Functional Resume: Highlight Your Skills to Edge Out Rivals

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, writing a resume is an opportunity to show jobseeker's best qualities and skills to the employer. It's like a brief statement of someone's personal background, professional experience, competitive strengths, and skills. The agency also states that a functional resume specifically highlights one's best skills and minimizes elaboration on employment record. It is usually recommended for students and those with no working experience yet. For so many years now, many job aspirants make use of this type of pre-employment document.

The basic resume is usually written in chronological format. But if you haven't got any professional practice at all, then a functional resume format is best for you.

Skills are very important in measuring hopefuls' qualifications. All hiring managers want to hire someone who can meet the qualifications and submit requirements based on the standards set by the company. If you're the applicant, emphasizing your skills can make you different from other aspirants. Whether these are communication skills, technical skills, or marketing skills, it is important to place only those relevant to the position you are applying for. Today, there is a tough competition in the job market and companies will search for the most qualified candidate by conducting a thorough screening process. The more competencies you possess, the more chance you'll get hired.

Types of skill

· Communication prowess

· Computer literacy

· Time and management capacity

· Problem solving ability

· Leadership capability

· Clinical proficiency

· Analytical expertise

Sometimes, a functional resume can really do wonders in an application. While some employers traditionally want to see dates to know how the applicant has improved and continued to develop through the years, there are also some who do consider new graduates to fill in vacancies.

Some tips

If you have attended seminars or trainings that are somewhat relevant to the job post, it will help as additional factors for your application. You may also take advantage of your previous school participations and extra-curricular activities. Include the accomplishments and awards you have received during your school days. Or instead, describe difficult situations you have encountered and how you managed to overcome them.

If you are shifting into a different career or field, then you should consider presenting a functional resume. This is also an ideal tool in applying for volunteer works and other freewill activities. If you are a career woman before but having a gap in your employment history because of family matters or other personal reasons, this format of pre-employment document suits you.

Other things to consider

In creating an application summary, consider including the following sections: Personal Information, Objective Statement, Summary of Qualifications, Employment History, Educational Background, Affiliations, Certifications, and other Activities and Involvements. Do not forget to include the contact details so that the hiring manager can contact you right away. Avoid giving unnecessary pieces of information, such as hobbies or interest, political views, and religious beliefs. Try to think of an objective statement that will help you stand out in the competition. Limit the objective to one sentence. Your qualifications summary must contain powerful descriptions about you as the most qualified candidate. If you have employment records, try to cut them down and write only those essential ones. The section allotted for your educational background will give the employer hints on what you have attained and earned. Do not forget to include the year you have completed your degree.

Melinda Edwards works as a career consultant and has been invited in many forums and events on human resource management. She is also a time management expert who effectively performs her roles both as a career woman and a mother.

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Is the Functional Resume Format Right For You?

There are so many myths and misunderstandings regarding the functional resume format. Is a functional resume format that most suitable choice for your job search? This is one of the most frequent inquiries that professional resume writers are asked by prospective clients. The truth is that in the vast majority of situations the functional format is not prudent.

Certainly, the functional approach to resume writing is suitable in some limited circumstances, but you have to be deliberate and consider all the pros and cons before you decide to go down this avenue. This is because the functional format will often raise eyebrows because recruiters are mindful that applicants often use the functional resume format to hide unbecoming factors. In fact, there are many employers who refuse to even read a resume written in the functional format because they immediately assume the worst when they see it. Even if this is not the situation and they do choose to read it, do you really want the recipient to read your resume with a skeptical eye? This can be what happens if you are not sensible with your approach.

As there are so many negatives linked, why would you ever use a functional format? In essence, it's because certain circumstances don't lend themselves very well to a reverse chronological resume which is the more traditional format.

In what circumstances might the functional resume be the best format for you? You need to ask yourself some probing questions first.

1. Are you looking for a career shift? In this situation, notably if you are transferring into a different profession (as opposed to just a different industry) you need to accentuate the fact that you have qualifications that are transferable. The chronological resume is often not the best option here and the functional approach allows you to achieve this.

2. Have you been out of work for an extended time and are just returning to work? Irrespective of the justification for the unemployment, you may want to think about a functional form.

3. Are there lengthy breaks in your work history? The functional format can help you to mask some of these lengthier holes that might otherwise eliminate you at the first stage.

4. Have you been employed, for many years, in work of a like nature? You don't want to repeat yourself and this is another case in which you should think about a functional format.

There are a few other situations for which you might want to think about a functional format resume. For example, if you are a recent graduate who has very little actual work experience in your targeted industry or you have a diverse work history without a clear path as such.

Regardless of your situation, can you really afford to lose out on even one good job opportunity? For the majority of job hunters the answer is no, and so experimenting with a resume format that you are uncertain about is not a good idea. For this reason, many job seekers speak with a professional resume writer. Accomplished professional resume writers can help you determine whether a chronological or a functional resume format would be best for you and will then help you develop one to give you a real competitive edge in the job market.

Michelle Dumas runs of one of the longest-standing and most respected professional resume writing firms on the internet. Since 1996, Michelle has empowered thousands of professionals with resumes that get results and win jobs fast. Get insider resume writing tips that you won't find anywhere else at her website. Go now to http://www.distinctiveweb.com/.

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Why Functional Resumes Should Be Avoided

If you are about to create your resume, you may have searched through the thousands of templates that are available and realized that there are two distinct types of resume formats. They are the chronological resume (which is most widely used) and the functional resume. Functional resumes summarize your successes at the top in a bulleted list and then follow it with a brief work history.

When making a resume, the option of the functional resume may seem like a good option to you. If you have large gaps between teaching positions or there are points you'd like to omit, like titles or length of time spent at each school, you may think that the functional resume will help cover up this information and, instead, bring attention to your skills and knowledge base. This strategy tends to be a poor idea, however, and here is why.

A functional resume is meant to display only functional skills and eliminate all references to previous employment history. The reasons behind this layout were that it would bring more attention to a candidate's functional and transferable skills and knowledge base without bringing attention to employment gaps or irrelevant work experience.

I must warn you, however, that no employer will be fooled by this. Omitting this important information from your resume will only serve to bring more attention to the fact that it is missing. Employers will be immediately suspicious about why you have chosen to leave this important information out, causing them to dispose of your resume before you have a chance to defend your choices.

As well, functional resumes can be detrimental in the fact that they are confusing to recruiters. The average recruiter spends 15 seconds scanning a resume; therefore, you don't want your 15 seconds being spent with a recruiter getting frustrated over trying to make sense of your resume. Recruiters definitely will prefer a resume that is straightforward and in a familiar format. Recruiters want to see a resume that visually separates each position and highlights job-specific accomplishments instead of bunching everything together in a single section.

In order to get over any hurdles you may have regarding employment gaps or career changing, include as much information as possible in a combination formatted resume, so that the hiring committee will not be able to reach their own conclusions about employment gaps. Include categories in your resume that are specific to your functional skills, while explaining employment gaps right in your resume by stating things like "left school to raise my children" or "left to return to university".

Remember that the more transparent you appear in your teacher resume, the better. You will not fool a recruiter if you are trying to hide something. They will notice what is missing and not bother to offer you an interview so you have a chance to explain. Instead, it is a much better strategy to not be ashamed of any points in your history; show your future employer that you embrace all of your past achievements and prove that you are honest and have nothing to hide. This honesty will pay off in job interviews.

Author and Career Management Specialist, Candace Davies, owner of http://www.candocareer.com/ is dedicated to advancing job seekers' careers by providing strategic, achievement-orientated resumes and cover letters and proactive interview coaching. First impressions last! Need a little help? For 20 comprehensive answers to the toughest interview questions, grab a copy of Candace's powerful free interview questions and answers. It's yours free when you sign up for her free weekly newsletter, the Cando Career Connection. It's a win-win!

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