Functional Resumes - Making a Change

This is a functional resume template.
Feel free to use this to create your functional resume!

by Megan Elliott, Social Media Developer

Every job adds to your skills list, but not every job is a good fit for your resume.  If you have gaps in your work history, or you want to change your career path, then you might want to think about using a functional resume.  This format actually allows you to highlight your skills rather than your work history.

Let’s pretend that you want to apply to an insurance claims adjuster position with a local insurance agency.  You’ve worked as a grocery store stocker and as an administrative assistant for a realty agency.  What skills do you have from those two previous jobs that would be valued in the position that you’re applying for?  Look at the job description – there are skills they are looking for in applicants that could be used as keywords for your skills section (see our previous blog post for a definition of keywords).

Let’s try these: organizational skills, data management, and customer service.  You could write these into your resume and highlight how use used those skills during your previous jobs.

·         Organizational skills – Developed a new canned goods sorting process that increased my efficiency at stocking the shelves by 20%.  Produced a daily agency calendar specifically for the showing of listed properties that allowed agents to plan their day more effectively.

·         Data management – Able to take complex spreadsheets listing inventory and separate them by department and by shipped inventory.  Created weekly reports for real estate agents showing their listed properties, sorted from most shown properties to least shown properties, allowing them to become more effective with their time.

·         Customer service – Assisted customers to find products during stocking shifts.  Received existing and new customers with a smile; created a welcoming environment while the customer waited for their agent.

The key is to demonstrate how your skills were used in the workplace.  Feel free to use percentages and statistics that show how valuable those skills are, just make sure that they’re accurate percentages and statistics. You don’t want to lie on your resume! 

In the section after your skillset, list your work experience with the most recent employer listed first, going backwards in time.  Include any training classes or certifications you received here, because they’ll make sense in context of where you were working at the time.

The last thing to list is your education.  Generally speaking, this is why a functional format for a resume is a good one to use if you are an older worker and are looking for ways to downplay your age. 

Look at the template we’ve added as an image, and let us know if there’s a way we can help you make this resume shine!