Learn when and how to use functional resume format effectively
A resume is the most important document in job searching. It enables you to draw attention of the prospective employer to your skills and expertise. It is very important that you craft your resume with utmost care as it will create your first impression even before your employer has met you. While writing a resume you have to pay attention to a lot of things. The content, layout, format and the language you choose- everything must be selected with a lot of forethought. The content and the layout are equally important as they will help in highlighting your strengths and compel the reader to take notice of the points you want to draw his attention to. When it comes to format there are basically three formats from which you have to select. They are mainly, chronological resume, functional resume and combination resume.
Which format is right for you?
There are several criteria which you have to consider before finalizing format for resume for yourself. Your employment history, diversity of job experience, the particular skills you want to highlight and whether you are changing career tracks, all these have to be taken into consideration before selecting the best resume format.
A chronological resume format is best suited if you have good professional experience and when you do not have any gap in your employment history and you have not changed career track too often.
This format is more traditional and finds ready acceptance with the employers. But in certain cases the best resume format to use is the functional format.
When should you use functional format?
If your objective is to draw attention of the employer to your skills only then functional format is the best one for you. Of course, your resume will contain other details but the emphasis will be on your skills and abilities and less on how and from where these were obtained. Hence, dates have little importance in a functional resume.
• Thus, a functional format can be used if you have breaks in your career.
• Those who have diverse experiences without any clear-cut career path should use this format.
• If you want to enter a new career field in which you do not have any prior experience then you can use this format to highlight the skills acquired rather the fields in which you have the experience.
• Even older workers who want to deemphasize their age should use this resume format.
• A functional format can be used by fresh graduates to create a good resume. Although these applicants have little or no work experience, but they can mention a group of transferable skills and be at par with other experienced candidates. These transferable skills can prove to be more important than work experience.
How to use a functional format?
Just like any other resume a functional resume has only one purpose, to get a job interview. Each job has its own demand and your resume style should vary depending on the requirements of the employers. If you are fresh from school and are competing with more qualified applicants then you can choose your main skills and organize your voluntary and extracurricular activities and studies around those skills.
Disadvantages of functional format
You must be aware of the disadvantages of functional format. Firstly, it deemphasizes the names of the companies for which you have worked and also the period of employment, which some employers consider to be of utmost importance. It also underplays the positions and responsibilities attached to them.
The final appearance of your resume will depend on a lot of factors. The way you divide it into sections, the bullet points and the formatting styles will go a long way in creating an excellent resume. If you are using a functional resume then take into account its advantages and disadvantages and then only proceed to use it.
