I am a career counselor who teaches resume writing (and other job readiness tools) to men and women in prison (being released within two months). In reading your survey of recruiters about resumes, I noticed one of their biggest “pet peeves” was a functional resume. For many of my students, this is their only option because many of them have never worked at a "real" job, but through under the table work or other experiences, they have gained skills that can be valuable to employers. Also, many of my clients have a long history of drug abuse and/or 5-10 year gaps in employment. What would you suggest for individuals in this predicament?
Kamilah D.
Dear Kamilah,
According to ResumeDoctor's recent survey of over 2500 recruiters and hiring managers, sending out a functional resume is one of the quickest ways into your reader's trashcan. The overall problem with functional resumes is that they do not tell the reader how well you did in your job, or when and where you have made specific accomplishments. Many recruiters shared with us that functional resumes are a red flag that the job seeker is hiding something.
In general, our advice is to provide the reader with a short "functional summary" at the top of your resume that illustrates your strongest selling points and how they specifically match the requirements of the position. Your goal should be to grab your reader in the top 1/4 of your resume. Customize your summary every time you send your resume out to let that employer know what skills, qualifications and experience you have that they are looking for
Remember...this is just a functional "summary." So make sure it is a brief illustration, typically 5-8 bullets of your strongest selling points. Then, a chronological resume is necessary so your reader is able too see what you have actually accomplished holding a certain position. Recruiters and hiring managers are not mind readers, and with a functional resume it seems they almost have to be.
In terms of your specific clients, they are facing some challenges that might be tough to overcome and this might be one of those rare exceptions where a functional resume might be in order. However, while in incarceration, were these individuals employed through some sort of prison work program, enrolled in a trade school or some other sort of career/skills training that they can document? If so, this is something they can highlight. If your clients are going to structure their resume in more of a functional format, my advice once again, is they must customize it to match the skills the employer is seeking.
Best of Luck,
The ResumeDoctor
