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What is a functional resume?
A functional resume is one that focuses on your skills and accomplishments rather than your employment history. Instead of describing your skills and accomplishments beneath each of your previous jobs in reverse chronological order, like a typical resume does, it organizes them under skill headings. (See Easy Steps for a Functional Resume and the Functional Resume Template)
Who should use a functional resume?
This type of resume can be used by job seekers in a variety of situations. A functional resume may be the preferred type for
- a recent graduate with limited employment experience
- someone changing career fields
- a person with a varied work history that includes many types of jobs
- a worker who has large gaps in employment
- older workers with a lot of experience
- a person applying for administrative positions who needs to highlight transferable skills.
How do I decide what skills or accomplishments to highlight?
- Your goal is to highlight the skills that you know the prospective employer is looking for. Carefully read the job requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities listed in job posting
- Decide which skills and accomplishments you have that match the job posting by thinking about previous jobs or internships. Which skills are similar to those that the employer is looking for?
- Consider both your hard skills (e.g., computer knowledge, hiring, project management, certifications) and soft skills (e.g., organization, teamwork, punctuality, leadership).
Choosing Skill Headings for Your Skills Section
- Before you create your skill statements, you need to choose 4-6 skill headings for your resume under which to organize your skills and experiences. (See attached article for skill headings)
How to Create Your Skill Statements
- State 3-4 statements of skill or accomplishment beneath each skill heading which show your abilities in that skill area. The headings can showcase skills from multiple jobs in your work history. Begin each statement with an action verb or strong adjective. (For additional help in creating these bulleted statements, see How to Write an Effective Bulleted Skills Statement.)
Examples:
Action Verb: Maximized company objectives by maintaining profitable levels of store inventory and on-boarding high-quality personnel
Strong Adjective: Skilled at payroll management for [number] employees, which aided in meeting the company objective of [what?]
Important: The resume may be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) which looks for key words that match the job description, so be sure to include key words from the job posting throughout your resume.
Remember: Your skill headings may look different for each job you apply for because there will be different requirements and key words. Modify them to match each job.
For more information, contact the Career Resource Center