You already know that the offering statement sets the stage for all that follows. You can list the functions by category in a single column or in two columns if you have several you wish to highlight. Within this block, you want to highlight up front as many functional skills as possible.
The offering statement provides the focus, but the Types of Functions provides potential employers with a broader selection from which to choose. Again, the more inclusively you can describe your functional listings, the more likely you are to be considered for an interview.
Under the Significant Achievements heading, avoid listing specific employers by date. Doing so might call attention to certain jobs or to a chronology that raises questions.
The functional resume enables you to present your skills in the best possible way without calling undue attention to chronology, but, if you feel your employment dates need it, you can put further explanation in a footnote on the second (last) page.
The education section of the resume is self-explanatory. If you don't have a college degree but have earned college credits, list the courses. If you didn't go to college, list your high school and the years attended. If you have taken special courses within your career field but did not go to college, list the courses.
Generally, if you have a degree, you should list the institution from which you received it. There may, however, be special reasons for listing another institution. For example, if you received your bachelor of science in art from one school but earned credits that are more relevant to the job opening from another institution, you may want to list that school first.
For example, Jane held a Bachelor of Arts degree in music but supervised a department that designed computer programs. She had earned 12 credits from a leading school specializing in that field. By following the above suggestion, she was able to flag her more relevant experience for her potential employer and still show that she held a college degree.
In the Employment Record, you list the positions you have held. If you have been employed in a number of organizations, you might have to stress within the interview that multiple positions have given you a special kind of flexibility and diversity in dealing with people, or opportunities to gain experience in a wide variety of functional or even geo graphical areas. When you record the information, simply list years rather than months and years, unless, you had more than one position in the same year.
When you focus on functions, you also deter the potential employer from the temptation to play calendar arithmetic to calculate your age. The functional format also enables you to skim over less relevant experiences with such statements as "During the interim, I held positions in an unrelated field." Not only is that acceptable; it can also arouse potential employers' curiosity about what you did in the unrelated field. In the section on Availability of References, never list the references by name, and never give your references' names over the phone. References are among your most valuable possessions in a job search. If you use them up with curiosity seekers, you are not going to have them for long.
One candidate's references happened to include the chairman of the board of a major insurance company, and you can imagine what could have happened if "chairman of the board of a leading insurance company" had been on the candidate's resume. If several people called the CEO before jobs were even offered, he or she would get rather tired of saying good things about the candidate.
Save your references for when you know you are in the home stretch. I have hired many people, and I have concluded that a candidate doesn't list references who will say anything negative. So if I do check on a candidate, it may be just to verify what he or she wrote on the resume or said during the interview.
If you visit an employment agency and are asked to fill out application forms that call for references; write "available upon completion of interview with prospective employer" or something similar. If asked, explain why you did this. They're your references.
If the employer asks you to list references on a form before you are interviewed, you might want to be a bit more circumspect, but it is still acceptable to write something such as "outstanding [if true] references available from previous employer." Once again, however, I have found that previous employers may not be willing to speak negatively about a candidate, even one who was fired. To get negative information from a former employer requires tactful questioning.
If the employer's form asks why you left your previous employer and you have a legitimate explanation, give it. Valid reasons for being terminated include economic crunch, the phasing out of your job or a department or division, a consolidation, or a bankruptcy. There are other valid reasons for having been let go, but you might be well advised to discuss them during the interview. Just say as much on the form.
Speaking of forms, if an employment form asks whether the employer may contact your present employer, and your present employer doesn't know you are looking elsewhere, write NO in big letters in the appropriate place on the form. Then add: "Contact me only at [phone number]." If appropriate, you can add that you would be pleased to discuss this further during an interview. Both agencies and potential employers will understand your need to keep your search private, but you must make that very clear so the person who processes such forms doesn't slip up and make the call. Workshop participants tell me this is an especially high risk when dealing with personnel agencies.
Another scary thing that could happen to your resume once it gets into the hands of personnel agency is that it could be sent routinely, and indiscriminately, to people in other companies who know your boss. If you contact agencies, emphasize that your resume is to go nowhere without your express permission, and permit it to go to only one employer at a time.
