What Resume Is And Is Not, And How Can Employers Benefit?

In the world of ever-growing competition, one thing becomes more and more apparent: people do not understand the purpose of the resume. Working with people in various lines of work – clerks, dog trainers, certified project managers, CFAs, CPAs, software developers, restaurant managers, graphic designers, freelance consultants, and everyone in between, it is quite clear.

In the world of conventional wisdom, having a resume is needed to secure a job. Therefore, having a good resume is a guarantee of getting one. Right? Not so much. You can have the most brilliantly written resume – and still not get a job. If it sits on your desk, if it reaches the wrong audience, if you fail at interview, if…. And so, let’s examine the question of the day.

What is a resume?

A resume is your marketing document. Even more, it is not just a commercial, it is a grand finale, an advertisement for the Super Bowl, for millions to watch. As a marketing document, it needs to convince consumer (hiring company) of the quality of your product (things you can do for them). The way to do this is by showing how your past professional experience ties into what the company is doing right now – and illustrating that your former employers benefited from your work, and that you potential employer can as well.

It is truly the same as with any consumer product advertisement. Think of a cereal ad. It shows happy people who ate it before (past benefit) and it talks about nutritional value (future gain). In a short flash, you get both – and with some branding (uniqueness) it becomes memorable enough for you to recognize it on supermarket shelves.

When working on your resume, you need to do the same. Show how your past work benefited your former employers. Did you help them save money? Did you help grow the business? Did you increase sales/revenue? Follow up with an implied benefit that your future employer can derive. What can you do for them? What value will you bring to the table? Your resume is your marketing brochure.

With that said, it is also important to understand,

What a resume is NOT?

A resume is not a story of your life. It is not an autobiography. It should not be filled with jobs that do not matter or with boring details that bring no value. It should not state the obvious. If you worked as a store clerk, it is implied that you operated a cash register or bagged groceries. These do not need to be included. If you worked as a waiter, you delivered food to tables. Those things are common knowledge, and by including them you risk boring the hiring manager.

When preparing a resume, focus on setting ourself apart from competition. There is  a collection of articles on successful resume writing. Take a look. But above all, it is about perception. If your future employer can perceive that you are better, it does not matter that there are other, more qualified candidates. Perception is reality.

Resume Solutions provides professional resume services and career advice.