Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 1: Preparing Your Functional Resume
• Tips
• Warnings

Most resumes are based on a chronological listing of professional employment. But in some cases, it is more important to list skills and abilities in order of importance rather than training time. A functional resume does just that.

Steps

Method 1 of 1: Preparing Your Functional Resume

1. 1 Consider how useful a functional resume will be in interviews and in getting a job. A functional resume shifts the focus away from work history to highlight skills and abilities. Such a document will be more useful in the following situations:
   • You are changing your field of work or want to focus on skills and achievements that did not play a key role in one of your last jobs (for example, older experience, volunteering, or skills that you developed outside of work).
   • You had a break from work or your last positions did not correspond to your main activity.
   • A modified resume will increase your chances of getting a job by shifting the focus away from the timeline of events.
2. 2 Brainstorm. Write down your skills and achievements. At this stage, you should not think about which ones are important and which are not. You can later rank by importance and edit the entries. Be sure to mention anything that can increase your attractiveness in the eyes of an employer, including:
   • Volunteer experience.
   • Work experience in another country, different industries or in different positions.
   • Education, academic excellence, as well as training in various activities.
   • Skills, especially knowledge of computers and foreign languages.
   • Membership in clubs and associations.
   • Hobbies, crafts, as well as the ability to make something with your own hands.
3. 3 Organize the recorded data. What is most attractive and will best increase your employment chances? Perhaps you are a computer guru? Do you have an impressive scientific degree? Do you have many years of experience in the field of work of a potential employer? Prioritize what you value as essential. You can also group your experience into categories, such as general skills and special achievements.
4. 4 Sort your resume by category, not by time. Rather than writing down each job title, write down details of each skill and experience. Computer skills, education, and specific work experience are the most obvious sections.
   • When listing work experience, start each line with an active verb (prepared, performed, etc.). This sets the tone for the story, makes the list more structured and consistent, and makes it easier to convey the experience.
   • If you can, focus on the problems you solved and the specific results you achieved. Did you save someone money? Did you do something on top of your job responsibilities?
   • Follow the usual resume writing rules. Nobody canceled them, just the form of filing changed a little.
5. 5 Add a short summary at the beginning of your resume. This should not be the hackneyed formulation of "purpose", which usually boils down to getting a permanent position. Instead, highlight the most important thing you have to offer and write it down in the best possible way. Ideally, an employer or HR manager should be able to feel if you are suitable for your position by spending 20-40 seconds to read your resume.
6. 6 At the end of your resume, include a brief chronology of previous work experience. These can be descriptions in one line (company name, position held, time of work).

Tips

• Review examples of job descriptions in the industry you are interested in, with a focus on the roles you are applying for. Try to fit your resume to fit them.
• Do your best. Decide what is your main advantage (education, computer knowledge, specific work skills).
• Be prepared to discuss your previous posts, even though you haven't focused on them (which is often why). A resume is a reason to cross the threshold. Once inside, you must grab the employer's attention and convey the main points.
• If you have an extensive list to list, make one version of the full resume (master resume), trimming it for each specific job in which you are interested.
• Ask someone to read your resume carefully. An outside perspective will help you understand how others perceive you in order to find and correct possible mistakes in your resume.

Warnings

• Although you need to present yourself from your best side, never exaggerate or write fake data on your resume.
• Choosing a functional resume suggests that you want to hide something, even if the reasons for choosing this form are obvious. Therefore, only use this type of resume when you feel the potential benefits outweigh the risks. It is also worth preparing different versions of the resume for specific purposes.