You might be a fresh college graduate and are looking for the best job. Or you may be a career changer who wishes to venture in a different work path. Whichever you are at the two, you certainly need a good source of information especially in starting a fresh and individualized resume for your job application. And you are confused of what to use to impress your potential employers. Then a functional resume must be best for you.
Changing job can be a tough decision. It is like embracing uncertainty once more. Just like writing a new chapter in you life. Since you decided to venture another path, then you cannot really take credit on the jobs you have had before. Career change may mean new career objectives, new standards and new set of qualifications.So it might be useless to highlight them on your resume. But you can put them if you wish. Since this is a new career that is unrelated to your previous attainment, the best information you could highlight is the skills that will qualify you in the job rather than your previous job. That is functional resume is all about.
For those who just got out of college and are looking for possibilities everywhere, functional resume is always the best for them. This is since they do not have the experience to list yet. So showcasing their skills might be more appropriate.
The lay-out of the functional resume should draw attention and create interest. So using capitalization, different fonts, indentions, underlining, bold lettering and white spaces can add variety and is advisable to emphasize specific information. But do not overuse these. You must make sure that it does not detract your over all presentation. It must be visually appealing and should facilitate easy reading. The layout must be consistent through out the sections of the resume to showcase professionalism.
Now in writing a functional resume you should note this lay-out in order:
Name and Contact Information
Objective Statement
Education
Key Skills and Qualification
Work Experience
Other Information
References
The sections are self explanatory but take note of important things you need to consider.
In writing an Objective Statement, a common mistake is making a generalized objective. Narrow down your objectives and prefer to be specific. Make sure that your objective is individualized enough to revolve around the job qualifications that your potential employee is looking for. This statement should be then supported by the information you put in the resume. If you are uncertain with the objective, you might choose not to include it at all. But to remind you, it counts to some employers.
For college graduate who have a degree just follow the layout in order. But it is suggested not to put the high school information anymore. But if you have certain recognitions that you think might help boost your qualification like honors and awards during high school then you may put it there. If you do not have a degree, you may put the section Key Skills and Qualifications before education.
Key Skills and Qualifications section is critical for a functional resume. This section is the heart of your application piece. It is necessary to study what you put in here. Everything must revolve around your statement objective and the qualifications for the job.
Writing a resume is a must-think. It needs a lot of patience, attention and creativity. So if you are ready to hit your new career, start creating your resume now and get it on!
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