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| Resume Formats | Functional Resume (Skills Format)
A functional resume focuses on your skills and experience. It doesn’t matter where and when the work was done. It concentrates attention on the applicant’s talents and accomplishments, and conceals the types of liabilities that the chronological format would automatically showcase. This type is used most often by people who are changing careers or who have gaps in their employment history
As a chronological resume a functional one should also be started with a short introductory section. Then you can describe your successes, grouping them in three to five functions.
For example, a financial executive could detail achievements in "Corporate Finance," "Mergers & Acquisitions," "Cost Reduction," and "IPOs."
You can also present strengths in absolutely different functions, such as "General Management" and "Finance." Briefly describe and quantify your accomplishments, as described above.
Employment History is the last section. It usually contains the list of your employers’ names, their locations, and your dates of employment. You can state job titles, depending on whether this information would be beneficial.
As the functional resume is able to conceal some liabilities in the backgrounds, many executive recruiters and employers won't read this type of resume. Besides they won't be able to find out when and where an applicant's accomplishments occurred.
Usage of functional formats isn’t too effective nowadays because there are plenty of talented executives presenting their experience in the highly preferred chronological style.
Hybrid Resume
A hybrid resume looks like a functional one a lot but it explains when and where successes occurred. In such a way a combination resume compensates for the functional resume's deficiency.
As well as in previous cases begin the resume with an introductory section followed by a discussion of accomplishments grouped by job functions. Then you can discuss your experience like on a chronological resume.
Unfortunately, most recruiters give just a glance at resumes and don't read in entirety. As the hybrid resume has the beginning like the functional one, many people won't read it all the way through.
Targeted Resume
A targeted resume puts emphasis on the experience and skills you have that are relevant to the job you are applying for. It is more difficult to write a targeted resume than other types. But if you are applying for job that are a perfect match for your qualifications and experience it's worth the effort.
How to choose a format for your resume
Before taking the final decision about which of these formats to use, you should consider your target audience. Choose a format which best shows how your individual credentials support your objective and which one presents the strongest case for your candidacy. So it would be worthwhile to prepare two versions of your resume.
If you have any doubts concerning which type to choose, start with a chronological resume.
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