Help creating a Functional Resume

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Like others have said, just listing the year in your reverse-chronological work history can help hide a host of sins. A hybrid functional/chronological resume also seems like a good idea.

A lot of resume processing is done automatically nowadays, using keywords. Taking a SEO approach to making the document can help your resume float to the top of the stack. For my own resume, I have a "Skills" section at the top with columns for "Programming Languages", "Technical Skills", and "Would Like To Work With", each populated with appropriate buzz-terms.

The "Would Like To Work With" column is especially useful, since it justifies listing skills and technologies I don't actually have, or have only used in personal projects, which means someone searching for those things in a database of resumes will get hits on my resume.

The "Work Experience" section comes after that, in reverse chronological order, and I try to describe my jobs in terms of what my work did for the company. If something I did saved the company money, I say so. If it allowed the sales department to open new markets or land contracts previously unavailable to them, I lead with that. Hiring managers want to know what you can do for them, so lay it out like candy in a candy store. You did all these wonderful things for these other companies, so the hiring manager should let you come and do wonderful things for them.

I would avoid putting your autism in your cover letter or resume, or mentioning it in the interview. You need to present yourself in the most positive light possible, first to land the interview and then to land the job. Only bring up problems for negotiation after you have landed the job.

To put that in perspective, in a lot of states it is illegal for interviewers to ask a candidate their age or whether they are married, because this information can bias them (usually for invalid reasons). Such law empowers the candidate to hide these details about their lives, even though there's really nothing wrong about being a certain age or being married. If it is in your interests to conceal something as innocuous as your age, then you should feel justified in concealing your autism as well, given how many people have negative preconceptions about autism.

https://resumegenius.com/blog/resume-he ... nal-resume

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How to Write A Functional Resume

Learn how to write a functional resume by looking at our example and reading about its six sections:
1. List your contact information

Include the following information at the top of your resume:

First and last names
Current job title
Phone number
Email address

Your name should be the largest text on the page, and typed out in a professional resume font.

If you have a LinkedIn profile or personal website related to the job you’re applying for, add it in this section.

Note that you don’t need to include your address on your resume, because recruiters can contact you over the phone or by email.
2. Write a detailed resume introduction

If you’ve been out of a job for chunks of time, a convincing resume summary is the best way to start your resume.

A resume summary provides hiring managers an insight into your professional background. It allows you to list 2-3 examples of your most relevant achievements and responsibilities at the top of your resume, either in a bulleted list or paragraph format.

Here’s an example of a strong resume summary in paragraph format:

Functional Resume Summary

Conscientious administrative assistant with 4+ years of experience providing executive-level support. Introduced inventory supply software and saved 5% in costs. Highly proficient with QuickBooks.

Additionally, check the job description to help you determine resume keywords that you can sprinkle into your resume summary.
3. Group your skills by type

If you use a functional resume format, the skills on your resume are more emphasized than your work history.

What this means is that typically the skills section of a functional resume is about the same size as the work experience section of a chronological resume.

When writing the resume skills section on your functional resume, choose at least three skills that are applicable to the job you’re applying for. For each skill, add 3–4 bullet points that prove that skill.

Additionally, adding numbers to those bullet points gives employers confidence that you can fulfill the job requirements. Include at least one bullet point with numbers for each skill to catch the hiring manager’s attention.

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