Chronological Vs. Functional Resume

Jan. 2021
By NTI

As you put your resume together, one of the questions you will face is whether to have a chronological or a functional resume. Do you want to highlight your experience or stress your accomplishments? 

For Americans with disabilities, there is one resume that works better than the other. A chronological resume starts with a career objective and a summary, followed by the list of the jobs you have had, while a functional resume is designed to highlight your skills and abilities with a career summary at the end. 

“If you have gaps in your resume because you were dealing with a disability, you should go with the functional one,” said Alan Hubbard, NTI’s Chief Operating Officer. “There is a good chance you might be looked over with a chronological resume because of the gaps.” 

A functional resume should be used if you are reentering the workforce, have frequently changed jobs, and are looking for a new career, according to Monster.com.  

“You want to have a chance to tell the hiring manager what you have done and how those skills transfer to the position you want,” said Hubbard. “If you were a store manager, you probably have done a lot of different things, like budgeting, hiring, coaching and dealing with employees on several different issues and in different situations.” 

There could be some activities you did when you weren’t in the workforce that might be able to tell the hiring manager you have the skills needed for the job. 

“Volunteering is a great opportunity to get new skills or develop your existing ones,” said Hubbard. “For example, if you are the treasurer of the local soccer league, you have financial experience.” 

When hiring managers look at the functional resume, they are often checking off whether you have the skills, and that may be more important than where you have worked and how long you have worked there. 

Monster.com suggests put your career summary at the end of the functional resume. 

“By that point, hopefully, the hiring manager has already decided to bring you in for an interview,” said Hubbard. 

Examples of both chronological and functional resumes are online, so you can see what works for you at this stage of your career. 

NTI helps Americans with disabilities and their caregivers find at-home employment with free training and job placement services. You can register at www.nticentral.org.