Why is it important to have a resume?
Having a resume is a standard. It gives managers something to analyze, people will always ask for it and it is ingrained in HR’s process.
CV is a marketing document and not your obituary. Resume is a forward facing marketing document. Obituary is a backward facing list of events. You should think in terms of « here is what i bring to the table », « Here is what that means for you » and not « this is a list of what i have done ». The resume should make company saying without a lot of thinking: this person will bring value to this role. Talk more about values and the benefits you can bring.
Build your resume
There is value in creating your resume. Creating it makes you think critically. It makes you choose your best value, it is a great interview preparation at the end of which you will own the conclusions.
Buy your resume
The cost of hiring a professional to write your resume is relatively minimal comparing to the value that can be bring. Certified resume writers are trained in their space, they are experts at creating your marketing document).
- careerdirectors.com
- careerthoughtleaders.com
- thenrwa.com
Audience
- Hiring managers – intimate understanding of what your skill set is.
- Your contacts – most of them won’t understand your skills
- HR – has a basic understanding of what the job is about but sometimes what is on the resume won’t make sense for them.
- ATS (Applicant Tracking System) a computer audience, it makes analyses on your resume and compares it to a job description.
Use a tagline or a cover letter for the persons who might not understand your resume.
Resume templates
Virus scan before sending it.
Avoid too much frill.
Chronological – the most popular.
Functional – thought as a format to hide age or experience level. Removes dates and don’t order by company. The focus is on the skillset.
Combination/hybrid resume –
- top is functional (the top 2,3 skills, details and experience with those skills)
- a list of companies and dates
Create a solid resume
- solid – not amazing, but also not embarassing
- good starting point and useable
- online resume builder (livecareer.com, resumegenious.com, cvmkr.com, visualcv.com)