The Function Of Resumes

By Author: Erika Carson
Total Articles: 31
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A resume is a document used by individuals to present their background and skill-sets. Resumes are most often used to secure new employment. A typical resume contains a summary of relevant job experience and education. The resume is usually one of the first items-along with a cover letter and sometimes a job application packet-that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants. In most contexts, a Professional Resume is short (usually one to three pages), and directs a reader's attention to the aspects of a person's background that are directly relevant to a particular position. Many resumes contain keywords that potential employers are looking for, make heavy use of active verbs, and display content in a clear manner and positive tone.

Most writers of Professional Resume believe that a resume should be long enough so that it provides a concise, adequate, and accurate description of an applicant's employment history and skills. The transmission of resumes directly to employers became increasingly popular as late as 2002. Jobseekers were able to circumvent the job application ...
... process and reach employers through direct email contact and resume blasting, a term meaning the mass distribution of resumes to increase personal visibility within the job market. However the mass distribution of resumes to employers can often have a negative effect on the applicant's chances of securing employment as the resumes tend not to be tailored for the specific positions the applicant is applying for. It is usually therefore more sensible to write a resume for each position applied for.

The complexity and simplicity of various resume formats tend to produce results varying from person to person, for the occupation, and to the industry. A simple resume is a summary typically limited to one or two pages of size A4 or Letter-size highlighting only those experiences and credentials that the author considers most relevant to the desired position. A reverse chronological resume enumerates a candidate's job experiences in reverse chronological order, generally covering the last 10 to 15 years. Positions are listed with start and end dates. Current active positions on a resume typically have the start date listed to present or the current year. Both are considered acceptable.

The functional resume is used to assert a focus to skills that are specific to the type of position being sought. This format directly emphasizes specific professional capabilities and utilizes experience summaries as its primary means of communicating professional competency. A functional resume is a good method for highlighting particular skills or experience, especially when those particular skills or experience may have derived from a role which was held some time ago. Rather than focus on the length of time that has passed, the functional resume allows the reader to identify those skills quickly. The hybrid resume balances the functional and chronological approaches. A resume organized this way typically leads with a functional list of job skills, followed by a chronological list of employers. The hybrid resume has a tendency to repeat itself and is therefore less widely used than the other two forms.

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