Functional resumes… what are you hiding?

There are a few basic types of resumes:

  • Chronological
  • Reverse Chronological
  • Functional
  • Combination
  • Targeted

I will cover each of these in future posts in detail but the worst one to use is the functional resume.  Keep in mind that this is my opinion.  I have heard some recruiters say they like this type of resume but in my experience they are the exception rather than the rule.

The functional resume has sections that look something like this:

SKILLS SUMMARY

LEADERSHIP

  • Trusted with greater responsibility that job level.
  • Promoted to Branch Manager in three months.
  • Accomplish tasks with minimal supervision.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

  • High EQ with the ability to adapt to any situation.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Social media experience including leveraging cross-platform marketing.

Lisa Rangel said it best in an on-line executive resume training session:  “when a recruiter sees a functional resume their first thought is what are you hiding?”  So if you are trying to hide something, then a functional resume is the way to go.  Again, not all recruiters feel this way but the majority of us do.

The Man

If you fall, I’ll be there.
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