Chronological vs. Functional Resumes

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Robfmk13 of CO 7:40PM April 26, 2013

While it may be true 9 out of 10 recruiters won't look at a functional resume, if your career isn't a square peg that will fit their square hole your chronological resume is going right in the trash can anyway. Don't waste your time applying to jobs through the HR department. Read the job description and figure out what the "7 Success Criteria" are for the job. (Believe me, that 3 day gap in your employment history that HR recruiters feels is a "deal breaker" are not part of any mission critical success criteria). Find the hiring manager and show how you can help them achieve success in these critical areas.

RM Catalina of CA 4:15PM January 05, 2013

Is a functional resume really that awful in ALL circumstances? I am a recent PR grad with one year of experience gained through three work placements, each four months long. There is a TON of overlap in my skills as I often did the same types of tasks in each position (media relations, event planning, publications etc.) If I were to use a chronological format there would be so much repetitive information. I would have thought that this would be worse. I was taught at university to use a functional resume as a recent grad to highlight my skills. Should I really switch to a chronological format at the risk of sounding incredibly repetitive?

Janine 10:04AM April 08, 2011

Unfortunately, my life hasn't quite turned out that way.
I am a former professional chef with tons of volunteer work under her belt who's now seeking a position in public relations. A chronological resume just isn't going to do it for me.

Liz of FL 8:51AM November 19, 2010

I have been in the nursing field for over 10 years, and now would like to change careers to administrative. Functional resume seems the obvious choice to use. I don't think an employer would even give me a second look if only nursing positions are listed. ??

sharon of MI 4:50PM September 19, 2010

After researching online, I thought a functional resume might work best for me as I am a) changing careers (engineering->policy/analyst) and b) coming from 2 jobs over my 5 year career which entail, essentially, the same job functions at each. The functional format seemed a good way to avoid repeating responsibilities and make each point stronger, as well as more easily draw parallels to the particulars for the job I am seeking. I have no gap in my employment and am in no way trying to hide anything. I even put my work history first, before the experience, to emphasize this. However, it's sounding like this may not be such a good idea? Is it really signing an application death wish?

Jon of IL 12:03PM October 29, 2009

When I was the office manager for a staffing agency, most of the recruiters I worked with told me that they flat-out refuse to READ functional resumes. Not ONE said that they preferred them.
Far better, if you want to tell a "story" with your resume is to use a combination resume, something with more than one Experience section that is organized in an intuitive way that tells a more coherent story.
Stay away from Functional resumes!

Krista Benson of WA 4:55PM October 08, 2009

If you decide to go the functional resume route, it would be wise to include any volunteer or freelance history on your resume (assuming you have some). It is always a good idea get involved in freelance or volunteer work if you lose a job or get laid off, this will help cover up some of the work gaps.
A certified resume writer can help you tremendous in a situation like this. If you are not sure about your resume, you can have it reviewed and critiqued by a certified resume writer for free. Visit http://togoresume.com/resumecritique.html
Best Wishes to all!
Y. Kraynov

Yuriy of CA 5:21AM October 01, 2009