Tips on Writing a Functional CV
There are different types of CV writing styles used today. One of the most common is the Functional CV writing format. When writing a functional CV, you need to highlight your experience and achievements by using functional headings. Choose headings that will capture the interest of the employer at a first glance.
Once you’ve chosen the headings, decide the most appropriate order to organize them. For management positions, functional CV headings should come first followed by others. Describe your skills and achievements in about 3 to 6 bullets under each heading. If you have more points under one heading, consider having them in a sub-heading. Generally, having about 3 to 6 functional headings is adequate enough.
Examples of functional headings
– Administration
– Communication
– Counseling
– Editing
– Journalism
– Marketing
– Management
– Planning
– Promotion
– Public relations
– Sales
– Secretarial
– Traveling
– Writing
When using bullet points under functional headings, highlight your achievements and roles. Also include voluntary and charity work experience relevant to the position.
Include a short summary of the previous employer you’ve worked for, job title, dates (including year and month finished) after the functional headings. Being a functional CV, the employer is much more interested in your capabilities and not your education history. Sometimes when writing a functional CV, it’s best not to include any reference to your employment history. If possible keep your CV short and clear in about one or two pages.
Training
When writing a functional CV, include only the most relevant training courses. You can choose to have a section on training or have it combined with education qualifications.
Education
Only list the most important and relevant qualifications. The education section should come before training and after work experience if you’ve just recently graduated.