How To Look Good On Paper; The Resume-Part 3
To use a Chronological or a Functional resume? That is the question; the answer quite frankly is really up to the employer.
I would like to share with you a story about a client who was a newcomer to Canada. Back in her native country, she worked as an accountant at a well known financial institution. In Canada, she was unable to find employment in her field right away so she took two short-term warehouse jobs to make ends meet. She used a functional resume to highlight her skills instead of her most recent Canadian experience.
However, when she approached a Canadian financial institution they refused to take her resume because it was not chronological, even though she had the required skill set and was using them just one year earlier in a different country. She was heartbroken. But her story was not finished. Shortly after, we found another financial institution that reviewed her functional resume and hired her immediately. They liked her previous experience in the industry, her personality and her ability to speak a second language. It was happy ending for her.
When I was looking for work many years ago I used both types of resumes depending on the positions I was applying to and both types got me to the interview stage.
Here are a few simple tips I use to determine which type of resume to send:
1) Use A Chronological Resume if:
-you have been doing the same type of job consistently and you have no interest in changing it. (E.g. you have always worked as an accountant and you have no interest in changing your career; once an accountant always an accountant.)
2) Use A Functional Resume (one that lists your skills first followed by your work history and education) if:
-there are gaps in your work history that you don’t want to emphasize.
-you have done various jobs that are not necessarily related.
-you want to make a minor career shift (E.g. customer service to receptionist); not a major career change (e.g. customer service to a pilot!)
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Do you prefer one type of resume over the other? Tell us why below.
How To Look Good On Paper; The Resume-Part 2
How To Look Good On Paper; The Resume-Part 1
