The first road block many people face when creating a resume isn’t content but how to arrange it. You want your resume to have some pop to it and be constructed in a way that all the necessary information can be found immediately.

A quick Google search for the term “functional resume” brings up the following examples

Both are solid resumes that showcase the job seekers abilities without unessessary clutter. Note that both are tailored for very different positions so keep in mind that you will need to build your functional resume from the ground up and consider the job you are applying for and the person who will be reading your resume. A great place to start is to get out some paper and pencil and play around with your own creative layouts with the information you’ve gathered through this article and browsing other resume templates.

When deciding on how to create your functional resume consider the three following questions:

• What type of position are you applying for?
• What type of company are you submitting your resume to? An internet start-up company in San Fransico is going to have a much different tone than conservative accounting firm in New York.
• Who is going to be reading your resume? Are you giving it to a recruiter who spends 10 seconds scanning a resume for relevant information or are you going directly to the hiring manager who will take more time on their review.

Refrain from using any non-traditional fonts and colors. The key is to be professional and informative without overloading the reader with to much information but not so little information that they aren’t clear about your previous roles and what you can offer the company by the end of the resume.

A good rule of thumb is to keep your resume at one page. Two pages maximum if you have the experience to warrent it. A recruiter once said “Anything over two pages tells me the candidate is either overcompensating or just doesn’t get “it”. I don’t want to work with someone especially sit through a meeting with someone who can’t condense themselves into two pages.”

Be sure to check out the ResumeBucket Sample Resumes for hundreds of pages of inspirations from all types of careers.