Understanding the Purpose of a Resume

By Sarah Roberts
Resume-Templates.com

Many people misunderstand the goal and purpose of writing a resume. Since they are looking for a job and sending their resume to employers in hopes of getting a job, they assume that the purpose of a resume is to get a job. While finding a job might be your goal, the purpose of sending an employer a resume is NOT to get you a job. The purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. After that, getting the job is up to you.

Could you imagine a recruiter offering you a job without ever meeting you? You would be happy if finding a job were so easy, but it isn't. Applying for a job is a process, and the resume is how you initiate that process. You send the resume to a potential employer to let them know that you are interested in a position. If they are interested in you, they call you in for an interview. The resume has done its job.

Understanding the purpose of a resume has a few consequences relating to how you write your resume. First, you want your resume to be easy to read. Second, you want it to be customized to the position for which you are applying. Last, you want your resume to be interesting.

Since the goal of sending an employer a resume is to get an interview, you want to make sure that your resume is read. Unless you have extensive experience (no, working four years at Wendy's is not extensive), you should never write a resume longer than one page. Also, you want to make it easy to read. Use bold and italics to focus the recruiter's eye on important information. When finalizing your resume, make sure there is plenty of white space. Your resume only has about 15 seconds to make an impression, so don't lose the readers in a lot of words.

Avoid sending the same resume to all employers. Using the job ad to customize your resume is a great way to improve your chances of getting an interview. Show the reader that you are qualified by using the qualifications and duties in the advertisement to guide what you include in your resume. For example, if one of the qualifications is three years experience in outside sales, show in your resume where you have this experience. The job ad is an indicator of what the employer is looking for. Show them that you are the "perfect" candidate.

People want to meet interesting people. Since you are using your resume to get an interview, it is important that you make yourself seem interesting. Tease the employer with your resume and you will be much more likely to get that phone call.

Understanding the resume's purpose helps you write an effective resume. Write a clear, custom, interesting resume, and you will increase your chance of getting an interview. After you have the interview, the resume has done its job. The rest is up to you.

More information on writing resumes that get interviews can be found in our Resume Template Package.

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