THE FUNCTIONAL RESUME

        The functional resume offers some people the best way to get their story across to employers. If your strengths can readily be put into categories, then you should seriously consider using a functional resume.

        In its purest form, a functional resume includes only functions—job titles, dates, and names of employers are omitted. I rarely recommend a pure functional resume because it usually raises more questions than it answers. When dates and employers are omitted, hiring authorities tend to wonder if the applicant is hiding something, such as a long gap in employment. If you have strong reasons for not revealing details of your employment, however, consider a functional resume.

        As you will notice in Suzanne’s resume (page 120), employment was included but job descriptions were not. This is common in functional resumes and helps employers feel more comfortable with the functional format. The functional section in Suzanne’s resume is devoted entirely to her duties as personnel manager and assistant personnel manager. Those were the only jobs which were relevant to the position she was seeking. In a chronological resume it would have been difficult to have devoted so much space (24 lines) to just two positions. For Suzanne the functional resume was a perfect choice.

        Read the following sample functional resumes to get a feel for how they are constructed and what makes them effective. Although the backgrounds of the people will differ from yours, you should be able to determine whether your experience is better suited to the functional format or the qualifications/chronological format illustrated and discussed throughout the book.

        A functional resume worked well for Paul Shupbach (page 124) and enabled him to go into much more detail about his areas of experience. His job descriptions also add important information.

        David Goldman’s resume (page 125) could be labeled a functional resume, but it is really a combination of a functional and chronological resume. It demonstrates that by remaining flexible and creative you can produce something which works best for you and your particular situation.

        Jason Ryerson’s resume (page 126) enabled an ex-military officer to sell his experience in basically nonmilitary terms. He started with a traditional chronological resume that overemphasized military terminology. Only with a functional resume was he able to avoid the military jargon and use civilian-oriented terminology. Once that was accomplished he quickly found a position with an aircraft manufacturer.

        There are literally hundreds of categories that can be used in functional resumes. Begin by trying to identify the categories that will work best for you. Some might be very specific to your field or industry. An art supplies salesperson might use three primary categories called “Sales Experience,” “Customer Service,” and “Art Supplies Background.” The first two are generic categories and the third is specific to the industry.

        The following list may contain categories that will work well in your resume.

 

 

 

 

 

Functional categories

Accounting

Accounts Payable

Administering (Programs)

Administration

Advertising

Analysis & Preparation

Auditing

Behavior Modification

Benefits

Brochure Design

Budget Controls

Budget Management

Business Law

Buying

Caseload Supervision

Client Relations

Communications

Community Relations

Community Resource Utilization

Company Benefits
Programs

Computer

Computer Programming

Computerized Accounting

Conflict Resolution

Construction

Consulting

Contract Bid Preparation and Administration

Contract Negotiations

Cost Accounting

Cost Controls

Cost Effectiveness

Cost Effectiveness Studies

Cost Estimating

Cost Saving

Counseling

Credit and Collections

Credit Management

Crisis Intervention

Curriculum Development

Customer Service

Customer Training

Data Processing

Database Management

Design

Display Design

Employee Relations

Engineering

Engineering Proposals

Equipment Acquisition

Equipment Repair And Maintenance

Environmental Impact Statements

Expediting

Facility Management

Finance

Financial Management

Financial Statements

Full-Charge Bookkeeping

Fundraising

Government Contracts

Grant Proposal Writing

Group Therapy

Growth Planning

Human Resources

Industrial Security

Initial Public Offerings

Internal Auditing

Inventory Control
Management

Information Management

Inspection

Interviewing (Techniques)

Investor Relations

Invoice Processing

Job Costing

Labor Negotiations

Labor Relations

Leadership

Learning Disabilities

Legal

Manufacturing

Management

Management Consulting

Management Information Systems

Managing (Projects)

Market Penetration
(Strategies)

Marketing

Material Support

Media Relations

Mediation

Merchandising

Mergers & Acquisitions

Negotiations

Office Management

Operations

Organizational
Development

Organizational Theory

Payroll

Personnel Administration

Personnel Management

Planning

Policy Development

Presentations

Problem Solving

Procedures Development

Product Design

Product Development

Production

Program Coordination

Program Development

Project Engineering

Project Coordination

Project Management

Production Planning

Production Management

Progress Reports

Promoting

Public Relations

Public Speaking

Publishing

Purchasing

Quality Control

Quality Assurance

Re-engineering

Records Control

Recruitment

Repair Procedures
Development

Research

Research And Design

Research And
Development

Retail Management

Safety

Safety/Accident Prevention

Safety/OSHA Standards

Safety Procedures

Sales

Sales/Customer Service

Sales Personnel Training

Scheduling

Security

Shipping and Receiving

Staff Development

Staff Evaluating

Statistical Analysis

Strategic Planning

Supervision/Training

System Design

Systems Analysis

Tax Analysis

Technical Report Writing

Technical Writing

Technology Acquisition

Technology Transfer

Telecommunications

Theft Control

Training

Troubleshooting

Turnover Reduction

Vendor Negotiations

Vendor Relations

Writing/Editing

 

PAUL SHUPBACH

2917 S. E. 112th

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203

(412) 579‑0002

QUALIFICATIONS

      Technical Expertise ‑ Hands‑on person. Capable of operating and trouble­shooting virtually any piece of equipment. Understand the problems faced by machine operators and utilize engineering knowledge to effectively solve those problems.

      Proposals, Contracts and Negotiations ‑ Have written and developed dozens of proposals and negotiated over 40 major contracts. Heavily experienced in all types of contracts, including DCAS, ASPR and DAR. Consistently negotiate the most favorable terms for Cost Plus, Cost Sharing, Cost Plus Incentive Fixed, and R&D Contracts.

      Cost Management, Cost Analysis, Cost Control ‑ Over fifteen years of cost management experience with all types of products and components, including processing equipment, fiberglass, and sheet metal parts. Establish program financial controls which pinpoint manufacturing problems and prevent cost overruns. Expert in Value Engineering.

      Cost Estimating ‑ Experience covers all facets of manufacturing including machined parts, sheet metal, plastics, fiberglass, and software. Highly experienced in all methods of estimating including parametric estimating.

      Vendor Selection ‑ Inspect and analyze vendor facilities, equipment, capabilities, and quality. Recommendations to use a vendor have virtually always been adopted.

EDUCATION

      B.A. Industrial Management, University of Pennsylvania (1971)

      B.S. Industrial Engineering, University of Pittsburgh (1969)

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Davenport Engineering & Consulting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1989 to Present

      Industrial Engineering Consultant ‑ Work on assignments ranging in length from 3 to 12 months in the areas of Bidding, Estimating, Selecting Vendors, Cost Management, and Manufacturing Planning. Enabled one man­ufacturer to obtain their first ever contract with U. S. Steel and to expand production from $40,000 to $140,000 per month with no increase in personnel. Researched and adapted a new technology which allowed the firm to consistently underbid all competitors.

Pennsylvania Division of Purchasing, Scranton, Pennsylvania 1978 to 1989

      Specification Analyst ‑ Developed quality standards, specifications, and test procedures for many raw, semi‑processed, and processed materials. The capabilities and sophistication of the Division were substantially increased through these efforts.

U. S. Steel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1971 to 1978

      Cost Analyst ‑ Estimated and analyzed costs of machined parts, hydraulic components, and mechanical systems supplied by vendors. Negotiated prices and engineering changes.

  DAVID GOLDMAN

2430 Stoneway North

Little Rock, Arkansas 72202

(501) 254‑3242

OBJECTIVE: Project Management

QUALIFICATIONS

      Supervising. Took over a district with high turnover and low morale and created one of the top teams in the company. Work closely with individuals to enable both company and personal needs to be satisfied.

      Negotiating. Negotiate contracts that are fair, workable, and satisfactory to customer and manufacturer. Work hard to get the best for both.

      Coordinating/Planning. Installations have always been completed on schedule. Maintain close contact with customers, manufacturing, and field engineering to deal with all problems as they arise. Able to get commitments and support from those not directly responsible to me.

      Computers. Excellent training and broad work experience installing and maintaining computer systems.

EMPLOYMENT

Data Systems, 1979 to Present

      Senior Project Manager, Little Rock, Arkansas, 1995 to Present. Negotiate con­tracts, schedule deliveries, and troubleshoot all phases of computer installations. Work closely with customers to determine their needs, then gain contractual commitments from manufacturing and field engineering to install systems by specific dates. Monitor factory schedules and software support schedules to ensure delivery schedules are met. Despite many difficulties, all deliveries and installations have been completed on schedule.

      District Manager, Field Engineering, Los Angeles, California, 1987 to 1995. Supervised and scheduled the work of 18 field engineers installing and maintaining computer systems. Took over a district with high turnover, low morale, and a poor reputation for customer service. Within one year turnover was reduced from 35% to 8% annually. Response time to down systems was reduced from six hours to two hours. Functioned as Project Manager for the installation of a branch on‑line system for Security Western Bank (180 branches). All installations were completed on time.

      Field Engineer, Washington, D. C., 1979 to 1987. Installed and maintained systems for banks, hotels and airlines. Customers were kept very satisfied because of extremely low downtimes.

U. S. Air Force, 1974 to 1978

      Computer Tech ‑ Maintained and serviced on‑board aircraft computer systems. Supervised a five‑man team.

EDUCATION

      Computers

      Field Engineering, Data Systems Manufacturing School ‑ 6 months, 1980

      Computer Repair, Computer Learning Institute ‑ 6 months, 1979

      Electrical Engineering, Old Dominion University ‑ 1 year, 1978‑1979

      Computer Tech School, U. S. Air Force ‑ 9 months, 1974

JASON RYERSON

14568 NE 9th Street

Redmond, Washington 98053

(206) 877-7594

OBJECTIVE: Facilities Management

QUALIFICATIONS

      Over 20 years of exceptional management experience. Proven ability to successfully complete projects cost effectively and on schedule. Received numerous awards for completion of high quality projects.

      Implemented comprehensive programs that dramatically improved productivity and efficiency of personnel.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

      Engineering Management - Eight years of demanding and successful “hands on” engineering management and plant management responsibilities. Coordinated hundreds of repair jobs conducted by both own work force and outside contractors. In one instance increased overall plant reliability by 300%. While providing repair support for 12 naval ships over a three-year period, reduced equipment downtime by 50%.

      Facilities Management - As Chief Engineer and Material Manager, directly responsible for operation, maintenance, and repair of steam and diesel electric power plants. Associated equipment included heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems; firefighting and sprinkler systems; and various emer­gency equipment. Charged also with infrastructure repair and modifications. Supported numerous office and work station relocations in minimal time and without loss of productivity.

      Contract Administration - Broad experience in working with prime and subcontractors in overseeing scheduled and emergency repairs. Represented the U.S. Government in the management of an $18 million resupply contract for 76 remote sites in the Pacific.

      Troubleshooting - Volunteered to rebuild a faltering yet critical department of 95 personnel. Within 45 days identified all major problem areas and initiated a corrective action plan that included a comprehensive training program for 900 people. The revitalized training program improved morale and decreased absenteeism over 60%. Received a special commendation for the project.

EMPLOYMENT

      United States Navy 6/73-12/99. Completed Naval service with rank of Commander.

EDUCATION

      MA - Political Science, Naval Postgraduate School (1980)

      BA - International Studies, University of Washington (1973)

IS A FUNCTIONAL RESUME FOR YOU?

        Functional resumes do have drawbacks. While reviewing functional re­sumes, employers often wonder where the experience occurred since dates, job titles, and employers are not specified for each particular area of experience. Their eyes tend to dart up and down the page looking for the answers. They often become frustrated because the information in the resume is difficult to read and interpret—the applicant is making them work too hard. They may also suspect that something is being hidden.

        Keeping these considerations in mind, you may still want to use a functional resume under the following circumstances: if 1) You are changing careers; 2) You are changing industries and you have related experience but no direct experience; 3) You have major gaps in employment; 4) A functional resume seems to be a perfect vehicle to showcase your strengths; 5) The Qualifications/Chronological employment format seems unsuitable for your background; 6) Your background can easily be listed in categories such as Management, Supervision, Coordinating, Troubleshooter, Motivator, or Training; 7) You’ve had your current job for many years and you want to highlight different aspects of it.

        If you think a functional resume may be good for you, go ahead and write one. Test it out on friends or business associates to determine if it truly sells you and is easy to read. If you get positive feedback, you made the right decision.

        Be sure to study the format of the qualifications/chronological resumes. I like the format because it has virtually all of the advantages of the functional resume and the chronological resume, with none of their individual drawbacks.

WRITING YOUR FUNCTIONAL RESUME

        Once your job sketches have been completed, the first step in writing an effective functional resume is to list the points or experiences that you want to include. Write the points quickly, without being concerned for polished writing. Once you’re through listing the points you’ll begin to see that some just naturally fit together. At that point begin to select the category titles that you will use. Most functional resumes should contain three to six categories. For your highly specific or technical categories, you’ll have to come up with those names on your own, but that should not be difficult. Some of the commonly used categories include: Management, Supervision, Training, Planning, Designing, Research, Coordin­a­tion, Negotiating, Public Relations, Administration, Marketing, Public Speaking, Organization, Counseling, Writing and Editing, Design, and Teaching.

        Next, put the categories on two pages so you’ll have plenty of room to write in your points. Initially you wrote those points quickly; now rewrite them in a more polished form as you place them in their appropriate category. Once all the points have been placed in a category, determine the order the points should be in. Usually your strongest points would be listed first within each category. At that point you’ve done all you should for one day.

            After one or two days, review what you’ve written. By having set the resume aside for some time, it will be fresh and you’ll be better able to see ways to improve your writing. In your second draft look for ways to make each point clearer and more concise. Virtually all of the other instructions for writing a resume apply to the functional resume as well.