Sidestepping the question of “are resumes relevant,” I want to talk about something else: what is the purpose of a resume?
In my job search I thought my resume was to help me get branded, and help me in my networking efforts.
It was also to impress people that I gave the resume to.
I think that those are secondary or tertiary purposes a resume, but the primary purpose of your resume is to GET A JOB INTERVIEW.
That’s it – that is the number one purpose of your resume.
It’s not a brag sheet that you should hang on your wall, nor is it an over-sized business card. It is a document that should get you closer to a job interview.
So here’s something I didn’t understand: If you are not getting interviews, you have to figure out if your resume is KEEPING YOU OUT of interviews!
My resume WAS keeping me out of interviews. I wrote it myself, thought it was awesome, and even got lots of positive feedback from hiring managers and HR and other professionals telling me how great it was.
But when the decision-makers of jobs I was applying to looked at my resume, they saw something completely different.
My friends-and-family feedback looked at the resume and saw ME, and my accomplishments, and they were proud.
The decision-makers saw a professional and wondered why in the world he had certain job titles on the resume but was applying to other types of jobs. There was a major disconnect, and I didn’t understand it until I had sent out well over 100 resumes.
Are you getting interviews? If not, check your resume first. Career Resumes does free resume evaluations.
