Resume Digest Blog

As soon as changes of direction and gaps show up in your employment record you may benefit from a functional resume. The time worn chronological format is a bit like a trail of where you've been as well as how long you stayed in one place on the employment scene. It gives out spurious data that can be used against you.

The first step towards a functional format is when you list your work experience in reverse chronological order. Obviously no employer is too concerned about how you started off in your work life since many students take part-time jobs unrelated to their studies.

So from an employer's point of view your last assignment is the most relevant because what you are doing right now gives many clues as to how marketable you are to them.

But why stop there? If your aim is to match the requirements laid out in the job advertisement and you have to compete with scores of unseen other folks for the same position why not give it your best shot? That's it - your last assignment may not be the most relevant for the place you're applying for. Who said you have to list your background in reverse chronological order? So what are the issues? To start with you can no longer list your start and end dates. What about posting the duration of each role you had instead? Does the employer read some horoscope to screen those who started the last job in May or April? Who cares!

How will you then reorder your work experience in a functional resume? It will be the best match for that one position you're going after. Here lies the major trump card of the functional resume: it is specifically written for that one position in order to maximize the chance of being shortlisted.

This is in total contrast to the reverse chronological resume that people would mindlessly blast on blogs or resume farms in the hope that the perfect boss will find you. Wake up and be real! It's not going to happen. What you have to do in a competitive employment market is pinpoint the jobs that will both give you the most satisfaction and give you the chance to unleash your potential. Then target each one of those job posts with a unique functional resume.

Sound like a headache? Don't worry some smart operators are already using a tool to do just that.

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