ARTICLES
The Purpose of a Functional Résumé
A functional résumé format is most often reserved for the job applications of professionals with more than 10 or 15 years of experience. Canterbury Résumé Services wants you to know that managerial professions, creative professions, and those that involve a lot of contractual work have the most flexibility in the use of functional résumés, particularly if you are trying to summarize a lot of work experience into a brief one- or two-page space. Functional résumés are also useful if you have only one present or former employer, whether you have worked there for years or for only six months.
The functional résumé format basically extends the profile or statement of qualifications into a series of bullets that you can take from the work experience section in a chronological resume. Some rewording may be necessary so that the bullets stand alone from the work experience with which they are associated. The benefit of a functional résumé is that it allows you to arrange the bullets in the order that emphasizes your work experience that is most relevant to the position you are applying for.
You can also group the bullets in a functional résumé into like subsections, which allow you to emphasize your areas of expertise with the use of subheaders. Potential employers can easily scan these subheaders to get a quick idea of what you have to offer.
A second section should follow this series of bullets that lists the bare bones of your work history with the name of your employers, your title (or titles), the city (or cities) where you worked, and the dates of employment in chronological order starting with your most recent employer. This section fulfills the chronological résumé function by allowing potential employers to see your work history at a glance.
Functional résumé cautions
What has been known as a functional résumé has commonly been used by individuals who have gaps in their employment because of an illness, family obligation, or other distraction that kept them from working. Because of the common association with the functional résumé and employment gaps, some offices, such as law firms, will not accept a functional résumé. If in doubt, use the traditional chronological résumé instead. However, when done correctly, a functional résumé will include the second section that represents your work history chronologically.
Extensive job history
Individuals with an extensive job history often have a difficult time condensing their information into a shorter form without losing important information; however, a three- or four-page résumé can be daunting to potential employers, especially if you are in direct competition for a position with individuals with fewer years of experience than you. Canterbury Résumé Services can prepare an executive résumé such as this which will give a summary of your main points at the top and then provide the most important nuts and bolts in a two-page format. Some information is acceptable to include on a third page, such as a representative list of transactions for transactional attorneys or another comparable list of projects.
Sometimes having a third party assist you with presenting your information can be a means of reducing stress surrounding your job search. A third party can also shed new light on how to word your profile or statement of qualifications and the bullets in your work experience. Canterbury Résumé Services would love to be your third-party résumé writer. We will present the information you provide us in a way a CEO or executive manager can best receive it – no matter what your industry.
Functional résumés, just as all résumés, require a lot of attention to detail and careful review of each draft prepared. Make sure to check it and check it again for inaccuracies or typos. As the most important document in your career, your résumé must be perfect. Sign up with Canterbury Résumé Services today.
© 2010 by Emily Sanderson. All rights reserved.
Our Newsletter
Distributed weekly by email, Canterbury Résumé's newsletter includes articles written by our writers that provide résumé tips for all professional industries, such as legal, financial, technology, business and the media.
Sign up if you would like to receive a copy of our newsletter each week.
__________________________________
Free Résumé Seminars
Canterbury Résumé Services provides free résumé writing seminars to educational and career resource groups throughout the western United States. For more information, contact us.
