Many job seekers fear that functional resumes raise red flags for recruiters or can look suspicious. But there are times when this type of resume can be an effective tool to use in your job search.
For starters, a good functional resume is perfect for career changers. It allows you to highlight your skills rather than your work history.
What are the Benefits of Using a Functional Resume Template?
A functional resume format emphasizes the skills you have rather than when and where you work. This is a great option for career changers who may have gaps in their work history. For example, if you took time off to care for children or travel, it’s perfectly acceptable and should be noted on your resume. Using years instead of months can also downplay these periods and help remove any doubt about the length of your employment history.
Typically, a functional resume starts with a summary of qualifications section that is followed by your professional experience. This experience is organized by themes such as management/supervision skills, technical skills and sales skills. Then, you include your education and any certifications toward the end of your resume.
The beauty of the functional resume is that it allows you to highlight your most relevant skills for a specific job. It allows hiring managers to quickly identify your abilities and match them with their needs. Are you wondering where to find resume examples that can help you craft the perfect document for your job search? Google searching is the best way for you in this regard.
How Can a Functional Resume Help You Find a New Job?
A functional resume format downplays the employment gap by focusing on your top skills and qualifications. This type of resume emphasizes the skills you’ve acquired throughout your career and can be beneficial for a job seeker making a major change in their career. Your work history section will feature the companies you worked for, your job title and employment dates. This section will also include the hard and soft skills you possess, which are categorized into sections like Communication, Technical and Organizational Leadership.
Unlike the combination and chronological resume formats, the skills-based resume emphasizes the skills you have instead of listing your professional experience in an order that makes sense to an employer. This format is ideal for new graduates or anyone with long periods of unemployment who wants to highlight their abilities rather than their job titles. It is also a good option for applicants who don’t have substantial professional work experience and need to highlight skills from internships, volunteer positions or extracurricular activities.
What Should You Include on a Functional Resume?
A well-crafted functional resume can highlight your skills and demonstrate that you can meet the job requirements. However, a resume that contains spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or formatting inconsistencies will detract from the positive impression you hope to make on hiring managers.
Recruiters want to see a clear, concise summary of your work history and qualifications. For this reason, it is important to tailor each resume you send to the specific job description.
You may also want to include volunteer experience or internships on your resume, especially if you’re changing careers. In addition, it’s a good idea to label periods of unemployment, such as parental leave or illness. If possible, use years instead of months to show employment consistency. This can help to downplay employment gaps and make them appear less significant. Be sure to include your name at the top of your resume, a professional title, your LinkedIn profile URL (if you have one), and contact information in an easy-to-read font.