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What is a resume and why is it important?
Home » Careers » Resumes » What is a resume and why is it important?Posted by Your Guide on October 12, 2005 5:17 PM
When a prospective employee looks for a new job, the one tool he/she should always have is a resume. A resume is your work history summarized in one or two pages. Every job you have, every degree you earn, and every skill you acquire is potential resume material that you condense into proof of your qualifications and ability.
Sometimes employees send out prospective resumes to companies while at other times employees provide resumes in response to specific job openings or at an interview. A resume should be accompanied by a cover letter and can be hand-delivered or sent via email or regular mail. Regardless of these small distinctions, however, a resume should interest an employer and show proof that you are qualified to work (and lead) in your new position.
Employers use resumes to screen employees. In many cases, a hiring manager will receive scores of applications and will spend only a few seconds or minutes scanning resumes. He/she is looking for resumes that show an applicant is qualified and prepared to succeed in the job at hand.
A resume, then, is your first chance to make a great impression. Cover letters and letters of recommendation are very important, but they generally expand upon the good points of the resume. A resume will not get you a job, but it could land you an interview. In an interview, you can connect with the employer and discuss your work history and education in detail, but without a good resume, you won’t even get that chance.
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