Functional Resume Overview

A functional (skills-based) resume focuses more on functional responsibilities or skills than on work history or job titles. While "functional resume" is the common terminology used these days, it may be helpful to think of these as skills-based resumes. This is because they give more weight to the skills required to do the job versus the specific job functions performed. A person's skills can be applied to many different job functions, whereas the job functions themselves are narrower in scope.

A functional resume can be especially important for people just starting out in their careers, new graduates, employees that have had relatively short careers, or people that have unique skills or credentials that are important to emphasize. It can also be helpful for those who have recently changed careers and want to emphasize newly acquired skills or downplay past employment in other fields.

Even though a functional resume emphasizes skills, it must still include a summary of your work history. Don't decide on a resume format until you have read about the other types and can make an informed decision on what might work best in your situation.