What is the Purpose of a Resume and Resume Categories?

A common mistake is, that the purpose of a resume is to get the job, that is not true! So the main question is, what is the purpose of a resume? All questions and more can be found here.

So the main question is, what is the purpose of a resume? A common mistake is to think, that a resume should give you a job, but that is not true. The main goal is to create an interest in a potential employer. What is your personality? What are your skills and background? Those are some of the questions you will need to answer in order to create such interest and have increased chances for an interview. Don't worry, all the main questions and complete guidance can be found in this article, so read it till the end and we promise, that you will move on your path to your dream job.

What is the purpose of a resume?

First of all is important to understand, that every employer or organization is looking for other qualities, it depends on the industry size of the company and also on personal preferences. You may basically say that you are "selling yourself", therefore it is important to tailor all skills, previous work experience, and education to the job role you are applying to. So try to write a targeted resume. We will come back to the correct and best methods later. It is always good to think also about the other possible applicants and think about how to differ from them, the best way of course is to not use generic word templates, an HR receives hundreds of resumes with the same design, therefore it is good to follow the latest resume format styles. You may try our online resume builder, with curriculum templates that are verified and updated regularly.

If your resume is well written, it will generate phone calls, and sooner or later, you will be invited to the interview. If so, don't forget to print it, resume paper is also important. You need to have more copies with you on the interview, as it will help you to stick your skills and if you give it to the hiring manager, he or she will remember you, as the questions from them will be mostly about what is written inside.

Resume categories

Functional: "use it if you desire a career change but do not have much-related experience, or if you don’t have any professional experience. Instead of focusing on your work history this type of resume focuses on the different skills that you have acquired along the way."
Chronological: "most commonly used style, from the latest job on top, to the oldest at the bottom. In this standard type of resume work experience is listed along with relevant job duties, which make up the bulk of the resume. This is the most popular type of resume for people with less than 3-5 years of experience.
Combination: "As the title indicates this type of resume is a combination of the chronological and functional resume. This may be used when there are more than 5 years of work experience."

All resume categories are covered with our awesome templates. for the best results, we recommend using our best, drag and drop online resume builder.

Back to the question, what is the purpose of a resume?

Let's deep dive into this question. If you answer it correctly, you are on the right way, you will for sure have the full attention of the recruitment team. To fully answer it, we need to split it into more parts:

Who will read it?
What are the values of your skills and responsibilities?
What to add, if you don't have much professional experience?
Why should the employer choose you?
Who else will apply for this job?

Who will read it?

Nowadays we are using as many information systems in work as we can. It is clear as it helps us to be more efficient. This is also used by recruiters and the hiring team. They have HR systems and they are searching for them. Therefore use targeted resumes and always put the right keywords in the text and description. You may use exactly what states in the job description of the offer, but don't copy-paste it. Use the correct font, text size chose the right resume categories, and resume layout, to make it readable. Use our resume website templates pre-sets, to make sure you have chosen the right formats.

What are the values of your skills and responsibilities?

The generic question is, what to include and how long should the description be? If you have chosen from every of the resume categories, you should put the job description under the job title. Make sure, that it fits the job requirements in the offer, but be honest in every way. If you are not skilled in some requirements, it is better, to tell the truth. If you will be compromised with a question you cannot answer, then the chances will drop significantly.

Ask the questions from the STAR technique: Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

Situation: What was the challenge?
Task: What was your job responsibility?
Action: What action did you take to complete the task?
Result: What was the result of your action? Was there a positive outcome and can you quantify it?

A hint from the STAR technique is described in the parts of a resume. Use our resume builder for free to make the whole process quick and easy.

What to add, if you don't have much professional experience?

If you are a fresh graduate, or you just have started your career path, then you cannot add any valuable professional experience. Therefore it is good to look for jobs, where are no special requirements to gain the skills or entry job levels. Most jobs have a clear description of requirements, read it, maybe you will suit the offer. Some jobs require only personal qualities, or willingness to learn new skills, so don't hesitate.

Therefore, it is good to imagine, that you are the employer, what are the personal skills you are searching for? Add as many education and courses that are relevant as you can, do some additional learning, and ask for references from school. Add Projects, hobbies, volunteering, sports, and other activities, that may be important for hiring a manager.

Also, try to highlight your main skills and use graphics, which makes it more interesting, so you will have no blank space in the document. As always, this can be achieved with our resume templates.

Why should the employer choose you?

Make a quick statement with one or two sentences. Think about it carefully, the purpose of this is to "hit" the hiring manager. He should have the feeling, "Ok I like this man/woman!" this is mostly at the top of the resume.

Hint, if you know who will do the hiring, try to search on Linkedin or even Google or Facebook, check his/her preferences or the favorite motto. For example, "If you put your mind to it, anything is possible." Sounds like cheating? No, not at all, he/she makes it public.

Who else will apply for this job?

Think about something additional, that makes you look better. something that is qualifying you as the best choice. It may be personal, professional, or other skill, that is job-related. Especially for straightforward jobs.

Example: What makes you special among 5 Project managers with 10 years of experience? Think about what project you will pinpoint if there is something special, unusual or challenging.

What Do I Include on a Resume?

What you should put on your resume depends on the job you’re applying for and your relevant professional background.

At a minimum, your resume should include the following sections:

Contact details: include your first and last name, phone number, and email address. Additionally, you can add your LinkedIn profile if yours is up to date, and your mailing address if you want to prove you live near the place you’re applying.
Introduction: a concise overview of your professional background and key qualifications. Your introduction can be in the form of a resume summary, professional profile, resume objective, or qualifications summary.
Education: Include your school names, highest degree earned, majors, and minors. Additionally, you can add your GPA (if it’s greater than 3.8) and relevant coursework if you lack experience or it’s related to the position.
Experience: list any relevant work experience you have. Include your title, the company you worked for, the years worked, and a bulleted list of your key responsibilities and notable successes. Be sure to also include as many relevant accomplishments on your resume as possible.
Skills: include any resume skills you possess that are relevant to the position. Be sure to use a strong mix of hard skills and soft skills to demonstrate that you’re a well-rounded candidate.

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Posted 3 months ago