Understanding Types Of Resumes: Functional

Another common type of resume type is the functional resume. The main purpose of the functional resume is to organize your skills and experience in a way that highlights why you would be a good fit for a position without having to rely on the chronological layout of your entire resume.

Essentially, what you are doing with the functional resume is organizing the information in your resume based on how important it is to the specific application. This means that every time you apply for a new position you will have to ensure that this structure still makes sense. Also, remember that just because you are using the functional resume type does not mean that you can not have anything organized chronologically in your resume. It often makes sense to use the functional ideology for your main sections and then chronologically list specifics. This depends on the specific application and your specific skills but just remember that it is important that the content makes sense to the reader.

The functional resume is very useful if you are trying to mitigate gaps in your resume. For example, if you are changing industries your most recent position may not be relevant to the new role that you are applying for. In this case, it may make more sense to lead with your education showing that you are qualified for the position and then follow with any practical experience that you may have.

You do have to be careful with using the functional resume type that your resume is still organized and easy to follow. There always needs to be a logical methodology as to how your resume has been laid out or it will be very confusing to understand how to navigate the information being presented. This resume type does take more consideration to ensure the correct impression is being delivered to the reader.

The idea with a functional resume is to ensure that you list off the most critical met requirements first. As hiring managers are going through their initial purge of applications you do not want to be looked over simply because you didn’t highlight your best attributes first. Remember that you want to make the prospective employer’s life as easy as possible and streamlining your resume is integral to generating a strong first impression.