Functional & Combination Resumes

Functional resumes are good for people with too little or too much experience. If you do not have years of experience in the hospitality industry, but you have abilities and skills you have learned as a student, volunteer, or through a hobby or sport, the functional resume lets you highlight these strengths and downplay your lack of industry experience.

If covering your years of experience in a chronological resume would require more than two pages, or if the description of your responsibility in several jobs would be repeating the same information, a functional resume gives you more latitude in how to organize information.

Combination resumes: Professional resume writers and career counselors often recommend combining the best qualities of the chronological and functional resume. Your work history is presented in chronological order, but it may come after a review of your functional skills and your achievements. Another combination variation lists your jobs in chronological order, but in place of a description of responsibilities and duties, you list achievements and demonstrated skills used or learned.