Guide · Sources checked 22 October 2026
Best resume format for 2026: which one to use
Use a reverse-chronological resume in a single column for almost every application. Use a combination format if you are changing careers. Avoid a purely functional resume unless you have a specific reason.
The resume format to use in 2026
Reverse-chronological, in a single-column layout, unless you are changing careers.
| Format | What it is | Use it when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse-chronological | Jobs listed latest first, each with dates and bullet points. | Almost always: a steady work history, a fresher with an internship, any ATS-heavy application. | Gaps show. Explain a long one in a line rather than hiding it. |
| Combination (hybrid) | A short skills or highlights section on top, then jobs in date order. | Changing careers, or when the skills that fit the new job are from older roles. | Keep the skills section short so the job history still starts on page one. |
| Functional | Grouped by skill, with job titles and dates listed briefly or left out. | Rarely. Some people use it for long gaps. | Employers in the survey below liked it least, and online application forms often ask for each job with dates. |
The format is about order; the layout is about how the page is built. Whichever format you pick, keep it in one column. See annotated samples of what that looks like.
The resume format employers prefer
Chronological, in the best-known survey: 75% of senior executives preferred it. But that survey is from 2009. (Reliable Plant (Noria Corporation news wire), republishing an Accountemps release)
The survey: Accountemps, a staffing firm, had an independent research firm interview 150 senior executives at the 1,000 largest US companies by phone. Asked whether they preferred a resume organised by dates of employment or by skills: chronological 75%, functional 17%, no preference 8%. Accountemps said the answers were little changed from the same question ten years earlier.
Its limits: it is 17 years old, from one country, about large companies only, and commissioned by a staffing firm. We read it as republished on 24 September 2009.
We looked for a newer survey that names its publisher, sample size and date, and found none we could check. We don't quote polls that don't publish their method. In practice:
- Read the job ad and the application form. Online forms often ask you to enter each job with its dates, which a chronological resume already lists in that order.
- If you are changing careers, add a short skills or highlights section on top, and keep the dated jobs below it.
- For a government job or a campus drive with its own format, use that format.
Which format is best for ATS and AI screening?
A single-column, text-based PDF or Word file with standard headings. For software, the layout matters more than whether the resume is chronological or functional.
Greenhouse, an applicant tracking system, lists formatting that can make a resume fail to parse, or parse only partly: columned layouts, tables, headers and footers, contact details in a text box, graphics and photos, resumes uploaded as an image, and resumes without clear sections. (Greenhouse Support) Lever says image files are not parsed and that no field is guaranteed to be extracted. (Lever)
An AI screening tool can only judge the text it gets out of your file. LinkedIn, for example, says it may use your saved resume in AI features that show how well you match a role. (LinkedIn Help) A layout that extracts cleanly gives any of these tools your real content to work with. We have not tested any AI screening product.
Our own test: we exported 21 PDFs from our 7 single-column templates and read them with 3 open-source text extractors. Contact details were recovered in 100% of 63 extractions and 100% of bullets came back intact. It does not cover commercial ATS or two-column layouts. Method and limits.
How to format your resume, step by step
- Pick the format from your work history. Reverse-chronological unless you are changing careers; then a combination format. Use a functional format only with a specific reason, and expect to be asked for dates anyway.
- Use a single column with standard fonts. One column, a common font such as Arial, Calibri or Georgia, 10 to 12pt body text and a larger name. Bold job titles and plain section headings do the rest.
- Put the sections in the order readers expect. Contact details, summary, work experience, education, skills, then certifications or projects. Freshers can move education or projects higher.
- Keep bullets to one or two lines. Start with what you did and end with what changed, with a real number where you have one. Example: "Rebuilt the weekly sales report in SQL, cutting its preparation from a day to two hours."
- Use headings software recognises. "Work Experience", "Education", "Skills", not "My Journey". Keep contact details out of the page header and footer, and avoid tables and text boxes.
- Keep it to one or two pages. One page for freshers and early careers, two when you have more relevant work than fits. This is common practice rather than a rule; academic CVs run longer.
Check the file before you send it
The free check reads your PDF in your browser (the file is not uploaded) and shows whether your name, email, phone, section headings and dates can be found in its text. It's our own tool and can't predict how a particular employer's system will read the file. Resumity's 7 free templates are all single-column and export to PDF and DOCX.
Questions
What resume format should I use in 2026?
Reverse-chronological, in a single-column layout, for almost every application. If you are changing careers, use a combination format: a short skills section on top, then your jobs in date order.
Which resume format do employers prefer?
Chronological, in the best-known survey: 75% of 150 senior US executives preferred it to a functional resume (Accountemps, 2009). That survey is old, and we found no newer one that publishes its sample size.
Which resume format is best for ATS?
A single-column, text-based PDF or Word file with standard headings. Greenhouse lists columns, tables, headers and footers, text boxes, graphics and image files as causes of parsing problems.
Is a functional resume bad?
Not always, but it is the riskiest choice. Employers in the Accountemps survey preferred it least (17%), and online application forms often ask for each job with dates anyway.
What are the 3 types of resume formats?
Reverse-chronological (jobs latest first), functional (grouped by skill) and combination or hybrid (a skills section, then jobs in date order).
Is a 2-page resume OK?
Yes, when you have more relevant experience than fits on one page. Freshers and people early in their careers usually fit on one.
Sources, checked 22 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Rules and forms change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- Reliable Plant (Noria Corporation news wire), republishing an Accountemps release: 75% of execs prefer chronological resumes from job seekers. Accountemps survey by an independent research firm: telephone interviews with 150 senior executives at the 1,000 largest US companies. Chronological 75%, functional 17%, no preference 8%; "little changed from 10 years ago". Published 24 September 2009. Checked 22 October 2026.
- Greenhouse Support: Unsuccessful resume parse. Formatting that can cause a failed or partial parse, including columned layouts, tables, headers and footers, text boxes, graphics and photos, image files, and resumes without clear sections. Page last updated 2 March 2026. Checked 22 October 2026.
- Lever: Lever API documentation (resume parsing). A parsed resume can fill name, headline, emails, phones, location, company and links, "although no information is guaranteed to be extracted"; image files are not parsed. Checked 22 October 2026.
- LinkedIn Help: Visibility and usage of your uploaded resume. LinkedIn may use saved resume data in AI-powered features that show how well you match a role's qualifications. Checked 22 October 2026.