Some job seekers may have an atypical background compared to most people applying for a given position. Sometimes a person may have been out of the workforce for a number of years because of an illness they or a family member may have had. Some people take a “time-out” from their career in order to raise a family or to attend to another priority or opportunity that presented itself. Other individuals, at some point in their career, may have been laid off or let go from a previous position and have been unemployed for a year or more. For these individuals, there is value in writing your resume in a way that takes the emphasis away from those gaps in time.
Other job seekers are simply pursuing a career change. They may have been laid off or let go recently, or they may have left a career on their own because of a change in life goals. For these individuals, a functional resume can shift the emphasis away from the jobs they have held and focus it on the skills and accomplishments they achieved or acquired during their career.
Writing a functional resume is not all that different from writing a chronological resume, because many of the basics will remain the same. Regardless of what form of resume you write, the most important information will still be listed at the top, with less-vital information found below. With this in mind, you will still begin your resume with your contact information:
Richard Gruber
1745 Claudia Drive
Detroit, MI 45687
513-245-6784
tat@hotmail·com
Objective
After you list your contact information, you will want to communicate your
objective. Including an objective on a functional resume is arguably even more
important than including it on a chronological resume. This is because of the
nature of the resume—your background may not be typical of those who are
applying for the position, and you will need to show in a clear way that you are
interested in that particular position.
Another way to approach the objective, however, is to include a brief statement of background that explains why you are seeking this position.
Background: Seven years experience in customer service and constituent relations. Seeking an opportunity to put these skills to use in college admissions.
Education
You may want to include your education information near the top; however, in most
scenarios in which a functional resume is used, there is more-relevant information
that should be found closer to the top of the resume. That information may include
skills that were developed in the workplace or as part of your formal education. It
may also include any other significant awards or achievements you have. Wherever
you include the information, the format is really no different than for the
chronological resume:
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Political Science: May, 1990.
Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. GPA 3.75.
Dean’s List 7 semesters.
Varsity Division I Baseball.
Experience
The section in which you highlight your skills/abilities, accomplishments, and
experience is what truly separates the functional resume from the chronological
resume. On the functional resume the focus is on the functions you performed,
the experience you gained, or the skills you developed. On a chronological resume,
that information may be found, but the focus is on the position you held and the
dates that you held it.
There are many different ways to shape this section of a functional resume. How you decide to include the information is up to you. You will see some samples here and in the sample resumes at the end of this chapter. Look them over, and if you find one that seems to make sense, use it. If not, it’s possible that there may be a better way for you to convey that information. Regardless of what some people may tell you, there is no science to resume writing, just art.
The following are some sample headings for use in your experience section.
SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS AND RESULTS
Training
- Developed weekend leadership training program for 20 sales associates.
- Wrote and designed 60-page training manual for scout troop leaders.
- Designed orientation program for den mothers that was adopted by state council.
Sales
- Consistently maintained highest or second-highest percentage close rate in region.
- Achieved several awards and bonuses based on special promotions.
- Met or surpassed sales goals for each quarter.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Outstanding Young Women in America, 1994.
- Harriet Tubman Leadership Award, Bethel Council.
- Successfully developed merchandising plan for Amtiva product line.
- Opened three new store locations with revenues of over $30 million.
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
- Self-starter who successfully launched and sold two businesses with revenues of over $500,000 each.
- Accomplished public speaker, giving two dozen or more presentations annually with audiences of between 30 and 2,300.
- Extensive leadership skills acquired through holding elected positions for over a dozen community, civic, and professional associations in the past 10 years.
Although the functional resume will serve to take the focus off of specific positions you have had, you still need to recount your professional employment. You can do this in a simple section in a variety of ways.
Work Experience
Manager, Wilson Farms 1994–1998
Clerk, Quality Markets 1990–1994
You may also need to cover gaps of time during which you were not employed. It is easy to cover up several months by listing the years rather than the exact dates (as in the example above). If the period is significantly longer, this will not be as helpful. Although some individuals suggest that you leave the dates out altogether, I believe that this may not be the best approach. You may want to include a statement that explains your absence from work for that time period, but leave it in the work experience section so that it is not a main focus. For example, consider the following examples:
| Work Experience | Manager, Wilson Farms Clerk, Quality Markets | |
| Work Experience | Manager, Wilson Farms Clerk, Quality Markets | 1994–1998 1980–1988 |
(From 1988–1994, I raised my child, who has now entered school.)
| Work Experience | Manager, Wilson Farms Clerk, Quality Markets | 1994–1998 1980–1992 |
(From 1992–1994, I was recovering from a back injury resulting from a car accident.)
You need to determine, based on the specifics of your own personal situation, which approach is best for you. Your approach may also change depending on how many gaps you have had in your employment history. You may choose to ignore the cause of the gaps. Or, as in the example shown above, you may chose to provide a context that helps explain the gaps.
The other sections of the functional resume will be similar to the ones found in a chronological resume. Obviously, if you have a section that highlights your skills elsewhere, there will be no added value in repeating the same information with a skills/abilities section. By the same token, if you have included your military experience, your community activities, or any other information toward the top of your resume, there is no need to repeat it elsewhere.
| Peter Thunt | Seymour H. Knowles, IV |
| President, Hunt Real Estate | Assistant Director, Buffalo Sports |
| 5570 Main St. | Memorial Auditorium |
| Williams, NE 14221 | Buffalo, NE 14202 |
| (816) 633-9400 | (816) 856-7300 |
