Basic resume layouts: chronological versus functional

If you have had a successful career with well timed promotions and progressive, linear career advancement; the chorological format can serve you very well.  It demonstrates your ability to set and achieve goals and suggests an aptitude in long range planning. However, it can also draw attention to gaps in your employment history. If your resume indicates a six month window of time that is not accounted for in between two jobs, it will certainly be raised as a question in the mind of the employer.

Another resume style is the functional resume. In this format, the front page is focused on achievements and any pertinent career points, presented in a way that has the most impact. The focus here is not on job titles, dates, or duration; it’s on qualifications and transferable skills. The functional resume will show the employer who you are.  It will speak directly to how you can fit in and be an asset to their organization by immediately presenting examples of past achievements and by highlighting attributes which have made you successful. The roles wherein you made these achievements are less pertinent than the achievement itself and the dates aren’t relevant to your abilities, attributes, or skills. In this format your past positions will still be listed further down and dates may or may not be included.

The functional resume has gained popularity in recent years largely due to the nature of the employment market. There has been a realization that skill is more valuable that actual experience. In other words, simply stating that you have done a job is no longer as significant as demonstrating that you have the fundamental attributes required to do it. If you are applying to a job which you have never done or which is in a new industry for you, the functional resume will serve you more greatly by showing that you have the transferable skills to do the job. 

On the other hand, if you are targeting a position in your field of expertise, the chronological resume is a fantastic way to show that the role is a natural next step in your successful career progression.