A functional resume focuses on transferable skills and experience rather than a chronological work history. It is typically used by career changers or candidates with gaps in employment.
It is the most effective way to deal with a bumpy employment history. And it’s easier to write than you think if you follow our detailed guide.
This guide will show you:
- What is a functional resume.
- Who is the functional resume format best for?
- How to structure a functional resume.
- Expert tips for writing a resume effective functional resume.
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- Sample Chronological Resume
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Need to jump to the right section that interests you the most? Use the table of contents:
- What is a functional resume?
- Who is the resume format good for? Functional?
- Functional Resume Examples and Why They Work
- Functional Resume Design, Structure, and Writing Tips
A functional resume is a type of resume format that emphasizes skills over experience. The purpose of a functional resume is to draw attention to transferable skills rather than to focus on a chronological overview of your work history.
Due to its properties, it is sometimes referred to as He calls it a skills-based curriculum.
This resume format works for people looking for a job where their work history is not directly related.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
Here’s the rub:
The functional resume format is the that most recruiters hate.
Why?
Consider this. Statistically speaking, recruiters spend 7 seconds scanning each resume. They don’t read resumes. They sift through them to find what matters most.
In those 7 seconds, here’s what recruiters are looking for in particular:
- Your relevant qualifications
- Your job titles
- The highest level of responsibility you achieved
- Where and when you developed your skills
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A functional resume hides what recruiters are looking for. Worse yet, you lose credibility if your skills aren’t tied to relevant work experience.
Does that mean those resumes are totally worthless? Well, not so fast.
The goal of a functional resume is to help those who don’t have the relevant work experience.
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It’s not about hiding your skills, it’s about showing that they go beyond the traditional work history.
Here’s what distinguishes a functional resume, or skills-based resume format:
- A richer resume introduction.
- A more detailed skills section.
And that’s what matters for some jobs. To land an interview, you need to emphasize your strongest skills: a set of hard and soft skills.
Let’s see if the functional resume might work for you.
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Who is the functional resume format good for?
In general, a functional resume is best when:
- You are moving into a new industry where your work history does not match.
- You are highlighting your skills necessary for the target position.
- You lack work experience relevant to the position you are applying for.
- You have many gaps in your employment history.
Need some specific examples?
Here are the most common types of candidates who benefit from a functional, skills-based resume:
- Creative types: Your portfolio is what which is the most important thing and functional resume gives you more creative space to showcase your talent in an application.
- Overqualified Candidates: Helps to showcase your skills and not your employment history.
- Military Transition Resumes—Detailed military work experience is hard to show because recruiters don’t come across them that often.
A Critical Disclaimer : A functional resume will not work if you have no work history behind your belt at all.Sound like you? Switch to this beast of a guide written by my friend Christian: No work experience? Here’s how to write your resume
The best thing about a functional resume: It’s versatile.
And skills are very important to recruiters.
Still, functional resumes are suitable for very few people who are looking for work.
Fortunately, there are other common resume structures to choose from:
- A chronological resume works best for candidates with a well-structured, linear employment history that you want to highlight key work history and professional achievements.
- The blended resume is best suited for job seekers with a lot of experience: it highlights skills and ties them to the relevant experience.
Before you make your final decision, let’s compare these resume structures to see the pros and cons:
Chronological summary
Functional summary
Combined summary
Pros
- Highlights experience and achievements
- Easy to scan
- ATS scannable
- Highlight your skills
- Good for creatives with a variety of portfolios
- Highlight your skills in relation to your employment history
- Hides gaps in employment.
- ATS scannable
Cons
- Requires consistent formatting
- Exposes employment gaps
- Hard to scan
- Hides your expertise
- Not scannable with ATS
- For highly specialized professionals only
- Difficult to format and organize
When making a resume in our builder, drag and drop bullet points, skills, and autocomplete the boring stuff. Spelling checker? Check. Start creating a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will rate your resume and tell you exactly how to do it best.
Not convinced that the functional resume is the best format for you? Take a look at our detailed guide: Resume Format: Samples and Templates for All Resume Types (10+)
Now you know the basics of a functional resume.
You know who it’s best for.
It’s time to have fun—see a functional resume in action.
Let’s take a look at a well-written functional resume and see why it can be so effective.
Sample Functional Resume Format: Conceptual Artist
Wow—
Janice is talented.
And she backs her talents with key skills.
She chose the functional resume format to highlight the different skills she has as an artist.
See her use of bullet points in the skills section? It’s easily scannable so any HR recruiter can. /p>
But, her abilities show how her transition into the new role will go smoothly with all the key achievements she highlights.
You’ve seen the functional resume in action.
And the functional resume format is very useful.
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But, you need a little more detail to make each section of your functional resume shine.
Look no further: this section breaks down each part of your functional resume.
Let’s start with the basic layout of the sections in a functional resume:
- Name and Title
- Contact information: address, phone number, email, and social media accounts (if necessary)
- Resume Goal: Emphasize skills and achievements
- Skills Summary – Highlight your skills in this section of your summary
- Work Experience – Smaller section but can be skipped</li
- Education ation: Highest degree and most relevant certificates
- Additional Skills: Additional to the position you are applying for
Let’s break down each section so you know how to write a functional resume.
Start with your name and title
Sounds like the easiest part of your functional resume, right? Well, it’s a little harder than you think.
What job title should you put if you’re a creative type or unemployed?
Or it should be for the position what do you hope to achieve?
If your skills match the position, choose a standard title: artist, writer, teacher.
But—
If you’re the one using a functional resume to switch roles or industries, don’t add a job title as it might confuse the recruiter
Need more information on what title to put on your functional resume? Read our guide: 450 Job Titles That Work on a Resume and Job Search [Current and Desired!]
Indicate your contact information
Make sure your contact information on a resume is up to date.
Include your mobile phone number, a LinkedIn profile on your resume, and an email address.
Make sure your email looks professional.
Go With A Resume Objective
Let’s minimize the gaps in your employment with a perfect resume objective.
Gets your functional resume started on the right foot by showcasing your key skills and accomplishments.
Include 3-4 examples of your most important personal achievements. Choose achievements based on the position you are applying for.
Convince recruiters that you will use your skills to benefit your future employer.
Need help writing your resume profile? Check out our in-depth guides: Resume Summary Examples (30+ Career Summary Statements) and 50+ Resume Objective Examples: Career Goals for All Jobs (+Tips).
Write the Perfect Skills Summary
This is a brilliant time to your resume functional.
Should make the hiring manager’s eyebrows rise.
Should convince them that your Skills are more important than your employment history.
Remember, the position you are applying for has requirements. This is the section where you demonstrate that you are capable of fulfilling the job role.
Follow these simple steps to get the correct skills section:
- Compile a master list of all the skills you have. Include your soft skills, hard skills, and technical skills.
- Go to the job posting and see the skills needed for the position. Write these skills down.
- Compare these skills to your master list and identify any that overlap.
- Select 3-4 of these skills and list them in this section of your resume.
- Give evidence of each skill with 3-4 bullet points. A bullet point should quantify your skill in a relevant way.
Want to learn more about putting your skills on a resume? Read our guide: 99 key resume skills (the best list of examples for all kinds of jobs).
Describe your experience
Now comes the hard part.
How do you demonstrate relevant work experience when you have gaps in employment?
Follow our advice and it shouldn’t derail your application.
First, think about why you were unemployed. There are many acceptable reasons why people are unemployed.
Were you a full-time student? Father? Travel? Label your periods of unemployment and list why this is the case.
Maybe you took on a lot of intermittent projects but didn’t have a stable workplace. Use years instead of months to indicate your work experience on your functional resume.
If you had a lapse within the year, it still shows you had steady work, with short breaks in -enter.
When listing your employment history, be sure to include the dates, title, and company name for each position you held. Also add the business location.
Add your education
The education section It tells your employer that you have value.
It also takes into account the skills you have on your functional resume.
If you just got out of school or have work breaks, consider adding the following:
- GPA
- Relevant Courses
- Minor
- Dean’s List
- Honours
- Study Abroad
Read more tips for your education in our dedicated guide section: How to put your education on a resume [Tips and examples].
Detail your additional skills
Use this section to add any additional skills you have beyond the ones you listed in the skills summary section.
Only add skills to increase your chances . Here are some ideas:
- Languages
- Software: WordPress, SEM Rush, Adobe InDesign, MS Office Suite
- Certificates
- Volunteering
Finally, remember to write a cover letter to send along with your functional resume. Cover letters are still expected today!
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an edge over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter generator here. Here’s what it might look like:
See more cover letter templates and get started writing .
And there you have it!
Now you are ready to write a functional resume for your specific need.
Don’t think of your imperfect work history as a vulnerability.
Think of the great skills you have and highlight it with a perfect functional resume.
Here’s everything you need to know about writing a functional resume:
- A functional resume format is best for those who have no or no traditional employment history.
- A functional resume draws the recruiter’s attention to your skills.
- A well-written functional resume should fit the job you are applying for.
Do you have any questions about writing a functional resume? Perhaps you would like to share tips on how to do everything right? Give us a shout out in the comments below. We are always happy to help!
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