Functional Resumes Work Well in Specific Situations

Functional Resumes Work Well in Specific Situations Recently, I had the pleasure of working with a teacher that had taught art education for almost 25 years. She had retired, but then decided to get back into the teaching world after a brief leave. When we decided to work together on revising her resume, a few things happened. First, she was extremely organized and provided me with letters of recommendation and transcripts. This helped the resume process flow smoothly as the back-and-forth questions-and-answers sessions were limited because all information was available at the beginning of the resume journey. Secondly, I changed the entire format of her previous resume. While she had been employed for almost 25 years as an art teacher, the 25 years were scattered throughout eight different school districts. When her information was formatted chronologically, her resume gave the appearance of a “job-hopper.” Although this was not the case (she had spent several years at each facility), this was not the impression she wanted to give potential employers. Instead of the typical chronological format she was accustomed to for her resume, I developed a functional resume that showcased her overall core competencies as an art teacher, rather than what she did at each individual job. This resume structure put the emphasis on her skills, experience, and abilities, rather than the time period she worked at each school district. The client loved the results of her revised and refreshed resume. Furthermore, she felt that it gave her an exceptionally professional way to present her skills and abilities. Don’t discount the power of a functional resume; consider what is best for your situation and job experiences. The most important thing to remember: make sure your information shines and stands apart â€" no matter which resume format you decide to utilize.