Chronological resumes describe a person's work experience in reverse chronological order, with the most recent job appearing first. Traditionally they have emphasized dates, job titles, duties, and names of employers. The primary advantage of the chronological resume is that employers are used to reading it. They know how to scan it quickly and get what they need from it. Its major disadvantage is that it is difficult to show employers the "themes" which run through your experience.
The functional resume, on the other hand, excels at bringing out these themes or functional areas of experience. The job seeker identifies key areas of experience, or "functions," and labels those functional areas with titles such as Management, Design, and Computer Programming. The writer then describes the experience the person has had in those areas. The major drawbacks of the functional resume are that it is more difficult to read, and the employer typically does not know when or where the experience being described took place. For this reason it can sometimes be confusing.
The qualifications/chronological resume is essentially a chronological resume with a qualifications section included at the beginning. It combines the best attributes of both of the other types of resume, but has virtually none of their drawbacks. The qualifications section of a qualifications/chronological resume is usually shorter than the functional portion of a functional resume, but it covers the most crucial areas of experience and provides a quick introduction to the strengths of the individual. The job description section, the other main part of the resume, emphasizes results rather than just duties, making it extremely effective.
The Functional Resume
The functional resume offers some people the best way to get their story across to employers. If your strengths can readily be put into categories, then you should seriously consider using a functional resume.
In its purest form, a functional resume includes only functions-job titles, dates, and names of employers are omitted. One would rarely recommend a pure functional resume because it usually raises more questions than it answers. When dates and employers are omitted, hiring authorities tend to wonder if the applicant is hiding something, such as a long gap in employment. If you have strong reasons for not revealing details of your employment, however, consider a functional resume,
As you will notice in most of the functional resumes, employment is included but job descriptions were not. This is common in functional resumes and helps employers feel more comfortable with the functional format. The qualifications section in functional resumes is devoted entirely to their duties and the only jobs which were relevant to the position the resume holder is seeking.
Is A Functional Resume For You?
Functional resumes do have drawbacks. While reviewing functional resumes, employers often wonder where the experience occurred since dates, job titles, and employers are not specified for each particular area of experience. Their eyes tend to dart up and down the page looking for the answers. They often become frustrated because the information in the resume is difficult to read and interpret-the applicant is making them work too hard. They may also suspect that something is being hidden.
Keeping these considerations in mind, you may still want to use a functional resume under the following circumstances: if
- You are changing careers;
- You are changing industries and you have related experience but no direct experience;
- You have major gaps in employment;
- A functional resume seems to be a perfect vehicle to showcase your strengths;
- The Qualifications/Chronological Employment format seems unsuitable for your background;
- Your back ground can easily be listed in categories such as Management, Supervision, Coordinating, Troubleshooter, Motivator, or Training.
Be sure to study the format of the qualifications/chronological resumes. Many like the format because it has virtually all of the advantages of the functional resume and the chronological resume, with none of their individual drawbacks.
Writing Your Functional Resume
Once your job sketches have been completed, the first step in writing an effective functional resume is to list the points or experiences that you want to include. Write the points quickly, without being concerned for polished writing. Once you're through listing the points you'll begin to see that some just naturally fit together. At that point begin to select the category titles that you will use. Most functional resumes should contain three to six categories. For your highly specific or technical categories, you'll have to come up with those names on your own, but that should not be difficult. Some of the commonly used categories include: Management, Supervision, Training, Planning, Designing, Research, Coordination, Negotiating, Public Relations, Administration, Marketing, Public Speaking, Organization, Counseling, Writing and Editing, Design, and Teaching.
Next, put the categories on two pages so you'll have plenty of room to write in your points. Initially you wrote those points quickly; now rewrite them in a more polished form as you place them in their appropriate category. Once all the points have been placed in a category, determine the order the points should be in. Usually your strongest points would be listed first within each category. At that point you've done all you should for one day,
After one or two days, review what you've written. By having set the resume aside for some time, it will be fresh and you'll be better able to see ways to improve your writing. In your second draft, look for ways to make each point clearer and more concise. Virtually all of the other instructions for writing a resume apply to the functional resume as well.
