What Is a Functional Resume? | Examples & Template
A functional resume is an alternative to a traditional resume for students, recent graduates, or job seekers who are new to a profession. Unlike the standard, chronological resume, which focuses on your employment history, functional resumes focus on your skills. That’s why they’re sometimes called “skills-based resumes.”
The functional resume format is sometimes useful for internships, entry-level positions, or career fairs. Even in these situations, though, the functional resume is increasingly rare. When at all possible, the safest choice is a traditional, reverse-chronological format like this resume template.
When the functional resume format is your best option, the tips and examples below will help your functional resume make the best possible impression. For proofreading and polishing resumes, cover letters, and other application materials, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker has got you covered!
What is a functional resume?
A functional resume is an alternative to the standard resume format for situations when you want to give more details about your skills than your past jobs.
Like any resume, it’s a 1–2 page formal document that you submit with applications for career opportunities (e.g., jobs, internships, or scholarships). The main parts of a functional resume are as follows:
- Contact information: Your name, city/state, email address, LinkedIn profile, and phone number
- Skills summary or objective: A summary of your main skill set and in some cases, 1–2 professional goals that align with the job or opportunity you’re applying for
- Skills: One subheading and 3–7 bullet points per skill with an example of when you demonstrated the skill (e.g., during a school project) in each bullet point
- Employment history: A subheading for each previous job with the employer, location, title, and employment dates and a 1–2 line summary or your role
- Education: One subheading for each degree (including a degree that’s in progress) with the school, academic major, and graduation date (or the date you expect to graduate) followed by a list of the courses, achievements, or extracurricular activities that are relevant to the application requirements
- Languages: A list of any languages in which you’re proficient or fluent
- Volunteer experiences (if applicable): A subheading for each role with a bulleted list of the achievements that correlate to the application requirements
Alternatives include the heading “Summary” or “Professional Profile,” no heading, or the title of the job you’re applying for.
When to use a functional resume
The functional resume can be useful in a few situations—entry-level positions, internships, career fairs, and career changes. For example, if you’re attending a career fair on your college campus, bring multiple hard copies of a functional or chronological resume to share with recruiters at various booths and stations.
Most career writing experts say to avoid the functional format unless it’s impossible for you to provide substantial detail within the chronological resume format. Do not use the functional format when you already have experience in the field where you’re applying.
- A high school student who’s applying for a summer leadership program and needs to demonstrate the various leadership skills they’ve developed through high school courses and extracurricular activities
- An undergraduate student attending a career fair for STEM internships
- A recent graduate with a bachelor’s in Education networking with high school principals for a first-time teaching job
- A transitioning teacher who’s leaving the classroom to pursue opportunities in EdTech
- A recent graduate applying for UX roles who has already completed three internships in UX and has also provided pro bono UX work to two nonprofits
- An experienced customer service representative applying for a promotion as a shift leader or quality specialist for the same department or company
- A recently laid-off data analyst who is seeking a similar role at another company
Functional resume examples
The following examples illustrate two situations when a functional resume format could be more useful than a chronological resume. The first example is for an undergraduate attending a career fair for summer internships in Computer Science.
DeShawn Johnson
Greater St. Louis Area | djohnson@email.com | (636) 111–2222
Summary
Detail-oriented Computer Science major with expertise in cloud migration, software design, LLMs, Python, SQL, C++, and JavaScript. Exceptional track record of meeting deadlines, exceeding key deliverables, and collaborating with multiple stakeholders.
Skills
Programming Languages
- Python: Collaborated with classmates to produce an innovative expense tracker app that won first place at the 2023 National Conference for Computer Science Students
- C++: Excelled at individual projects and homework exercises for login and registration systems, exceeding deadlines and surpassing rubric requirements
- JavaScript: Developed chat applications using web sockets
Project Management
- Served as project manager for a variety of group projects in CS400 and CS500
- Coordinated workflows, individual tasks, and key deliverables
Collaboration
- Collaborated with professors and fellow teaching assistants on grading and rubric norming for computer programming courses
- Consulted with peers and industry experts to complete a programming skills needs assessment for a high school robotics team
Work Experience
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant | City University | 2024–present
- Scaffolded CS101 students’ proficiency with computer design principles and coding fundamentals
- Exceeded all grading deadlines, ensuring CS101 students received timely feedback
Computer Lab Assistant | Metropolitan Public Library | 2022–2024
- Provided timely and efficient technical support in to library patrons using a free computer lab for word processing and online research
Education
City University | Bachelor of Computer Science | Graduating May 2026
- Active member of the University Honors Program and the Association of Computer Science Students
Local High School | Cum Laude | 2021
- FIRST Robotics Team Captain, 2019 – 2021
- Student Council Treasurer, 2019 – 2020
In this next example, a recently-graduated English Education major has completed a functional resume to submit applications for first-year teaching positions at primary schools.
Jacob Hill
Philadelphia, PA | jhill@email.com | (215) 222–3333
Summary
Dedicated and compassionate social studies educator committed to fostering critical thinking and civic engagement. Detailed expertise in data-driven instruction, national assessments, universal design for learning, and project-based learning. Passionate about creating inclusive and collaborative learning environments.
Skills
Data-Driven Instruction
- Analyzed scores on computer-based assessments to develop engaging and personalized mini-lessons that addressed key knowledge gaps
- Implemented formative assessments to gauge student understanding of constitutional amendments and legislative processes
- Facilitated pre-to-post-test gains of over 50% on national and statewide assessments
Curriculum Development & Lesson Planning
- Designed a unit on the Civil Rights Movement, incorporating primary source analysis and multimedia presentations, resulting in increased student engagement and understanding
- Created differentiated lesson plans to accommodate diverse learning styles and abilities, utilizing UDL assessment methods
Collaboration
- Collaborated with professors and mentor teachers on effective classroom management strategies for a Grade 5 social studies classroom
- Excelled at a variety of group projects to develop engaging, standards-aligned unit plans and summative assessments
- Delivered a group presentation at the 2022 NCTE conference on writing across the curriculum
Teaching Experience
Preservice Teacher | City Middle School | 2023–2024
- Taught 3 sections of Grade 5 social studies
- Implemented student-centered curricula on the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the First Amendment
Education
City University | Bachelor of Education | May 2024
- Active member of Kappa Delta Phi
Local High School | 2021
- International Baccalaureate
- National Honors Society
Functional resume template
To create a functional resume, start with a functional resume template, and customize each heading and section based on your skills and career goals. QuillBot’s functional resume template includes spaces for you to add contact information, a summary, skills, work history, and other sections.
Functional vs chronological resume
When creating a functional resume, be mindful of the differences between functional resumes and chronological resumes as outlined below.
| Functional | Chronological | |
|---|---|---|
| When to use | For internships, entry-level positions, career fairs, or other situations when you have more skills than experience | When applying for a job in a field where you have relevant employment experience |
| Layout | Name and contact info | Name and contact info |
| Professional summary or objective (2–4 lines about your skills and/or goals) | Professional summary (2–4 lines about your employment background and expertise) | |
| Skills (a subsection for each skill with a few examples of how you demonstrated each skill) | Skills (2–3 lines that list your technical skills, separated by commas or vertical lines [ | ]) | |
| Employment history (a list of past jobs without bulleted lists/details or a couple of bullet points each) | Employment history (a subsection for each job with a bulleted list of your achievements at that job) | |
| Education (list of your degrees with a bulleted list of relevant courses, honors, or awards, or extracurricular activities) | Education (list of your postsecondary degrees) |
Frequently asked questions about functional resumes
- What does a functional resume highlight?
-
A functional resume highlights skills rather than work history. On a functional resume, there is a detailed “skills” section with a subheading for each skill and a few bullet points with examples of when you demonstrated each skill.
A functional resume is different from the standard chronological resume, which includes a brief list of skills and details about each past job that you’ve held.
Whichever type of resume you’re writing, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you submit a resume that’s error free.
- What are some beginner skills for a resume?
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Some beginner skills for a resume include the kind of skills you develop through education, extracurricular activities, and hobbies, such as:
- Social media content creation
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Self-discipline
- Presentation skills
- Critical thinking
Resume format for entry-level positions suggests placing your skills below or next to your education and work experience.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to produce an error-free resume.
- What are some computer skills for a resume?
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Computer skills for a resume include proficiency in productivity suites such as Google Workspace (Docs, Calendar, etc.) and Microsoft 365 (Word, Outlook, etc.).
Follow standard resume format and include your skills alongside your experience and education.
If you’re writing a resume, don’t forget to check it for typos with a grammar tool such as QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker.
