Chronological vs. functional resume: which one should you choose?

When you are on the hunt for a new job, your resume and application package are one of the most important items in your toolkit. However, with so many styles of resumes out there, it can be difficult to choose which one is best for your situation. In this blog, we’ll take a look at two of the most popular types of resumes and determine which is best to help you decide how best to answer the chronological vs. functional resume question.

Here are the areas we will be covering in this blog:

• Differences between a chronological and functional resume

• Chronological vs. functional resume: when to use each

• What are the disadvantages of functional and chronological resumes?

Differences between a chronological and functional resume

While both a chronological and functional resume will include much of the same information, the way they are formatted is the key difference. When comparing chronological vs. functional resumes, here are where you will want to include the most important sections.

Summary

With both resume types, your resume summary should be included just after your header. Consider this section your ‘first impression’ glance and include the most important details about your overall career and skillset.

Skills

When writing a functional resume, a detailed explanation of your skills will come next in the form of bullet point lists that are organized by skill set. However, with a chronological resume, you will only briefly mention your skills using industry-specific keywords and they will be organized in bullet point columns.

Work history / Abilities

With a chronological resume, you will then include a work history section that details your prior positions and the achievements you’ve had in them. This differs from a functional resume that focuses on showcasing your skills rather than your work history. Instead of including each of your past roles, you will pull skills and achievements that are most important to the job you are applying for and include them on your resume. After you have listed out your areas of expertise, you will then include a section called “work experience” that lists your previous jobs, positions, and work dates without further details.

Education

With both types of resumes, your education information follows your work history.

Chronological vs. functional resume: when to use each

Chronological resumes are the most common types of resumes created by job seekers. They are easy to skim and tell a recruiter or hiring manager exactly what type of experience you have in your industry. For the most part, functional resumes shouldn’t play a huge role in your job search. However, there are times when they can be useful. Here are some of the times when a functional resume will win out in the chronological vs. functional debate.

• When you are changing careers or pivoting to a new industry, you can use a functional resume to show how your skills are transferrable.

• If you have little experience or lack recent experience, you can use your skills to get a hiring manager’s attention without worrying they will be concerned about your work history.

• Job seekers who don’t have traditional work experience may also find a functional resume works best to highlight their skills.

• For employees who have a versatile work history or who have worked in many different industries, a functional resume can help point out relevant skills.

What are the disadvantages of functional and chronological resumes?

Naturally, there are some disadvantages to both types of resumes. When deciding which resume type will work best for you, it’s important to keep them in mind. First, we will look at some of the disadvantages of a chronological resume.

Chronological resume downsides

• Employment gaps more visible. If you are someone who has several gaps in your work history, a chronological resume will make them more obvious.

• Highlights lack of experience in the industry. Those who are just starting their career may find themselves at a disadvantage with a chronological resume because they won’t have relevant work experience.

• Career changers can’t display transferable skills. Similarly to lack of experience, a chronological resume will not highlight your skills in a positive light if you are changing careers or industries.

While functional resumes may seem like the best option for those wanting to focus on their skills, there are still some downsides to using them. Here are a few of them.

Functional resume downsides

• Lack of specific dates. Hiring managers and recruiters will often see the lack of specific roles and dates in your work history section as a lack of relevant experience in the industry.

• Unfamiliar format. Since functional resumes are formatted differently, they can be confusing and off-putting to hiring managers who are looking for something easy to read and digest. 

• Highlights lack of career growth. A functional resume also indicates to a recruiter or hiring manager that you have not had any career growth since your time in the industry, which could be a red flag on their end.

Once you have decided which type of resume will work best for your needs, we are here to help you write it perfectly. Check out our Resume Builder feature on our website today!

Key takeaways

1. Chronological resumes focus on detailing each position you’ve held during your career while functional resumes showcase your skills and only briefly mention each position you’ve held.

2. Chronological resumes are the most common types of resumes and the most recognizable for recruiters and hiring managers.

3. Functional resumes are great for those who have little experience, have large job gaps, or are changing careers or industries.