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Functional Resume Indicators

Functional Resume Facts

The functional resume has five broad categories of indicators. The following tables detail the general indicators, specific indicators and the corresponding advantages of the functional over the chronological resume.

The first table applies to those seeking a career change, some specific indicators and advantages this format offers them.

**Iindicators for you if changing careers**
General Indicator	Specific Indicator	Advantage
Career Change	Re-entering the workforce after lengthy absence	Employment gaps can be better handled than with a chronological resume
	Transitioning from military to civilian work Ability to "translate" knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, duties,	Ability to "translate" knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, duties, responsibilities and accomplishments into "civilianese"
	Lots of transferrable experience, responsibilities, duties, skills, knowledge, or accomplishments in another field	Ability to present relevant, transferrable assets in a meaningful way
	Returning to a former career field	Ability to present most relevant assets in a meaningful way
	Older worker seeking reduced responsibilities	Ability to downplay assets for which you are not seeking to emphasize

The next general indication to consider is if your career is not the traditional "begin at the bottom and work your way up with steady career growth over time" variety. The next table helps you understand some of the specific reasons you may wish to consider a functional resume and the primary advantage it may give you.

**Functional resume indicators if your employment history is non-traditional**
General Indicator	Specific Indicator	Advantage
Primary experience is non-traditional	Career growth has been erratic	Ability to maximize qualifications, and minimize weaknesses
	Unstable employment history	Ability to maximize assets while minimizing employment history
	No clear cut career path or history of unconnected positions	Ability to present transferrable assets while de-emphasizing career path
	Knowledge, skills, abilities and accomplishments come from multiple unrelated and/or non-traditional sources	Ability to demonstrate assets over weaknesses
	Work experience is from temporary jobs	Ability to emphasize experience over source
	Work experience is from freelance, consulting or contract work	Ability to demonstrate assets independent of source
	Primary experience is from internships, externships and volunteer work	Ability to focus on what you have gained as opposed to where you got it
	Experience would appear outdated if on chronological resume	Ability to emphasize asset over time frame

The third primary rationale for using this format is to be able to highlight information that is particularly relevant to the position you seek.

Keep in mind, your resume is your advertisement to an employer to consider your fitness for the job and an invitation for the employer to call you for an interview. As such, while there are certain expectations as to form and content, a functional resume presents considerably more flexibility than the traditional obituary type (industry jargon for a chronological resume).

**Functional resume format provides more flexibility in presenting relevant information**
General Indicator	Specific Indicator	Advantage
A need to highlight information relevant to a desired position	Most recent position does not contribute toward attractiveness for desired position	Ability to focus on assets that enhance attractiveness for desired position
	Experience in the field is weak but there are other assets to bring to the job	Ability to emphasize most relevant assets
	Job titles do not adequately show knowledge skills abilities accomplishments experience duties or responsibilities	Ability to emphasize assets over job titles
	Chronological resume would unnecessarily repeat assets from different position	Ability to focus on multiple strengths rather than sequence of positions
	Recent experience would not be obvious with a Chronological resume	Ability to focus reader's attention on most relevant assets
	Applicant is over-qualified for the desired position	Ability to de-emphasize irrelevant assets

Another possible application is for the entry level job seeker. Many entry level applicants do not have the work experience to qualify for positions they want. They may have a bit of experience, but somehow not meet the "one year experience" requirement.

However, they may have other assets that would be equally or even more valuable to the company. The problem is how to convey that to the employer. Chronological resumes, because of their strict obituary structure may not provide an opportunity to feature your assets.

What to do? Meet the functional resume... It brings the flexibility you need to present your greatest assets in a way that is generally accepted, even if it is not the "preferred format" some companies demand. The important thing is to get your message to the employer.

**Functional resume indicators for the entry level job seeker**
General Indicator	Specific Indicator	Advantage
Entry level job seeker	No traditional work history	Ability to demonstrate knowledge, skills, abilities, experiences, accomplishments gained in non-traditional ways
	First time job seeker	Ability to demonstrate work assets gained through other venues than traditional jobs

The last set of indicators have to do with your education.

**Functional resume indicators for job seekers with educational issues**
General Indicator	Specific Indicator	Advantage
Educational issues	Recent college graduate	Ability to emphasize employability assets gained in collegiate environment
	Liberal arts or humanities major seeking position in another field	Ability to emphasize assets other than strictly technical or scientific

Your resume is your opportunity to tell your story in your way to a potential employer.

A functional resume is not the answer to every situation... But, neither is a chronological resume the answer to every job seeker's dilemma. If you have an excellent career history, with no "red flags," then a chronological format may be the best way to present yourself, particularly if you are in a very starchy, conservative environment that has no room for different opinions.

However, if you have, for whatever reasons, a career that has more than one industry, or something other than a straight up the organization path, or time off to raise children, or any of the indicators discussed above, you just might want to consider whether a functional resume may get you a better shot at an interview.

Please be careful with your documents, as you will seldom get a second chance to create a great first impression.

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