Allow me to rant. I have recently run into an overwhelming number of individuals on the job market with questions about how to write a “functional” or “skills” résumé. Functional résumés are actually a misnomer because functional résumé are neither functional nor do they illuminate your skills in a more appealing manner. For those of you who are unaware, the functional résumé is essentially broken into the core themes as evidenced through a person’s background. The bulk of the résumé is divided into skill themes with a “Work Experience” or “Employment” section tucked away at the bottom of the résumé. The opposite of a functional resume is a reverse-chronological resume which lists employment in order from most recent to most distant.
For years functional résumés were recommended to any individual who had a non-traditional work history such as a stay-at-home mother, a person jumping into a new career, or a recent graduate with little or no experience. Functional résumé have also been a popular suggestion for job seekers who have gaps in their unemployment or are reentering the workforce.
You should almost NEVER utilize a functional résumé and nearly ALWAYS employ a reverse-chronological résumé. Here is why:
What are you hiding? This is the question that a “skill-based” résumé begs to be asked. At one time, functional résumés were a good idea. However, as with fashion, styles fade and opinions change. Recruiters and hiring managers quickly caught on to the fact that whenever a functional résumé appeared, there was usually something to hide such as long gaps in employment, job- hopping, or a lack of direct experience. Today receiving a “skill-based” résumé is an instant alert.
Hard to scan. Anyone who has had to look at résumés as part of their job function will tell you that after a couple dozen, your eyes glaze. For the tired-eyed hiring manager or recruiter, being forced to “hunt” for the list of employment is too much work. If faced with a stack of several hundred résumés (not uncommon today) a tired recruiter may likely throw your resume into the “no” pile and move on to a resume that is a bit easier to digest.
Gaps will not kill you. Today with millions unemployed and the average tenure in a position decreasing, gaps in a résumé do not signal sudden employment death. This still does not provide an excuse to job hop as it will catch you.
The alterative? The new black in résumé fashion today is the “combination” or “Qualifications” résumé. This method begins the résumé with a SHORT summary of your key qualifications, typically followed by either your experience or education. This best of both world approach allows a career-changer to highlight “transferable” skills while at the same time making it easy for the hiring personnel to scan and locate information on the résumé.
“But my chronological resume will never be taken seriously!” you may lament. You are probably right. If you do not have the direct requirements for the position, you are not likely going to get a call from your résumé. That means that the résumé approach is not your employment ticket. Surprise!!! Many people do not land a job through their résumé. It is merely one tool in your belt.
The answer to the functional résumé is NONE. If this will cripple your job search strategy then you need to try the time-proven method of finding jobs and getting work done… relationships with other people.
