Functional Resume Writing

The following step-by-step checklist is a helpful aid for developing a great functional resume. Build your contact information, profile, education, and professional affiliations and awards sections first, then develop the all-important experience section. If you need additional information on the basic elements of any good resume, refer to Chapter 2.

Contact information

Center your full name at the top of the page and highlight it by putting it in boldface type and possibly using a larger font size (such as 14 points) than the rest of your resume text. Include your middle initial, if appropriate, but not your middle name, unless you use it at work.
After your name, add the appropriate acronym for any certifications you have received from recognized independent certifying organizations (for example, CPA for Certified Public Accountant).
After your name or certification, add the appropriate acronym for any doctorate-level degrees you have been awarded by accredited educational institutions (such as Ph.D. for Doctor of Philosophy), but not degrees at the master's level (unless you are in the field of education) or below (for example, B.A., A.A.).
Provide your complete mailing address. Position this information one space below your name, on the left- hand side of your resume. Put your street address on one line; the city, state, and zip on a second, as follows. 4451 Elm Street
Provide two ways for an employer or recruiter to contact you. Position this information one space below your name, on the right-hand side of your resume. Place the preferred method first and the backup method directly below it, as shown in this example:
day - (203) 659-2136
Sam@erols.com
Contact methods include (in order of their effectiveness):
A private daytime telephone number that you answer
A private e-mail address that you can check during the day
A private daytime telephone number that another adult answers
A nighttime telephone number that you answer
A private e-mail address that you can check at night

Profile

Review your employment materials and identify 3-5 key attributes or qualifications that best support your objective statement. These capabilities normally are your strongest credentials for the job you seek.
Check recruitment ads, job postings on the Internet, and position descriptions, if you have access to them, to determine the terms typically used by employers to express your key qualifications.
As shown later in Figure 5-1, use the words and phrases favored by employers and recruiters to summarize your qualifications in 3-5 bullets or short phrases.

Experience

Beginning with your greatest level of expertise:

Identify the skill in which you have the greatest level of expertise using a term or phrase familiar to employers and recruiters. If you included the skill in your profile, repeat the term or phrase you used there. Otherwise, check recruitment ads, job postings on the Internet, and position descriptions, if you have access to them, to determine the term or phrase typically used by employers to express this skill.
Describe the skill area by detailing the tasks you performed in various work situations and what outcomes you were able to achieve as a result. Focus on activities that support your objective and illustrate the strengths you highlighted in your profile. Use action verbs and short, but complete sentences. If possible, limit the information you present to a series of 4-5 bullets or a paragraph of similar length. Put the name of the skill in bold.
Identify 2-3 of your accomplishments in this skill area. Clearly relate these accomplishments to the activities you describe in the previous step. Wherever possible, describe your results in quantitative measures, such as money saved, goods sold, profits earned, as in the following example:
Achieved revenue growth of 300% in three years
Increased brand recognition and stature by introducing distinctive value-added services
Built company into a regional leader in a highly competitive market

Repeat the steps in the previous section for each of your skill areas. If possible, avoid repeating information in the descriptions of your various skills - using the same examples for every skill is likely to signal limited experience with a range of accomplishments. In every case, however, be complete, detailed, and persuasive.

Education

List the education degrees you have earned, using the following format: degree/major, educational institution, location, year awarded.
List any certificates you have been awarded, using the following format: certificate, certifying organization, year awarded.
List major training programs you have completed, using the following format: training program, training organization, year completed.
List any educational course or training programs in which you are currently enrolled, citing the course or program, the institution or training organization which is providing it, and the term "ongoing."

Professional affiliations & awards

List any professional societies or associations in which you are a member and/or have held an elected or appointed position. Begin with the term "Member" or the name of the position you held (for example, Program Committee Chair) and then identify the organization by its complete name.
List any license you have earned from a state licensing board, using the following format: License name and number, granting organization, year awarded.
List any awards you have received from professional societies or associations or from your employer, using the following format: Name/brief description of the award, organization that granted it, year it was presented.
List any conference presentation you have made, paper you've published, or program you have helped to organize, using the following format: Title of the presentation or paper, name of the meeting at which it was presented or the publication in which it appeared, date.