📆 Chronological Format: The Classic Go-To

The chronological resume lists your work experience in reverse-order, emphasizing stability and career progression. It’s widely accepted by employers and easily parsed by ATS systems.

Use it if you have a consistent work history with clear promotions or growth in your field.

ScanMy.CV ensures your experience section follows ATS-friendly standards with dates, titles, and bullet points clearly formatted.

• ✅ Ideal for

  Professionals with steady, upward progression in the same field.

• ⚠️ Avoid if

  You’ve got career gaps, frequent job changes, or pivoting industries.

🧩 Functional Format: Skills Over Timeline

This format foregrounds your capabilities and accomplishments instead of your work timeline. It’s excellent for career changers, freelancers, or those with employment gaps.

Use skill-based categories like “Project Management” or “Technical Expertise” to organize your achievements.

While less ATS‑friendly by default, careful structuring makes it workable.

ScanMy.CV helps convert your skills into quantifiable, keyword-rich bullet points that fit ATS parsing.

• ✅ Ideal for

  Career switchers, gig workers, or professionals with non-linear career paths.

• ⚠️ Avoid if

  You're targeting roles that expect clear employment histories (e.g., corporate sectors).

🔄 Hybrid Format: Balancing Skills and Experience

The hybrid or combination format offers the best of both worlds—highlighting your skills up front, followed by your chronological work history.

This approach is favored by mid-career professionals who want to showcase key strengths while maintaining clarity and structure.

ScanMy.CV helps you craft hybrid resumes that are ATS‑optimized and recruiter-pleasing.

• ✅ Ideal for

  Experienced professionals wanting to highlight both achievements and career progression.

• ⚠️ Avoid if

  You're early career with limited experience to list chronologically.

⚙️ ATS Compatibility Across Formats

In 2025, nearly 90% of US employers use ATS to manage resume submissions. Chronological and hybrid formats are naturally ATS-friendly.

Functional formats can be adjusted to pass ATS—just ensure each bullet point includes dates, action verbs, and keywords.

ScanMy.CV simulates ATS parsing for every format and flags potential issues to fix before applying.

🧭 Choosing the Right Format for Your Career

Consider your background and application purpose:

• 🎓 Recent grads / early career

  Chronological—emphasizes education and internships.

• 🔄 Career changers / skill-based roles

  Functional—lets you lead with transferable skills and relevant projects.

• 🚀 Mid-level / experienced

  Hybrid—combines strength of skills with progression history.

ScanMy.CV provides format suggestions based on your resume content and intended role.

📋 How ScanMy.CV Helps You Pick & Polish

Not sure which format fits best? Upload your resume to ScanMy.CV and get:

• 🔧 Format recommendations

  Based on your work history and career goals.

• 📌 ATS feedback

  Ensures your format passes keywords, headings, and readability checks.

• 🏗️ Preview & one‑click fix

  See how your resume looks in each format before deciding—and fix it instantly.