How to Write a Functional Resume (with Template and Examples)

If you have a lot of career gaps or don’t have much work experience, you’ll benefit from using a resume format that focuses on your skills — and that’s exactly what the functional resume does.

In this article, we’ll explain what a functional resume is and show you how to write one yourself. Let’s get started:

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What is a functional resume?

A functional resume is a format that focuses on your relevant skills rather than your work history.

Also known as a skills-based resume, this format organises your professional abilities into job-relevant groups. For example, “customer service skills” or “digital skills”.

Each group is followed by a list of bullet points that give examples of the things you can do with your skills.

Note that, like a chronological resume, a functional resume still includes a list of each job you’ve held. However, this section is much shorter and less detailed than it would be on a chronological resume.

As a result, a functional resume helps your transferable skills stand out.

When to use a functional resume

You should use a functional resume in the following situations:

1. You want to explain long periods of unemployment.
2. You’re switching to a new career and don’t have much relevant experience.
3. You want to highlight specific professional skills rather than your experience.

By focusing on your skills, the functional resume emphasises the value you offer employers and draws attention away from your work history.

Functional resume template

Here’s a functional resume template that you can copy and paste into Google Docs or Microsoft Word and fill in with your own information:

3 functional resume examples

These three examples demonstrate how you can use the functional resume format when you haven’t got much work experience, need to cover up career gaps, or are switching careers:

Example 1: early-career resume

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The applicant in this example is at the beginning of their career, so they’ve built their resume around a large skills section that focuses on their top teaching skills.

What’s more, they’ve written results-focused resume bullet points with hard numbers, so the value of their skillset is clear to the employer.

Example 2: career gap resume

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This resume is a great example of how to explain employment gaps.

The work experience section only contains the years that the applicant worked in each job, not the specific months that they started and ended. This approach is a great way to conceal any extended periods of unemployment.

Example 3: career changer resume

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If you’re writing a career change resume, the chronological format can cause you trouble because it may appear that your work experience isn’t relevant.

This career changer gets around their lack of direct work experience by using a functional format that emphasizes their transferable hard skills. By including clear, measured examples, they also show the value their skills can deliver to the hiring marketing team.

How to write a functional resume

The process for making a functional resume differs slightly from how you write a standard resume. Here’s all you need to know, step-by-step:

1. Write a detailed resume introduction

A convincing resume summary will immediately direct the employer’s attention to your most relevant skills, making your actual job history less important.

Start by quickly specifiying who you are and your area of expertise. Then, give 2-3 examples of relevant achievements that qualify you for the job. Finally, explain why you’re applying for the job. You can write your summary as a bulleted list or in paragraph format.

Here’s an example of a resume summary that’s written in paragraph format:

2. Group your skills by type

Functional resumes can be extremely compelling when written around the skills that the employer is looking for. You can do this by writing by grouping your resume skills by type:

1. Read the job description and group the skills that the employer is looking for into 3–5 categories
2. Then list out and organise your skills into similar groups to add to your resume skills section
3. Follow each skill group that you add with 3 or 4 bullet-point examples showing what you’ve achieved with those skills.

Here’s an example of what a functional resume with hard numbers looks like:

3. Add your work history

Write a brief history of your formal and informal work experience.

Because you just wrote a detailed skills section, you only need to include the following basic information for each job:

• Job title
• Company name
• Employment dates (optional)

If you include employment dates, list your jobs in reverse chronological order. If not, list them in order of relevance to the job you’re applying for.

Here’s what a work history section looks like on a resume:

4. List your relevant educational background

Unless your resume’s education section directly relates to the job you’re applying for, only include the name of your university or organization, the city and state, the degree you received, and your GPA (if it’s above 3.5).

Here’s an example of how to list your educational background on a functional resume:

5. Include additional information (optional)

Resume still looking a bit sparse? Consider adding additional resume accomplishments to your skills section to make your bullet points more impressive:

• Awards and honors
• Certifications
• Projects

Resume examples for different industries

Not sure what your resume should look like? The best way to learn is by taking inspiration from resume examples written by other candidates in your industry.

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