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Functional Resume

Functional Resume


Functional Resume Writing

Writing a functional resume is a little trickier as compared to the other traditional format. Since it is an unconventional type of resume, you would need to know what strategy to adopt and what points to stress upon while framing one.

What is a functional resume?

A functional resume is one that puts focus on the candidate's skills, talents and knowledge rather than emphasizing on previous employment history. The main body of the functional resume consists of what are known as skill clusters where the achievements are listed under the relevant skill heading. This kind of a format best suits those people who have little or no prior experience or those planning for a career change. The functional resume is also frequently used by individuals in unconventional careers like art, music, theater, dance, designing, psychology, history etc.

Components of a functional resume

A functional resume comprises of the following sections:-

  1. Personal details
  2. Objective
  3. Education
  4. Career skills
  5. Achievements
  6. Synopsis of Work Experience (optional)
  7. References (Optional)

Let us now elaborate on each of the points in detail.

Personal Information: This includes name, address, contact numbers and email Id. Make sure this information is placed prominently where it would be easily noticed and accessed. It is needless to say that you should check that there are no errors in the contact details otherwise your prospective employers would be unable to reach you.

Objective: An objective consists of one or two crisply worded statements that describe the candidate's aspirations in relation with the goals and vision of the organization. It clearly reveals the job title sought by the candidate and attempts to put forth in a compelling manner why the candidate would b the right person for the post. The objective assumes greater importance in a functional resume particularly if the applicant is making a career change. In that case, you need to mention how the skills acquired from your previous job would prove valuable to the new position as well.

Education: Here, you need to list your educational qualifications in reverse chronological order either in a bulleted or tabular form. You should start with the highest degree followed by the earlier ones. This would be the right place to mention any additional certificates, licenses that you may have earned or any special training you may have undergone.

Career skills: This section constitutes the most important part of the resume and highlights the valuable skills you have honed, refined and acquired over a period of time. This section must be written with the utmost care and tact in order for it to make up for or divert attention from the lack of experience. The best way to flaunt your skills would be to pick the ones most relevant to the job you are seeking and write them as a category or subheading. Within each of the skill clusters, you should include a bulleted list of 2-3 examples of how you successfully used that skill.

For example:

Administrative skills:

  • Was Project Head of Annual Summer Market for Charity organized by the Junior Chamber
  • Coordinated drive for awareness of organ donation
  • Planned and successfully implemented book fairs for children in 10 cities

In this manner you will add more skill categories like communication skills, computer skills, management skills and others that match the career that you presently seek.

Achievements: This section gives you another opportunity to attract attention to your strengths and successes and add more power and punch to your resume. Here you would have yet another bulleted list of 3-4 of your best accomplishments so far. Make sure you back you claims by adding quantitative proof of your achievements to lend more credibility to your successes.

Example:

Designed and implemented special training courses which resulted in 30% growth in employee output

Synopsis of Work Experience (optional): Those candidates that do have a patchy employment history could include it in the form of a list of the names of the places where you worked along with the dates. You may choose to omit this section altogether if you have already highlighted your experience in the previous sections of the resume or if you do not really possess enough experience to write about.

References (optional): If you wish to include references, write them on a separate page with your name and contact details at the top. For the references, write their designation, the name of the organization they work for and their contact numbers. Always ensure that you have checked with these individuals in advance whether they would be willing to vouch for your competency and integrity.

Following this format while carving your functional resume would leave little room for error and guarantee that you are equipped with an unmatched and exceptional resume.

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