When writing a resume, experience is typically listed in reverse-chronological order. However, functional resumes – documents in which information is organized by skill rather than chronologically – are often recommended for those making a career change, with gaps in employment history, or with little experience,. But there’s a big problem with functional resumes: most employers don’t like them. Employers want to see your experience in context.
If a traditional chronological resume format doesn’t seem to be working for you, here are a few tips to strengthen your resume while still keeping it close to a typical chronological format that employers expect to see:
1. When describing work that is not related, focus on transferrable skills. Ask yourself what skills you used in your previous career that will help you be successful in a new job. Highlight skills such as management, strategic planning, project implementation, writing, analysis, etc.
2.Use space to highlight the most relevant experiences. When a hiring manager scans your resume, her eyes are naturally going to be drawn to the area of the page that contains the largest area of text. For example, if you describe your practicum experience with one bullet point but use six bullet points to list all of the duties of your waitressing job, the employer is going to focus more attention on the waitressing job. Be strategic about creating emphasis on your resume by using a greater number of bullet points (3-5) on the one or two most relevant positions and a fewer number of bullet points (1-2) on less relevant or significant experiences.
3. You can divide your experience up into sections, provided that all of the entries listed within a section are organized in reverse chronological order. For example, you may create a Research section in which you list all of your research experience and an Additional Experience section in which you list relevant but non-research related work and activities.
4. Leave non-related experience off of your resume. A resume is a tailored document targeted to a specific job. There is no rule requiring you to list every job you’ve ever had. If, in an interview, an employer asks about gaps in work history, you can explain that in the interest of presenting a succinct document, you left some non-related work off of your resume.
While there are certainly exceptions, as a general rule it’s wise to steer clear of the functional resume format. Instead, use the tips listed above to highlight your qualifications within a traditional chronological format.