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Tip Sheet: Functional Resume Type
What is The functional (skills-based) résumé focuses on your skills and experience, rather than on your
chronological work history. A functional format may be useful for individuals who have little or
the
purpose? no related work experience, but do have relevant or unique skills, qualifications and knowledge
including transferable skills for the job. It is used most often by people who are changing
careers, or by those reentering the work force after an absence or where there are gaps in their
employment history. It's up to you to decide if it's appropriate for your current professional
situation and the circumstances surrounding your job search.
A functional resume is easiest to write when working from your chronological resume, so that
you can think creatively and evaluate information at the same time.
What to
include?
•
A number of similar work experiences, which would require repeating the same points
under several job listings
•
Relevant experience, as these positions would be lost among the other jobs in a
chronological resume and the modified chronological format would not be suitable
•
Job titles that do not accurately reflect skill level, since skills are highlighted rather than
position titles
1.
Qualifications and skills are categorized by function; group work experience and skills by
skill area or job function, rather than specific employment history.
2.
Identify three to six major skill areas related to your job/career objective. Be consistent by
using either all nouns or all adjectives for your headings; see Sample Experience
Headings for examples.
How to 3. Take each bullet point from the summary section and list under one of your major skill
area; you will then find that it clearly fits in only one section.
write this
4. Take each bullet point from the work experience section of your chronological resume and
style?
include it under one of the skill headings you created; ensure that each point starts with an
appropriate action verb.
5.
Try to combine points whenever possible to make clear, concise entries; the number of
points for each function or skill should range from three to seven.
6.
Since the points are removed from the employers they were associated with, you may have
to add additional contextual information.
o
7.
For example, if you're applying for an sales management position, you might
choose categories such as "Sales and Marketing Experience," "International
Business/Foreign Language Fluency" and "Team Building and Leadership Expertise"
for your headings, listing appropriate skills and accomplishments beneath each one.
Functional resumes still include a Work History section, comprised of a listing of your
employment: positions held, company name, location (city, province) and date (in reverse
chronological order) at the bottom of page one or on page two to de-emphasize their
importance. There are no job description details in this section.
Examples
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Review resume examples online Resume Writing
Remember…

Select a format that showcases your skills and experiences as they relate to the employer’s requirements
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