Executive Recruiter Pet Peeve #1: The Functional Resume

Recruiters are always being asked to describe the biggest mistakes candidates make in seeking a new position.  High on my list is the functional resume.

A functional, or “skills-based” resume focuses on abilities and experiences, instead of on the chronology of your work history.  For example, there might be a section on “Communications Skills,” in which you describe your strong writing abilities, facility in making public presentations, timeliness in producing reports and analyses, and so on.  Another section titled “Personnel Management Skills” might describe you ability to assess worker strengths and weaknesses, mentor underperforming employees, and complete annual evaluations.  Work chronologies are usually relegated to the very end of the resume, and are simply presented as a list of employers, positions held, and dates of employment, although some applicants omit the dates also. 

There are reasons people use functional resumes, and some of the reasons seem to make sense.  An individual who has had to leave the world of paid employment to deal with a family emergency, or a person who has experience in one field, but is currently working in another field, might see the functional resume as a way to show that they still have the chops to do the job the potential employer needs done.  Speaking personally, I have a long work history that has included farm labor, paralegal work, clinical practice, human services administration, recruitment and fundraising consulting.  Does a potential employer today need to know the dates of my paralegal work 40 years ago in a law firm that no longer exists?  One might make the case that the functional resume allows experience that is meaningless, in terms of the duties of a potential job, to be disregarded, and, in an age when we value directness, leaving out extraneous detail may seem like a good thing.

So why do recruiters, especially this one, dislike functional resumes?

It is simply this.  Some people use functional resumes to try to distract attention from factors in their work histories that they believe may make them less attractive to a potential employer.  Examples might be individuals who have been out of the job market for a substantial period, those who have held a number of short-term positions one after the other, those new to the job market who don’t have a mature history of relevant past employment to demonstrate their competence, or conversely, those who have such a long history of employment that they worry a potential employer will see them as too old.

The sad thing is, the hoped-for distraction doesn’t work.  It isn’t hard for a recruiter or a search committee to think through a functional resume and determine if one of these situations, or some similar issue, exists, and to raise a red flag.  What it does do, and what I dislike about the functional resume at the most basic level, is make it difficult to compare candidates.  That’s why I ask every candidate in any of my searches to give me a simple educational and employment chronology, even if they have already submitted a chronological resume. 

If there are glitches or gaps in your work history, and you are fearful they will weigh against you in a particular search, consider using what I call “The Tylenol Method.”  If you remember, some years ago, poisonous substances were found in Tylenol capsules, and pundits predicted the demise of the Tylenol brand as trust in the product deteriorated.  But the president of the company immediately went on TV and made a complete explanation of what happened, and how they would assure that it would never happened again.  In response, Tylenol invented the now ubiquitous tamper-proof package.  Instead of failing, the Tylenol brand prospered, and is today seen as both consumer-friendly and highly trustworthy. 

In looking for a new position, you are asking an employer to trust you, and to invest valuable resources in you.  The functional resume can make you look untrustworthy, and that’s the last thing you want.  So don’t use the functional resume format.

Instead, provide a clear, chronological resume, with dates as appropriate.  Your history is your history, and rearranging the facts will not make it different.  If you believe a transparent and precise chronology will make you ineligible for a particular position, you probably shouldn’t be submitting your application anyway.  But if you believe that a chronology plus a cogent explanation of any relevant issues can interest an employer in your candidacy, use your cover letter to make a clear statement about what happened and what you are doing about it. 

If the search in which you are interested is being run by an executive recruitment firm, don’t hesitate to use their expertise to assist you in presenting yourself in the best way.  A frank discussion with a professional well-versed in comparing client needs and candidate skills can be enlightening and reassuring as you decide how to present your candidacy.  A recruiter with whom you are completely straightforward about your work history will answer a client’s questions about you and advocate on your behalf.  That doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to get the job, but it does mean that problems or issues with your work history can be dealt with constructively.

If you still want to present your qualifications by means of a functional resume, be sure that you include dates in your list of positions held, and be prepared to provide a full chronology when asked, as you almost assuredly will be, later in the search.

Vicky Ayers is Institutional Services Coordinator for RPA Inc., Williamsport, PA, a private national firm serving the recruiting needs of higher education and nonprofits for more than 20 years. Vicky has assembled diverse candidate pools for some of the most notable institutions and organizations in the nation.  If you have a question for Vicky you can email her at vayers@rpainc.org.

Originally published in our February 15 issue (March 2012).