Chronological vs. Functional Resumes

Q: What is the best way to write a resume?

A: It depends on your situation/experience/background.

You should avoid using a cookie cutter approach when creating or updating your resume. Often times I see students who borrow their friends' or co-workers' resume, cut and paste their relevant information and then call it a day. However, what may work really well for one person may not work so well for you.

Before you start typing away, you should first consider what type of resume you want to use.

Chronological Resumes

The most commonly used is the chronological resume with common headings such as objective, experience, education, and skills. Chronological resumes display work experience in a reverse chronological order starting with the most recently held position. This format is ideal for those who have had a stable work history and whose job titles demonstrate increasing levels of responsibility within a particular career field/industry.

Functional Resumes (aka Skills Resume)

The sections in a functional resume include the same sections as a chronological resume. However, the experience section is written in a completely different way. Instead of writing about each job in reverse chronological order, the experience section is broken down into skills categories. On average, a functional resume can include anywhere from 3 - 6 skills categories. For example, if someone were applying for a teaching position they might choose these categories: teaching, parent communication, curriculum development, and organizational skills.

Within each category, the individual then provides 3-5 experiences selected from all of their past jobs that demonstrates the particular skill in each category.

Functional resumes are better for individuals who have had a varied or unstable work history such as large or frequent employment gaps or a smorgasbord of job titles in unrelated career fields/industries. Career changers may also want to consider using a funtional resume to highlight their transferable skills and minimize lack of direct experience in the career field.

A true functional resume does not include any work history information (no job titles/work dates).

Combination Resume

A combination resume includes elements of both chronological and functional resumes. For example, if you want to use a functional resume, but feel uncomfortable about not including job titles/dates, you can add an additional section titled Work History that briefly lists this information.

What is best for you?

Now that you know what kinds of options you have when writing your resume, you can choose the type of resume that is going to work best for you. If you are not sure how to proceed, please feel free to contact me at joviedo@pacificoaks.edu . I can also provide samples of both types of resumes. Happy writing!