If you have switched jobs quite often, worked in a mediocre firm, freelanced most of your life or are considering a significantly different career industry you need to consider an alternate format for your resume. Remember the resume is an opportunity to display your suitability for a potential job and to receive an interview offer. If a prospective employer sees that you have not been able to settle down long enough in any one job or that you are constantly altering your field he or she might get the impression that you are not fit to handle a serious job. So what do you do?



People who fit the above criteria should use a functional, as opposed to the regular chronological resume. A chronological resume draws attention to your career progression and accomplishments on a time line with the recent work experience listed at the top. The advantage of using a functional resume is that the dates of employment are played down and focus is switched instead to your skills and abilities. Your skills need to be supported by concrete evidence and the task of impressing a prospective employer could become somewhat harder. There are further disadvantages as well.

Functional resumes are normally considered by employers as an attempt to disguise weaknesses in the applicant's professional life and many online job boards do not accept functional resumes. Additionally, never use functional resumes for conservative industries such as Banking and Law. So be careful and ensure that your resume is well crafted and impressive and that you really do need to use a functional resume. A simple way to ascertain whether or not a company accepts functional resumes is to ask the concerned department if they have any particular resume format that they use. Make this question part of a more general conversation.

To write a functional resume you need to list your skills right after the job objective. Carefully examine the advertised job opening and consider the skill requirements. Prioritize which skills are important and list them in descending order of importance. You need to list all your accomplishments in three to four lines under each skill title. An example of a skills title could be Strategic Planning. Present yourself as a talented and efficient person.

Once you have listed your skills you still need to list your work experience and all the companies you worked for. For a functional resume list each company and job position in one line with the date to the right if you want to draw less attention to your habitual job hopping. Mention training only if it adds value to your skills or you can mention it along with your education.

If you have a relatively stable job history and are switching jobs you can effectively use a combination of the functional and chronological resume. This will show the employer that your work experience has been significant and the skills you have attained can truly be used for a fresh perspective in a new industry and position. Just make sure it looks professional and is worded appropriately and impressively.

The overall aim of the functional resume is to highlight your abilities and skills and play down the fact that you may have switched jobs quite often or worked in a relatively less prestigious company. Do not make the mistake of hiding details and create large gaps in your education or work history. And if you do get that interview call you have been waiting for make sure you are well prepared to demonstrate and prove the abilities mentioned in your resume.