Jane, a laid-off mid-level manager from a manufacturing company, spent three months trying to get her resume noticed. She sent out more than a dozen resumes each week for each opening that looked a little like a job she could do because, after all, the more the merrier. Something would stick, right?
Jane organized her job search as she would any project. Due to the volume of resumes being sent, she followed up by posting each ad she responded to on a wall in her home office. Then, she could track her status and follow up calls from her. When she started getting rejection letters, she posted them too. On many resumes she received no response. Then, one dark day, she hit her: the wall had turned into a dazzling “wall of shame.” She continually reminded him of her rejection. Fortunately, Ella Jane was able to keep her head above water, and instead of letting it get her down, she began to take a closer look at her resume. How could she write a resume that would get her attention? Here are several resume writing tips she found helpful and several she’s learned to avoid.
First, there are two basic types of resumes: a functional resume that is most often used for informational interviews, and a chronological resume that is most often used when applying for a job where your work history matches the target and shows a sensible progression of career steps. . The functional resume is built around a “theme” and is often used when trying to connect with a new or similar industry. A functional resume is a great tool, but you need to have a good understanding of its purpose for you and your marketing strategy.
Here are some resume writing tips Jane found for a functional resume:
Resume Writing Tip #1: Functional resumes are often great when connecting with others and exploring other career options where your work experience indirectly showcases the transferable skills you already master. Use it to give an overview of your background and to position how you work, not where you’ve worked. The functional resume focuses on what you can add value to the industry.
Resume Writing Tip #2: When using an objective, it’s important to clearly state your purpose and objective. The goal should be the value you bring to the table, not your expectations of how the company can give you the opportunity to grow your own career! An example of a value contribution could be “I am looking for a career as a crime scene investigator where I can use my ability to capture details, create processes, and learn new technologies to enhance the reputation and success of an organization.”
Resume Writing Tip #3: With a functional resume, get a good understanding and describe how you work. Identify and describe your unique behavior patterns – those that bring you success (Key Success Patterns) – and show the value you bring. Do you see a recurring theme here? What makes you different from the other 300 resumes received for this position? What sets you apart?
Resume Writing Tip #4: Avoid including so much information that it’s hard for the reader to follow who you are. Don’t worry about trying to include something for everyone (“the kitchen sink”). This will only make you look like a jack of all trades and a master of none.
Therefore, the functional resume is most often used in networking meetings and is used in three instances: to explore markets, to clarify and validate that the target market is a good fit, and to position yourself in that market. The functional resume should be a document that can express your goal, achievements, and patterns of successful behavior.
After networking meetings, with a specific job and industry identified, you may want to use the chronological resume if it makes sense with your work history. Walking through the front door of “HR,” you’ll find that most recruiters prefer the chronological resume. Check out our companion article on tips for writing a chronological resume!
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