Title: Fears of the Functionally Formatted Résumé

Content:

Dear Sam: I used the functional résumé format because I have some short-term employment, and while I did get an interview from it, I found it to be more of an interrogation. The interviewer told me he did not like this format as it was confusing. Do you have any comments regarding short-term employment and the functional format? - Steve

Dear Steve: I think you'll find in most cases hiring managers will agree functional résumés are confusing and present too many unanswered questions. While your résumé may have been perfectly clear to you, a reader without any understanding of what you did with each employer would find most functional résumés confusing. The major issue with functional résumés is that when you combine experiences from multiple organizations, the hiring manager does not understand what responsibilities and accomplishments go with each employer. When this is the case the hiring manager is not able to evaluate if you were more successful 15 years ago or within more recent engagements. Most functional résumés present such a disconnected image to the hiring manager that they won't make it passed the screening process.

Without knowing the exact timeline you are trying to overcome, it is difficult to direct you to a more effective strategy, but I'll give you a few ideas. Make sure your résumé is only presenting years and not months and years. By removing the months often short-term engagements suddenly appear much longer. Review your experiences and make sure you really need all the positions listed on your résumé. I frequently omit experiences held for just a few months, as they do nothing to enhance that client's candidacy. Remember that a résumé is not a narrative of everything you have ever done, rather a strategic image of what you have done that positions you for what you want to do! If you had some strong accomplishments from some of your engagements pull those out into their own section on page one of your résumé, leaving the professional experience section and dates of employment to fall to page two. This strategic approach will help minimize the impact of being seen as a job-hopper.

Dear Sam: I graduated from college in 2003. Since then, I have worked at several jobs, none of them related to my field, which is communications with an emphasis in writing. My degree gave me no practical experience, and without a journalism or broadcasting degree, I haven't had much interest in my résumé. I'm currently an assistant manager in a clothing store, where I have gained managerial skills. How can I break out of my rut and finally have a career? - Jessica

Dear Jessica: First and foremost you have to define your purpose - that is, what position do you want. If you feel broadcasting and journalism are not likely options at this point in your career, find positions that you are interested in that could potentially lead to a segue into your preferred field. It is imperative to identify your goals in order to determine what should be included on your résumé. Your résumé has to speak the language of the hiring manager who is reading it, and if you have diverse goals in varied fields and/or industries, you may be presenting diluted and therefore ineffective content to all. Once you have defined your goals, at least for the short-term, you can then evaluate what skills, experiences, and qualifications you possess that uniquely qualify you for the opportunity.

To highlight your retail management experience, avoid simply stating the day to day duties you perform. Instead communicate the value you have driven for the employer, where have you gone above-and-beyond, and what have you achieved during the past year? Retail positions are multi-faceted and I am confident you have a lot to highlight. Be sure to include both your operations and employee management skills, and your responsibility for sales, merchandising, and customer service. Also highlight your ability to communicate with a wide range of individuals, this will draw a correlation to your degree, and reinforce your abilities in the communications field. To showcase your degree, list and/or expound upon some of your coursework, key projects, independent studies, or internships. While studying in a classroom environment doesn't give you hands-on experience there may be other areas that did. If not, demonstrate your extensive knowledge of the subjects you studied by presenting coursework, coupled with your achievements in the work place, to predict your future success in your desired field.

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Samantha Nolan is a certified professional résumé writer and owner of Ladybug Design, a full-service résumé writing firm. Reach Samantha at dearsam@ladybug-design.com, www.ladybug-design.com, or 1-888-9-LADYBUG (1-888-952-3928).

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