Don’t ever use a Functional Resume Format – Here’s why!

“Does format really matter?” is one of the most frequently asked questions at ResumeWW. Recruiters are well known for not spending a lot of time screening resumes. As a result, it's critical to keep their attention, which starts with the right format. We don't want you to miss out on your dream job because of bad resume formatting, so we've put together a list of the one format you should never use.

·         It’s called the functional resume.

Instead of a chronological order of date and place of employment, this format is intended to highlight your accomplishments under a skill set. Recruiters and employers who see functional resumes become immediately disengaged or, in the worst-case scenario, skip over the resume entirely. Simply put, you should never use a functional resume, and here's why.

·         6 Seconds of Comprehension

When a recruiter pulls up your resume, you may get around six seconds of their time, as we mentioned in a previous blog. That's a very short time to decide whether a candidate should advance or be eliminated from consideration for a position. Recruiters will be unable to understand your career path timeline – or the details – if you use a functional resume. Recruiters don't have enough time to connect your skills to your work history, so functional resumes require a lot of digging. Maintain a consistent format in which your skills and accomplishments are listed alongside your company and tenure.

·         Hiding Information

Any resume written in a functional style raises the suspicions of hiring managers and recruiters. They have a good reason for doing so; the vast majority of job seekers who use this resume format are concealing something. Recruiters are well aware of this. When attempting to hide a job gap or a string of short-held positions, the candidate often has the best of intentions. A functional resume, on the other hand, only emphasizes those details. The best way to show that you've progressed despite the setbacks is in reverse chronological order.

·         Unclear

Your skillset may appear to be lost among your work history, but it isn't. It speaks to the employer when you provide context by showing where, when, and how you achieved an achievement or mastered a skill. Simply put, functional resumes are bad storytellers. They provide no context for a skill or accomplishment. Keep in mind that how you did it is just as important as what you did. As a result, separating your accomplishments from your place of employment is not a good idea.

Need more insights on the same? Get in touch with a resume consultant to know more about the same.