The functional resume departs from a chronological resume in that it organizes information by specific accomplishments in various settings: previous jobs, volunteer work, associations, etc. This type of resume permits you to stress the substance of your experiences rather than the position titles you have held. You should consider using a functional resume if you have held a series of similar jobs that relied on the same skills or abilities.
The Objective
A functional resume begins with an objective that can be used to focus the contents of the resume.
Specific Accomplishments
Specific accomplishments are listed on this type of resume. Examples of the types of headings used to describe these capabilities might include research: computer skills, teaching, communication, production, management, marketing, writing. The headings you choose will directly relate to your experience and the tasks that you carried out. Each accomplishment section contains statements related to your experience in that category, regardless of when or where it occurred. Organize the accomplishments and the related tasks you describe in their order of importance as related to the position you seek.
Experience or Employment History
Your actual work experience is condensed and placed after the specific accomplishments section. It simply lists dates of employment, position titles and employer names.
Education
The education section of a functional resume is identical to that of the chronological resume, but it does not carry the same visual importance because it is placed near the bottom of the page.
References
Because actual reference names are never listed on a resume, this section is optional if space does not permit.
Sample Functional Resume (PDF)
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