Who Needs A Functional Resume?

As soon as gaps or changes of direction appear in your employment history you may benefit from a functional resume. The time worn chronological format is a bit like a trail of where you’ve been as well as how long you stayed in one place on the employment scene. It gives out spurious information that can be used against you. The first move towards a functional format is when people list their work experience in reverse chronological order. Obviously no employer is too concerned about how you started off in your work life since many students take part-time jobs unrelated to their studies. So from an employer’s point of view your last assignment is the most relevant because what you are doing right now gives many clues as to how employable you are to them. But why stop there? If your purpose is to match the requirements laid out in the job specifications and you have to compete with scores of unseen other candidates for the same position why not give it your best shot? You’ve got it – your last role may not be the most relevant for the position you’re applying for. Who said you have to list your experience in reverse chronological order?

So what are the complications? For a start you can no longer list your start and end dates. What about posting the duration of each role you had instead? Does the employer read some horoscope to screen those who started their last job in May or April? Who cares! What then will determine the order of your work experience in a functional resume? It will be the order of relevance for that one position you’re applying for. Here lies the major trump card of the functional resume: it is custom written for one job posting in order to maximize your chance of being called for an interview. This is in stark contrast to the reverse chronological resume that people would aimlessly blast on blogs or resume farms in the hope that the prince charming employer in shining armour will find you. Wake up and be real! It’s not going to happen. What you have to do in a competitive employment scene is identify the jobs that will both give you the most satisfaction and give you the chance to unleash your skills. Then target each one of those job posts with a tailor-made functional resume. Sound like a lot of work? Don’t worry others are already using a tool to do just that.

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