HTML Preview Functional Executive Format Resume page number 1.
Functional Resumes for
Experienced Professionals
Career Document Series
Career Services Center • 414.288.7423 • www.marquette.edu/csc • career.services@marquette.edu • Holthusen Hall, First Floor
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Know yourself: Know your skills
A functional resume is designed to more effectively highlight your most career-related skills. Skill Clusters are
used to group skills and experiences by category or quality.
Skill Clusters
This is the marketing component of your resume that promotes you. This type of resume divides your
experiences into specific skill or functional areas. Some common skill areas may include Communication,
Writing, Computer, Research etc. As with any resume, be sure to include skills gained from work experience,
volunteer experience (internships, community service, student teaching), and campus leadership. Use a
variety of ACTION WORDS which describe situations and achievements.
Job seekers can create a functional resume to serve one of two purposes.
Purpose 1: A functional resume can be used for a job seeker with a great deal of experience in the same
type of work or career field who has held a number of positions either at the same company or at a variety of
companies. The functional resume for this candidate consolidates like experiences and skills into Skill
Clusters based on common responsibilities and skills.
Purpose 2: A functional resume can also be used for a job seeker looking to make a career change. This
person’s skills and abilities may be similar to those required of the desired position in terms of transferability.
However, the job seeker needs to clearly make the connection between past job skills and experiences and
desired job skills and experiences for a potential employer. The functional resume for this candidate
consolidates like experiences and skills into Skill Clusters based on those responsibilities and skills required for
the desired position.
The following pages include the following:
• Sample Functional Resume
• Sample Chronological Order Resume
• Functional Resume Template
• Sample Cover Letter