Resume Tips: Types of Resumes

Students enter law school with varying backgrounds and experience. Therefore, each individual student should consider how best to format their resume when presenting education and experience to potential employers. Consider the three main types of resumes below and schedule a meeting with a member of the OPD staff for assistance tailored to your background.

Three Basic Types of Resumes

• The chronological resume is the type of resume used most often. It stresses dates and places of employment. Often, a chronological resume begins with the most recent employment and education and moves backwards in time.
• The functional resume presents credentials under skill headings and is more of a narrative. This type of resume illustrates skills by focusing on accomplishments that support the skill. The functional resume is most useful to individuals who had a long career in one area. It allows the applicant to eliminate monotonous repetition of similar jobs. The functional resume is also helpful to individuals transitioning to non-legal positions.
• The composite resume is a mixture of the chronological and functional resumes. It emphasizes dates of employment, title of positions, and skills acquired. The composite resume also uses the layout of both the chronological and functional resume.