a whole new reality. Check out these creative portfolio-style resumes.Your resume should never follow a traditional format it should be created around the best method to showcase your experience and skills to the hiring manager. So break free from the mold and consider alternatives to a traditional resume.Readers, what do you think about these alternatives to a traditional resume format? Have you tried any of them? Leave a comment with your thoughtsResumeTarget.com provides professional resume writing services for clients of all career levels across North America. We are the only resume writing company that offers a professionally written res ume coupled with the guidance of recruiters, to guarantee that your resume will get results. Tweet us with any resume questions you have at www.twitter.com/ResumeTarget, were here to help