20 Best Free Functional Skills-Based Resume Templates to Download for 2021

Do you need a resume that highlights what you can do and not when you did it? A functional resume template can help you put that together quickly.

A functional resume, often called a skills-based resume, focuses on your skills and what you’re an expert in. In contrast, a traditional resume focuses on your work history.

Traditionally you'd list recent jobs and a list of duties. With a functional resume format, you choose skills and expertise that are important to the job you’re applying to.

The functional resume format allows you to tailor your resume to the job you're applying to without adding extra details. Functional resumes should still include:

• contact information


• education


• work or volunteer experience


• technical skills 

In this article, I’ll go over how to make a functional resume and some premium best functional resume samples from GraphicRiver and Envato Elements.

Best Premium Functional Resume Template on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)

Envato Elements is a premium subscription service where you can get unlimited access to  the best digital design assets. Just pay a low monthly fee, and you’ll become a subscriber. You’ll get professionally made and high-quality digital assets including:

• resume templates


• stock photos


• royalty-free music


• fonts


• and much more

Envato Elements gives you a great base to start with that you can't get from a free template. With free templates, you may have to do a lot of editing to make the template look good. That can take a lot of time. But with a good base, just add your text, photos, and any customizations you want and you're done.

Professionals make every template on Envato Elements look stylish and result in providing good impressions. Create a lasting impression by using a professional template for your next project.

If you don’t need to use a lot of digital assets or need a template for one-time use. GraphicRiver is a great option. It's got a pay-as-you-go model. This means that you pay for a template of your choice, and you only get that template. Just like Envato Elements, GraphicRiver templates are high-quality and made by professionals.

Best Premium Functional Skills Resume Templates on Envato Elements (With Unlimited Use)

Here are some hand-picked premium templates from Envato Elements:

1. Skills Resume

This skills resume has a skills section at the bottom of the resume page. There's color blocking to make your skills section stand out. Everything in this template is easily customizable. You can edit the Skills Resume in Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.

2. Functional Resume

This template has a simple, functional resume format. The functional resume has nice sections in the design. Some of the sections are skills and experience. These sections allow you to showcase your skills.

3. Resume CV

The Resume CV has a functional resume format with color blocking to highlight skills. Plus, this template comes with a matching cover letter. You can edit this template in Adobe Illustrator.

4. Creative Resume

This premium template is a creative, functional resume format template. In this template there's a proficiency, skills, and languages section that's showcased. So, if you've got a lot of skills, this is the best functional resume template for you. And this template has a portfolio section that you can add any creative work to your resume.

5. One-Page Minimal Resume

This is a minimal one-page functional resume template with a black and white color scheme. You can edit this template in Adobe Illustrator. The skills section has a technical skills section and language skills. If you want a minimal functional resume template, this is a great option.

20 Top Free Functional Skills-Based Resume Template Examples to Download (2021)

Before looking for a free functional resume template on the web, check Envato's free offerings first. Try out various premium template files (not always skills resume templates) at no cost to you.

Here's the deal:

1. Functional Resume

This functional resume template is from Microsoft Word. It's got a simple resume layout that's focused on skills education.

2. Functional Resume (Simple Design)

The Functional Resume (Simple Design) has a nice pop of color in the otherwise minimal design of this template. The layout has four sections: objective, professional achievements, skills, and work history.

3. Skills Based College Education Google Docs Resume Template

If you're right out of college and looking for simple skills resume template. There's a skills section, but the main focus is the education section.

4. Resume/CV

This free resume has a retro theme, and the layout has nice sections. There's a big skills section, language section and hobbies section.

5. Free Resume Template

The Free Resume Template comes with infographics that you can use in the skills section of the template. This is simple and clean resume that can be used to apply for any position.

6. Ober CV Resume

Ober CV Resume has a creative theme and has a nice pop of color to the resume design. Also, this template comes with both a dark and a light theme. You can easily edit the Ober CV Resume in Adobe Illustrator.

7. Functional Resume (Word)

This Word template has a simple, functional resume format to highlight your career history and career achievements. At the top of this template is a section that you can use to write a summary of why you should be hired.

8. Functional Resume Style

This functional resume format is focused more on skills letting you bullet point your skills. There's also a section where you can add your qualifications for the job you’re applying to.

9. Functional CV Template

The skills resume template can be edited in Microsoft Word. A light grey bar separates the sections, making it easier for the hiring manager to read.

10. Simple Resume

The Simple Resume can be used to apply to any job in any field. This resume features blue text to draw attention to each section.

11. Balanced Resume (Modern Design)

A balanced Resume is a skills resume template that features a skills section to showcase all your skills. This resume has pops of color added in some of the text so that the template isn’t all black and white.

12. Creative Resume

Creative Resumes has a nicely designed header and blue lines separating the sections. There's a skill, experience, and education section.

13. Bold Infographic Resume

The red font and red infographics make this functional resume template have a bold design that'll stand out. You can edit this template in Microsoft PowerPoint.

14. Basic Modern Resume

The Basic Modern Resume has a nice, neat layout that’s divided into sections. This template has a pop of color with some green added to the design.

15. Resume (Origin Theme)

Resume Origin theme is a skills resume template that's separated into two main sections. Also, there's some blue in the design to add a pop of color to the resume.

16. Tech Infographic Resume

This functional resume format isn't traditional, but creative. This template comes with a section where you can add a scannable QR code.

17. Chronological Resume (Minimalist Design)

This chronological resume can easily have a skills section added to the template. There's no design in this template, so this is an option if you’re looking for a simple template.

18. Resume (Minimalist Design)

In this template, there's a skills and abilities section where you can showcase your skills. This is another template with no design, so it won't be distracting for the reader.

19. Entry-Level Resume

The Entry-Level Resume was designed for people who want an entry-level job. This resume has a nice design that draws attention to important information.

20. Bold Monogram Resume

The bold monogram resume has a red and white color scheme that can easily be changed to a different color. Plus, this template uses color blocking to highlight important sections in your resume template.

5 Quick Tips to Make Great Functional Skills-Based Resumes in 2021

Once you’ve chosen your functional resume template, you’ll want to start adding your information. Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Choose Your Skills

A functional resume always includes skills. But you shouldn’t just add all your skills to your functional resume template. Instead, you should only include the skills that would be relevant to the job. For example, if you’re applying to be an HR manager but you've got forklift driving skills, you most likely won’t need those skills, so leave them off the resume.

2. Include Achievements

Not sure what to include on your skills resume template? Make sure to include any previous job achievements that have to do with the job you’re applying for.

Achievements show your future employer that others are recognizing the skills that you've got. They also show how well you performed at your previous job.

3. One-Page

There are many one-page functional resume format templates. One page forces you to be concise and only include essential information on your resume. Most hiring managers won’t even look at a resume if it's more than one page long.

4. Online Resume

There are many job openings online. When making your resume consider having a link to an online resume along with your resume template. With an online resume, you can add more information than you would include in your resume template.

5. Curate Bullet Points

When you're adding education, and work experiences, consider adding your more recent experience first. This shifts the focus to the important part of your resume, which is your most recent experience. Besides, this makes it easier for the hiring manager to see your most recent experience.

Discover More Top Resume Template Designs

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Learn More About Making Great Resumes in 2021

If you've got questions more questions about resumes, try reading one of our resume tutorials. If you aren’t sure how to make your resume great, here are some helpful articles:

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  How to Structure Your Resume to Use in 2021 (Organize it Right)
  
  
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  How to Effectively List Professional Skills on Your Resume
  
  
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  How to Make Your Resume Stand Out as the Best
  
  
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  How to Make Your Resume the Perfect Length (+To the Point)
  
  
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Download a Functional Skills-based Resume Template in 2021

There are many different resume formats, and it can be hard to know which one is right for you. For example, if you want to focus on your skills, a functional resume is the best option. But, if you put too much unnecessary information on your resume, it can overwhelm the hiring manager, and they can just reject you.

Now you’ve learned what a functional skills-based resume is, and you’ve seen both free and premium functional resume examples. But, of course, the quickest and most professional option is a premium template that's ready to use. So why not download a premium functional skills-based resume template today?