A resume writer has many tools at his or her disposal to ensure that your career accomplishments are properly portrayed, and formatting is certainly one of those tools. When crafting a resume, a professional resume writer must choose between two formats for the document. One is the chronological format, which lists experiences in order from most to least recent. While this may be more common, it is not the only way to effectively communicate professional experience. A resume writer could go with the functional format, which separates your career history from your accomplishments to highlight experiences. Here are a few reasons why a resume writer may choose the functional format over chronological.
Facilitate a Drastic Career Shift
Along with past experiences, a resume writer takes the future goal of the professional into account when drafting the resume. In instances where an applicant is looking to switch from one industry to another, the resume writer will place less emphasis on the titles and companies of past experiences and try to draw out skills that can translate to the new role. Things like customer service, training, management, and process improvements are elements that a resume writer can highlight regardless of industry.
Streamline Similar Work Experience
While the functional format can be used for a career shift, it can also consolidate similar experiences across multiple positions. A resume writer can use the functional format to showcase accomplishments and job responsibilities without appearing repetitive in the document. The resume writer can also highlight different experiences throughout the career no matter how recent the accomplishment, which is a distinct advantage over the chronological format and something the resume writer takes into account.
Hiding Employment Gaps and Tenure
A resume writer will look to highlight as many positive qualities as possible. However, the resume writer may have to draw attention away from certain aspects that could potentially hurt the applicant’s chances. While a large gap in positions or job hopping cannot be avoided in a chronological resume, a resume writer can minimize those aspects with the functional format while still keeping that important information in the document.