job-search1One of the biggest hurdles that job seekers face is to know how to cover up imperfections when writing their resume. Almost no one gets through their career without some kind of bump in the road, whether it be a gap in employment,  or switching to a new field. When this happens many people turn to what is called a “functional” resume. This type of resume breaks your experience down by job function, not by employer.

For example, under your “Professional Experience” section, instead of listing your employers and job titles chronologically, you would list the basic job functions that you have experience in and then write bullet points below those. If you are a marketing professional, your job functions might be Business Development, Public Relations, Communications and Social Media, or something similar. At the very bottom of the resume, you would then list the actual employers, job titles and dates. The intention of this is to focus on what you did, not where or when you did it. Sounds like a great solution, right? Nope, sorry.

Unless you have a pretty bumpy career history, I rarely ever recommend functional resumes because they are simply not preferred by hiring managers. Not to mention, they’ve become a dead giveaway that you are trying to cover something up. What I do recommend is that you create an honest, authentic resume that has nothing to hide, though you may leave off anything old or irrelevant. It is okay to do small things such as modify your job title a bit (look for a forthcoming blog on that) or remove old and/or irrelevant jobs as long as they don't create a large gap in your work history.

Another point to consider is that functional resumes are not well-processed when they are scanned through applicant tracking systems. The ATS is designed to parse your resume and extract information such as job titles and dates of employment. However, it’s assuming that your job title, dates of employment and duties are going to be listed all in one place. If any of that information is missing or is spread throughout the resume, it will reduce the readability and possible scoring of your resume.

I’ve successfully helped a number of clients present their experience in a way that emphasizes what they want employers to see and de-emphasizes what they don’t.  A format that I have used with some clients is what’s called a combination resume. This combines some elements of a functional resume but still lists employers chronologically. If you have a mixed career history or an employment gap longer than six months, this style may work for you. Contact me if you’d like help, and I’ll take a look at your individual work history and goals to see what format is best for you!
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