Functional or Reverse Chronological Resume – What is the better?
Your #1 priority with a resume is highlighting your strengths and intriguing the employer. These strengths can be better portrayed depending on what type of job experience you have. You don’t want to hurt your changes by picking a resume format that doesn’t compliment you job history.
What is a Functional Resume and should you use this format?
If you want to create a distinct, unique resume, you may want to opt for a Functional Resume. What makes it great is the fact that this is the type of resume that focuses a lot more on your skills and experience rather than anything else.
This is a very good idea because it allows you to shine if you have great skills and relevant experience for a particular job. It’s a wonderful thing to focus on, instead of just showcasing your chronological work history as you see fit. This is the format usually used by people that are changing careers and which have gaps in the employment history.
That doesn’t mean it won’t work for other people either. If you have skills that are very important for a particular employer and want to make them stand out, this is by far the best option for you. It shines as a result.
Advantages
If you just got out of college and want to get a job, the Functional Resume can be very helpful for you. It’s the resume that allows you to grab all the attention with your skills. You can easily add your employment history as you progress through your career. This can also work for women that had to stop working to take care of their child and now want to find a new job.
Also, if you worked in multiple industries, this type of format will work very well for you. Plus, the Functional Resume can also help you showcase the voluntary work that you did a lot better than ever before. Showcasing the qualifications and skills will be a lot easier, and this can bring you the upper hand in the end.
If you want to switch tracks and focus on a new industry, this may be the right option for you. It just works very well for everyone, and it does tend to offer some very good results as a whole in the end.
Disadvantages
You can expect a few downsides from the Functional Resume as well. For example, using this format may give the impression that you want to glorify some ideas while hiding others. It will not be that good for you if an employer has this impression.
Also, you will find that some employers want to know more about where you worked and the experience you had there. Not everyone is interested in your skills. Some employers presume that you already have the required skills if you came to get this job. Then you also have employers that feel the Functional Resume doesn’t give an entire picture. Not to mention some of them find it very hard to interpret, so that’s important to keep in mind.
Should you opt for the Functional Resume?
If you want to showcase skills, if you had to switch careers or you are coming back to the job market after a bit of a break, the Functional Resume can be very good for you. However, not all employers like the fact that you focus on your skills more than your job history. So, try to keep this in mind, and it can work very well in the end!
What is a Reverse Chronological Resume and why should you use one?
Nowadays, it can be very hard to stand out in front of so many other job candidates. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do that; you just have to create a powerful resume that catches the eyes of that employer. The Reverse Chronological Resume can be such a resume, but will it work for you? Here are some of the reasons why you may want to start writing a Reverse Chronological Resume and a few points as to why it may not work for you sometimes.
What is the Reverse Chronological Resume?
Simply put, when you create such a resume, you showcase an objective for your career and then you have a chronologically arranged work history, skill summary, educational qualification and professional membership. All of these are important for your resume, and they can bring in front some great results.
However, the thing that makes a Reverse Chronological Resume distinct is that your education and work are showcased in a reverse chronological order. You start with the most recent one, and then you go towards the first job/education you had.
Advantages
There are some benefits you can get from using a Reverse Chronological Resume. It allows the employer to see where you are coming from and what type of experience you have. On top of that, it also makes a good impression, since you show that you put some work into creating it.
Moreover, this type of format is very flexible, and you can always add a new job without a problem. You will not have to worry about making massive changes here, which is exactly what you want in this kind of situation.
Plus, this is a very popular format, and a lot of employers are aware of how they can use it. This makes it a lot easier for them to scan the content without getting confused. You will also have the opportunity to deliver a very good, neatly organized resume that can turn heads if you write adequately.
Disadvantages
As you can imagine, this type of format isn’t perfect. It has a few downsides as well. For example, you will not do yourself any favors if you opt for this when you had a checkered work life. This favors people that worked within the same company for many years. It allows them to show a sense of stability that works in the end.
On top of that, this Reverse Chronological Resume format also encourages people to add irrelevant stuff that employers may not be interested in. Also, the format will not be good if you had lots of employment gaps. You can’t hide this sort of thing in such a resume.
Should you use it?
If you had a good work life, if you spend a lot of time at a single job, then this may be right up your alley. It works very well, and in the end, it can easily pay off immensely for sure. It’s a wonderful experience to opt for this type of format, but do keep in mind that people with large employment gaps or a checkered work life may want to focus on finding another format!
Another consideration?
If you feel you can benefit from both of the functional and reverse chronological resume formats then perhaps you should consider a combination resume. This will highlight the best of both options and may be just what you need to shine in that job interview. You will be able to list your strengths along with specific skills and experiences you have to help the employer understand you better as a professional and possible even your personal character.
