In our last post, we looked at what a functional resume is. Now we will explore when to use such a format.
Changing up your entire resume format can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Consider the risk/reward outcomes when doing this and you will see the benefit in a full overhaul of your resume. There is a time and place for everything, and the use of a functional resume abides by this rule. The main reason to use this format is when you lack specific experience. The functional resume allows you to merge all jobs and life experience into your skills section, typically highlighting specific required skills.
Maybe you were a student-athlete in school and were unable to hold a job while at school due to time commitments. You can take the skills you gained and highlight them here. Your headings could be: “Teamwork,” “Time-management” “Strong work ethic” “Leadership” and “Communication”. Now you can expand on each of these skills using examples from athletics, school and/or part-time summer jobs.
Keep in mind, you don’t reference specifics of where or when you demonstrated these skills, just that it happened. Having less traditional jobs such as an athlete, military member, gig worker, or entrepreneur, you have to complete the puzzle for the recruiter and fill in the gaps and objections that they would have about you.
There are of course pros and cons to this format, so let’s look at them now.
The Pros and Cons of a Functional Resume
Pros:
It can help accentuate the positives and point out non-traditional experiences. The functional resume allows you to talk more directly about your qualities and skills in further depth than a traditional resume. In addition, it can help certain candidates get a fair assessment from a hiring manager or recruiter who typically spends less than 10 seconds assessing certain applicants’ fit for a position (See When to use below).
A functional resume can hack Applicant Tracking Software (ATS). The job posting says exactly what the employer is looking for in an applicant. If you take all the keywords and work them into your skills, more often than not, the ATS will approve the resume which passes you through the initial screening process filter.
Screening out candidates at the resume reviewing stage is the easiest way to eliminate candidates. There is no personal connection at this point, the hiring manager feels nothing for you as the candidate. When you do not possess the experience, you make the decision-making process easier for them. The functional resume is a way to bring pause to this selection process and get the hiring manager to, hopefully, give you a chance and bring you in for the interview. What you want to do is highlight how you will bring value to the company.
It also helps you zero in on the job you want. You can examine a bunch of job postings from a variety of sources and find out what commonalities they all share in terms of what they are looking for. You can then customize your resume to hone in on these skills to increase your chances of being hired.
When To Use:
Career switch – Any of us who have changed careers knows what a daunting task this can be. Employers may read your resume and think you are either overqualified, underqualified or not serious about the role and looking for a transitionary job.
A gap in employment – As the functional resume focuses more on your skills than employment history you are highlighting your varied skills including life, educational, volunteer and career experiences more than your progressive career timeline. This can be particularly fitting for candidates who have taken time off to be caregivers, return to school, travel or deal with physical or mental health issues or difficult personal circumstances. More on this later.
Recent grad – You are yet to obtain the work experience required for even an entry-level job but by using other part-time jobs, volunteering and school projects you can better explain your value to the company.
Dissimilar job titles – Some companies like to give their employees different (and at times, flat-out strange) job titles that are not indicative of what your job is. The functional resume blasts through this barrier and gives the employer tangible examples of what you have done.
Also, you might want to use a functional resume if you have held less traditional employment. Saying you drove for Uber may not sound as relevant as the skills you developed there such as customer service, attention to detail, safety, and flexibility that you utilized while on the job, for example.
Ultimately, the functional resume allows you to highlight relevant skills and experience while showcasing how you can add value to the company.
Cons:
Many hiring managers don’t like functional resumes because they can be seen as a sneaky way to hide the truth. The pros and reasons that a candidate might use a functional resume are exactly why employers see this format as a con. This can be a red flag for many recruiters. They know that a functional resume can be a sly tactic by some candidates to hide gaps in employment. either fired or unexpectedly quit.
This knock against functional resumes though is more of a misconception rather than a fact. The functional resume should still include previous places of work and dates, it is just positioned towards the end of the resume and not listed throughout. An argument could be made that the functional resume actually does the opposite of hiding employment gaps as this format actually positions the previous employment and dates closer together than on a standard resume.
What the functional resume does not include, however, is specifically when you developed certain skills. Hiring managers generally like to see career progression on a resume. It shows that the candidate is improving and growing as an employee. Sometimes job titles alone do not tell the full story. In your last job, you might have worn way more hats than the title alone suggests.
Having recent experience in a core competency that the hiring manager is looking for is more valuable than having done this many years ago in a previous role. To that point, you may have many consecutive years of this experience but it is seen as generally outside the scope of your title’s typical role. An example of this may be if you were an administrative assistant in your previous role but were given the responsibility by your boss of being the unofficial human resources manager as well. This was given to you because you had HR experience in a previous job that your manager was aware of. In a functional resume, you would say HR is a skill you possess but under past work experience it may look like you had not worked in HR in 10 years if work experience is listed below:
Administrative Assistant, ABC company 2012-Present
Administrative Assistant, XYZ company 2009-2012
HR Assistant, ACME company, 2007-2009
The hiring manager may look at your resume and assume that you only have 2 years of HR experience while you have 12. In a more standard resume, you could further elaborate on your experience in HR at ABC company.
Using this format also makes it more difficult for recruiters to score against other applicants. Effectively, it forces the recruiter to compare a resume that has no comparables.
Ultimately, the choice of when to use a functional resume is up to you, and whether the hiring manager does or does not like this format is up to them. At the end of the day though, you need to put yourself in a position for success and that means taking a chance on a functional resume, so, try it out!
If you would like feedback on your resume or have specific questions about the functional resume, please do not hesitate to reach out via in**@****************ng.com.
Are you struggling to get noticed by employers who place ads with long lists of job requirements? Sure, you might lack the relevant industry experience requested but you may have all the skills and attitude that would make you a great candidate. Not only do you not get the job you know you would be great at, but you don’t even have a chance to interview! This can be extremely frustrating and demoralizing.
You know that, given the opportunity, you would excel but you keep getting overlooked because employers do not understand your previous experiences and cannot see how the skills you have acquired will transfer over to this new position. Let’s look at how adjusting your resume format can increase your chances of getting that interview opportunity. In our next post, we will look at when to use the functional resume.
Let’s look at it from the employer’s perspective. Every hire that they make is a gamble and the hiring process is typically equally stressful for both candidate and employer. At every stage, the employer is looking to solve an internal requirement and also mitigate risk. Hiring employees is an expensive and time-consuming process and hiring managers are tasked with filling gaps that are typically long overdue with limited training available – particularly in the current labour market. Pressure is heightened to make the right decision. They are looking to progress as a company and taking unwarranted risks on candidates will not only hurt the company but could land the hiring manager in some legal hot water.
From the employer’s perspective then, weeding out resumes of candidates who, on paper, do not align with their needs is the easiest way to mitigate risk and save time.
Now, let’s look at it from your perspective as the candidate. It’s the classic conundrum of “how do I get experience when every company requires experience?” Instead of focusing on experience, focus instead on your skills and thus, what value you can bring to the company. This is where the functional resume can help.
A functional resume focuses more on your skills than specific job-related experience. The jobs listed in chronological order with a synopsis on a traditional resume are instead replaced with specific skills as headers and then dive into examples that prove you have that skill. This is typically followed by a listing of your jobs and then your educational background.
There are many examples of the structure and format of the functional resume online. You can even download a template from Microsoft to build one yourself in Word. Here is the general framework:
Your Name
Your Contact Info
Summary
This is a short paragraph that is a quick synopsis of you. This is your chance to capture the readers’ attention with a quick elevator pitch. Note that this is an optional section in this type of format but does allow you to add further details on yourself that you feel might be neglected in the rest of this resume.
Professional Skills
List 3-5 skills as subheaders with 2-5 bullet points each that show proof that you possess these skills. It is important to include those that are ideally sought after in the type of roles you are ideally seeking, wherever possible.
Pro tip: Create a document with as many skills as you can think of that you have. Use this as a database that you can pull from to customize your resume to each job posting quickly and easily.
Work Experience
Company Name, Job Title, Location and Dates worked there. No additional details are included within this section in this type of resume.
Education
School Name, Degree/Diploma Acquired, Location and Dates you attended and ideally completed each program.
This is what the basic format looks like when printed out. Feel free to play with the style but the format should be more or less standard Credit: Jaclyn Westlake of theMuse.com
And that is it! This is the basic structure of this type of format. Of course, you can play around with the format a little bit and add other relevant headings if you wish but this is the meat of this resume format. Always remember, your resume is generally your first impression for the hiring manager. Treat it like you are an advertising agency and are looking for a way to promote a product (you) to a very specific consumer (the employer). In this case, the consumer has provided you with exactly what they are looking for in a new product, through the job posting, and now all you have to do is meet their needs.
Social media platforms are crucial (if often overlooked) tools which can help you find your dream job in today’s rapidly changing and diverse job market. LinkedIn in particular is exceptionally important as most hiring managers will review your profile and make a quick decision about your suitability on the spot if your resume catches their eye.
If you should find yourself with some time on your hands right now, it is an excellent opportunity for you to ensure this platform is showcasing your talents in the best possible way. I strongly encourage you to dedicate real time and effort to perfect this profile. If you are looking for a second opinion, I would be more than happy to take a quick look and provide some feedback if you feel that would be helpful. Here are a few quick suggestions to help improve your profile, if you are serious about your job search!
1. Choose the right photograph
Make sure you have a simple, professional looking photograph that is visible to hiring managers. Some studies say that profiles with photos are 11x more likely to be viewed. Do check your visibility settings as many of my clients thought their photos were publicly visible but were not! While a classic headshot is best, ideally the photo will show a bit of your personality, and it must be current. It is not necessary that it be taken by a professional but do take time to ensure that it is clear, bright and polished and that you are wearing clothes that you would wear to work. For more great tips, check out this link.
2. Create a headline that entices your intended market
Spend some time creating an interesting and compelling headline that tells the world who you are, what your unique offering is and why you are someone worth connecting with. If this is a daunting task, you may find it very helpful to review other profiles for suggestions – there are many great articles out there to assist with this process as well.
3. Write a particularly strong “About” summary
Start strong, consider that every word matters, optimize search words, add context to your career story and definitely inject your personality where possible. Edit and revise carefully and have this proofread by an advisor prior to posting. For some great examples, see this article.
3. Tell the world you are open to great opportunities
LinkedIn offers the ability to communicate the fact that you are interested in new opportunities in several ways. This can be done by stating this outright in your headline (i.e. Experienced, people-oriented sales manager seeking new opportunities) or, alternatively, in a more confidential way to privately notify a wide network of recruiters through a specific setting on your profile. In this case, the intention is to signal your job search to interested parties while avoiding notifying those recruiters at your own firm or affiliated recruiters (Note: Do consider the consequences of this type of advertising as no system is foolproof). Finally, do ensure that you have made your profile public.
4. Use your profile to help develop your personal brand
Consider changing the background on your profile from the basic blue to something suited to your industry, personality or work-related interests. Seek opinions from trusted advisors on your choices. Always err on the conservative side (unless you are in a very creative field) and avoid any political, religious or other contentious or off-putting posts or statements. Consider adding in interesting and relevant volunteer work and accomplishments that help the reader understand why you might be a great for their role.
5. Tidy up your data
Always keep your status current and ensure there are NO errors or inconsistencies with your resume. Take time to consider capitalization and punctuation. I can’t tell you how many candidates are screened out of interesting searches due to these types of errors that could have been simply corrected. Verify that your specified location and industry are still accurate.
6. Get a few great testimonials
A few strong endorsements can go a long way to help open up doors. The LinkedIn program has a pretty simple process to assist with the process of obtaining brief testimonials from past or current colleagues, clients and managers. Know that even the most well-intended people may struggle to find the time to write these types of endorsements so look for tips and tricks on how to make this as easy as possible for your reference source.
7. Network, network, network
Once you have perfected your profile, the next step is to reach out to your current contact list and key industry players to generate meaningful connections. This topic is a more complex one to be covered in a subsequent piece. Always be mindful of how you go about this outreach but know that this is your eventual goal. The strength of your network improves the perception of your value for many positions, particularly if you are seeking work in sales, communications or public relations type roles. In the meantime, here are some great “Dos & Don’ts” to consider.
