What Can a Resume Do?

In today's fast paced world, it is not enough just to have impressive qualifications against your name. It is more important to be able to effectively advertise them. That's precisely what a well designed resume can do - market your skill sets, experience and qualifications in the best possible manner and convince the recruiters of the suitability of your candidature.

A resume must serve its purpose

Does the fact that employers need to filter through several hundred resumes to find the right kind of candidate mean that there is a dearth of qualified applicants? Not at all. Rather it points to the fact that most candidates are not making good use of their resumes, and are unable to adequately project their skills. Therefore if a resume cannot represent what the candidate stands for, he may lose out despite possessing all the essential skills and experience.

A resume should also portray that the candidate's abilities match perfectly with the job profile. A cleverly crafted resume caters to the requirements of the employer and matches the vision of the organization. This makes the resume impressive and projects the candidate as an individual with great talent and potential and thus earns him/her an invitation to the interview round.

What else does a resume do?

Expresses your intention: A resume cannot really get you a job but it can certainly pave your way towards one by fetching you the opportunity of an interview. Through the medium of the resume, you can convey your wish to apply for the post in question
Give a quick overview of your career and education: While a crisp and organized resume may take hours to frame, with just a short glance, the recruiter would be able to gather significant pointers about your skills and aptitude. It is on the basis of this cursory glance that the fate of the resume is decided
Acts as a record: Even after the company hires the candidate, the resume is maintained on file and would be testimony to all that you may have claimed earlier. Should any of this information prove to be false, it would show the candidate in extremely poor light.
Highlights your experiences till date: Your resume is an organized record of your prior work experience and also mentions your educational qualifications along with any special certifications that you might have obtained. It could also focus on any unique accomplishment that could help set you apart from the other applicants
Implies your future goals: Your resume can give your recruiter a fair idea of what you have envisioned for yourself in the future. It is your "Objective" in the resume that expresses your aspirations and the targets that you have set for yourself. The objective should be worded in such a manner that it also conveys how you would go about achieving your goals. This would give the recruiters the impression that the candidate is a capable individual who knows how to turn goals into reality.

The best way to get the maximum from your resume is to ensure that you keep updating it and modifying it to suit the job you have applied for. Refrain from including irrelevant details from the distant past. A dynamically worded objective and an impressive professional summary would provide the ideal start to the perfect resume.