What is a resume?
The first impression is the last, this proverb directly applies to the candidate while applying for a job. The first step towards a job is applying for one’s resume. A resume is a formal piece of writing that a job applicant submits to an employer and contains all of the necessary information about the candidate’s qualifications, past employment experiences, abilities, and other relevant information. A resume is the first step towards a job application. Once a candidate makes his resume, he sends it to the employer and after examining the resume employer decides for further interaction with the candidate. A resume serves as a conduit between the applicant and the potential employer. As it is now, is a very professional and formal mode of communication, it needs to match some criteria to make a candidate eligible for further interaction and screening process.
Purpose of resume
Starting a corporate career requires building a resume which helps the employer peep through your skills and qualities and make a strong impression over their minds. Candidates frequently take resume building for granted and focus solely on honing their skill set to meet the employer’s job expectations, resulting in a monotonous resume that results in rejection.Perfection and matching the employer’s expectations is not just enough, one needs to be presentable to put an impact and grab the attention of recruiters. It is very important to build a resume that perfectly fits the job requirements and reflects your skills and eligibility that meets the expectations of the recruiter. A single resume cannot fit all kinds of job roles. Every job comes with a distinct skill set. Therefore, while making a resume it is very important to highlight only those skills that match the job requirements, otherwise, despite having outstanding skills and knowledge, you will leave them out without getting selected.
How to design a resume?
A resume performs a critical and fundamental role at every step of a professional career, from the beginning as a fresher to transferring companies as an experienced professional. Making a resume and sending it to the recruiter sounds a very simple and conventional task, but at the same time, it is the trickiest and deciding factor for the candidature in the firm.
While designing a resume, one should keep in mind a few points that would make a resume clear, attractive, and relevant. A resume is something that should be very authentic and relevant. Putting up unnecessary information can make a resume bogus and uninteresting; also it would reduce the chances of selection.
A resume is considered the first communication between the job seeker and the job recruiter. It is the deciding factor whether the candidature will be forwarded or discarded. A resume should show only those skills and strengths which recruiter wants to see, providing irrelevant skills, bragged content will result in troubling the candidate only. Hence, mention only those things which are authentic and relevant, this will not only make you outstand in the crowd but also build up a trustworthy relationship between recruiter and job seeker.
Therefore, to build a resume one should keep in mind the demanded skills by the employer, qualifications for the role, and strengths you possess that fit in that particular job to stand out from the crowd.
Significance of resume
It is very important to build an impactful resume to stand out in the crowd. There are thousands of eligible candidates applying for a job role but only a few get shortlisted the ones having more skills and experience often get discarded over the people having lesser experience or domain knowledge. Ever thought about how they manage to shine out! Well, all this is the power of a structured, informative, and impactful resume.
It is a very crucial to make freshers aware of resume building and its importance. Many college students preparing for placements are not aware of the importance of making a proper resume. Everyone knows the format to build a resume but only a few of them are acknowledged about making a standout resume. Lack of sufficient knowledge about resume making closes the doors of many opportunities for the freshers. College authorities should organise appropriate seminars and sessions for their students to assist them in creating an organised resume.
Resume vs CV
Often people get confused and mix up resumes and CVs together. CV stands for curriculum vitae which describes the detailed academic accomplishments whereas resume only focuses on key qualifications and mainly on the skills of the candidate. Lengths and design templates for CV and resume vary. As a CV is detailed so it is lengthier and has a different template design and format but a resume is brief and restricted to one or two pages at max.
A resume is often followed by a cover letter. The cover letter discusses the traits of the person that are appropriate for the particular job role, much like the resume describes who the person is, what his qualifications are, and what talents he possesses. The Cover letter contains a complete explanation of why the applicant is suitable for the required role. Just like a resume, a cover letter also has its format and templates.
Benefits of resume
Furthermore, maintaining a resume throughout your professional career will boost up one’s candidature and will also motivate one to continuously work on their skill set and add up to the resume to outshine the crowd. Freshers should start building up a resume during the college period and keep updating it with more and more skills and achievements. This will not only boost up their confidence but at the time of seeking jobs, they would have a fair enough skillset to stand out from other candidates and will easily get shortlisted.
Hence, a resume can not only be considered to have a professional purpose, but it can also be a checklist to achieve more in a professional career. A strong resume always reflects a quality candidate that every firm expects.
