WHAT IS A FUNCTIONAL RESUME?

Functional Resume Tips

A functional resume is a type of resume format that lists your skills and abilities under skill headings as opposed to listing these chronologically under your work history. A functional resume is also referred to as a skills-based resume. It is particularly suitable for new grads, people who have gaps in their professional experience or individuals who are changing careers and whose work history is not directly related to the job.

The goal of the functional resume format is to shift hiring managers focus away from job titles and the experience to the actual skills the applicant possesses. In other words, it is the ideal choice for people who want to emphasize what they can do and not where they’ve worked in the past.

Pros of a functional resume

Here are some of the benefits of this resume style:

- Offers a strategy for dealing with long periods of unemployment

- Can be used for project-based or contractual work for different companies

- Emphasizes skill sets, abilities, knowledge, and experience that employers require and have listed in the job posting

- Allows applicants to put their best foot forward for every application

- Gives hiring managers an immediate snapshot of a candidate’s experience and achievements related to the position

Tips for writing a functional resume

If you are planning to craft a functional resume but don’t know how - here are some tips to help.

Tip #1: Start your resume with a ‘Summary’ or a ‘Highlight’ section

A resume summary is a great way to shape the way a recruiter sees you (and your resume). Briefly highlight areas of expertise and the skills and experience you have that are relevant to the job.

A ‘Highlights’ section is another way to list the skills and qualifications you have that are related to the job. This section is considered ‘prime real estate’ as it is located at the top section of your resume and is the area that HR and recruiters will scan first.

Whether you choose to do a ‘Summary’ of ‘Highlight’ section be sure you do not waste this precious space by listing accomplishments that are not DIRECTLY RELATED to the job posting. This section is a good place to inject keywords listed in the job posting.

Tip#2: Organize by themes

Rather than list your abilities in chronological order, organize them in themes so that hiring managers can see that you have the right skills for the job. When selecting the skill headings (or themes), be sure that they are related to the job at hand. You should only select 2-3 skills headings. Too many skill headings can crowd the resume and take up a lot of space.

Below is an excellent example of a functional resume where the candidate selected two themes which summarize the most important skills related to the position. In this example, the candidate was looking for a leadership position in product development and marketing. The skill headings or themes he selected were “Sale and Marketing” and “Management and Leadership”. As you can see – these themes are a great choice considering they are directly related to the new job of interest.

Functional Resume Example

Tip #3: List professional experience

As you will see from the example above – you still need to include 'Work Experience' in your resume, but you won’t be listing all your tasks and achievement under each job. Instead, you will just list the job title, company, location and year.

The whole point with this style of resume is to pull all the transferable skills from each position and list them under the related skill heading.

Tip #4: List education and training

Towards the bottom of your resume you should list your educational background just like you would in other resume formats. If you have a lot of other training that relates to the new role you can create an additional section called ‘Training’. Alternatively, you can simply call this section ‘Education and Training’ and group these together.

Tip #5: Use keywords

Like all resumes, it’s crucial to use keywords from the job posting. Consider inserting them in your skill headings as well as throughout your bulleted list of achievements.

Conclusion

A functional resume is a great option for career changers and job seekers who have experience related to the job but not in their most recent position(s). Follow the above tips to ensure that you are highlighting all the proper areas in your functional resume and are optimized for success!

If you need help crafting a beautifully designed resume, contact us to find a resume writing package that will suit your needs.