A true functional resume focuses on transferable skills, abilities, and experience in clusters and often omits dates. Jobs and employers are typically not listed. It is kind of like going on a date: You might state all of your exceptional qualities (that you know s/he will be interested in because you read their online dating profile), but you are likely going to omit from the conversation how many people you have dated and when—a great tip for your date this upcoming Valentine’s Day perhaps?!

A functional resume is often used by recent graduates, people with gaps in their employment history, or people entering the labour force after a lengthy absence.

There are some benefits to using a functional resume. Functional resumes can draw the employer’s attention to your relevant skills and abilities. Functional resumes can also cover up gaps in employment history.

The drawbacks to using a functional resume are that employers do not typically like functional resumes, it looks like the individual is hiding something, and some job boards and recruiters will not even accept them.