A resume is also known as Curriculum Vitae or CV for short. The word “résumé” has a French origin which means “summary”. A resume has always served the purpose of informing employers with a summary of your qualification. Almost every new opportunity or job role requires a resume to be considered for that particular position.
Carefully read this article from start to finish to learn about the purpose and importance of a resume.
What is a Resume
A resume is a document that marks your first impression when you apply for a position. A resume highlights all the basic details about your skills, experience, previous projects, and areas of expertise. Having a good resume is a guarantee of getting a call for an interview from any prestigious organization.
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A resume helps demonstrate your notable accomplishments and is used to convince employers that you are the perfect candidate for the role.
What is the Purpose of a Resume
Wondering what is the primary purpose of a resume? Well, the main purpose of a resume and CV is to get you an interview. A common misconception among different employees is that they think a good resume is enough for getting a job. However, a resume is only good to help you land a job interview. Employers nowadays never hire an employee based on a resume. Employers nowadays take interviews and try to know the person better before hiring them for the job. A resume is still very important as it’s the first step that ultimately gets you the job.
Most people and fresh graduates don’t know that many big companies nowadays use different resume-tracking software to automatically select more relevant resumes based on keywords. Therefore it is important to load your CV with the right keywords. The purpose of a resume is not only to impress the employer but also to impress the computer that automatically shortlists candidates based on Artificial Intelligence.
No matter how perfect you are for some specific job you still need to impress the AI-based system and your employer with your resume to get the call for an interview. Therefore your resume must be an impressive one and get you noticed.
A Resume Prepares Your For the Interview
Most employers tend to ask you questions about things that you have mentioned in your CV. Most probably an employer will ask you to explain the highlights that you have mentioned in your resume. Having a good understanding of everything that you have mentioned in your resume eventually helps you prepare for the interview.
Your CV Helps You Organize Yourself
A CV helps you organize your skillset. When you are listing your skills, experience, and expertise in your resume then you become better able to evaluate yourself. Hence a resume helps you plan an effective job search campaign with the right employment options.
Your CV Gives You a Sense of Security
We always recommend that you keep on editing your resume with the latest experiences and certifications as you never know when you would want to seek a better opportunity. Having an updated resume at all times gives you peace of mind and a sense of security that you are financially safe from employment-related threats.
A Resume Usually Contains the Following Four Parts:
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Contact Details
A resume without proper contain details is incomplete. An employer should be able to easily find your email, phone number, and your area of residence without any problem. It is recommended that you mention your phone number, area of residence, and your email at the top. Nowadays it is also a very good practice to add a link to your LinkedIn profile in your resume as it helps employers to verify the information that you provide in your resume.
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Introduction
Wondering what is the purpose of a resume objective or introduction? Many people make the major mistake of copying and pasting the introduction lines from the internet or someone else’s resume. Hiring managers are quick to identify copy-pasted introductions and this negatively impacts your first impression. You must write your introduction all by yourself.
Resume writing experts from WriteMyEssay recommend that you write the introduction at the end after you are done writing everything else.
You should start your resume introduction by clearly communicating who are and what you do. Specify the industry that you are seeking and move on to highlighting things that make you a unique find. After that highlight your key skills and expertise that your future employer and the hiring manager would be interested in. Clearly state the job descriptions that you are looking for to the prospective employer.
Educational Background
Add detailed information about your qualifications by listing all your degrees, diplomas, certifications, and other information regarding your education. It is recommended that you add your educational background after your work experience unless the job is related to academics.
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Work History
We recommend that you add your work history with past employers as well as your career history at the start of your resume after the introduction. Listing your previous companies and your previous employer is a great way to showcase your experience and expertise in your area.
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Relevant Skills
Add all your relevant skills in your CV to showcase what you have learned in all the years as an employee. If you are applying for the Digital Marketing industry then you can add skills like “On-page SEO”, “Off-page SEO”, “Email Marketing”, and “Social Media Marketing”. Adding your skills in bullet points will further enhance their visibility and increase the chance of those skills being seen by potential employers.
Once you are done adding all the details about the required skills in your marketing document you should then proofread read it for grammatical errors. Editing and proofreading will further enhance your chances of you being hired by that organization.
What is the Purpose of a Cover Letter
A resume only highlights your experience and expertise in a relevant field of study but a cover letter explains your relevant expertise in detail. The basic purpose of a cover letter just like your CV is to help you land an interview for a particular job. However, a cover letter gives your future employer an insight into your accomplishments and experience. A cover letter gives a better idea about what you bring to the table and what the hiring manager can expect from you.
Importance of Resume for Students
A resume is very important for fresh graduates and students who want to get good jobs. As stated a resume is the first impression that can help you land a job interview. A strong introduction and basic proficiency if listed properly in a resume can guarantee students a good job or internship opportunity. Therefore if you are a student then you should focus on making a resume that stands out.
