Functional Résumé Template

Your First and Last Name
Street Address, City, State ZIP
Telephone Number - Email Address

CAREER OBJECTIVE

Clearly and concisely explain what you offer and what you seek. Focus on specific industries or lines of business but avoid listing job titles.

Organized, enthusiastic quick study with great ability to multitask and problem-solve seeks an opportunity in sales and customer service.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

This section should support why you would be ideal for the objective. In bulleted form, emphasize your strengths such as key skills, capabilities, community service, and personality traits. If you are looking for a career in a field that you do not have specific qualifications in, highlight some transferable and marketable skills that you do have.

• EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE: Strong communication skills to understand customer needs and provide exceptional results. Track record of successfully dealing with difficult personalities to resolve dissatisfaction.
• HIGHLY RESPONSIBLE AND ETHICAL: Experienced in handling large amounts of cash, making bank deposits and maintaining records of transactions.
• ADAPTABLE TO NEW TECHNOLOGY: Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and able to operate all major office equipment.
• INDEPENDENT AND TEAM PLAYER: Enjoy collaborating with colleagues, clients, and customers, as well as completing tasks independently. Eager to motivate and inspire others to deliver their best.
• ORGANIZED AND MOTIVATED: Skilled in maintaining order amidst chaos and ever-changing challenges. Able to seamlessly multi-task long and short-term priorities to generate desired results.

PROFESSIONAL (AND/OR VOLUNTEER) EXPERIENCE

In this section, you will list your employment and/or volunteer history. You may opt to leave off the dates if the experience took place more than 10 years ago. If you're not sure of the exact months, you can include years only.

• Date (Month/Year to Month/Year), Job Title, Company, and Location (City, State)

EDUCATION

If you've taken any recent continuing education programs, include those first. Then list additional degrees or coursework. Your date of graduation is optional. Include any special honors you received.

• Recent coursework and continuing education programs you have attended
• Degree, Major, Date of graduation (optional), College or University, City, State

ACTIVITIES AND INTERESTS

In this last section, you'll tout any activities or interests that show how well-rounded you are. If you speak multiple languages, include that information here. This section is optional, but encouraged.

• Language skills: Conversant in Spanish
• Hobbies: Yoga, tennis, and Scrabble

Pointers for Perfection

Don't use funky pet names or inappropriate terms in the email address on your resume, such as bigbootybeauty@womenforhire.com or lilprincess@womenforhire.com. Instead, opt for a more professional address, such as firstinitial.lastname@womenforhire.com.

Avoid generic or vague phrases such as "looking for a position at a well-known company with room for growth." Use the space to tout specific goals and accomplishments, and to tout your desire to work in a specific field.

Don't rely on spell-check to proof your resume. While it is a great tool, it will not pick up mistakes such as "and" when you meant "an," which is a very common resume error. Tailor your resume for each position by tweaking your most relevant responsibilities and accomplishments based on the needs of the opening you're seeking to fill.

Don't use your marketing focused resume for an IT position. Have multiple version if you're pursuing several different options.

Skip marbled, fancy paper. Plain white is still the best option.

Try to limit your resume to one page. Professionals with 10 years or more experience may expand to two pages. Beyond that, seek a second opinion to determine if your expertise justifies any more space.

Ask friends and colleagues to thoroughly review your resume. They should easily be able to tell you what position you are looking for and a few of your most impressive qualifications. It may seem obvious to you, but are your goals clear to others?