What is the best resume format?

The Reverse-Chronological format is universally preferred by recruiters and ATS bots alike. This means listing your most recent experience first and working backward. Always use standard headings like "Experience", "Education", and "Skills" because ATS bots map data using these exact headers.

Functional resumes (which focus on skills over timeline) are often viewed with suspicion by recruiters and can confuse ATS parsers that rely on a clear career progression.