Why Do You Need a Resume? by Peter Newfield President of Career Resumes

You’ve been working your way up to positions of increased responsibility over the past 15 years, you are widely known within your industry, and you have even been quoted in trade and business publications on changes in the economic markets and consumer trends. So why do you need a resume?

When looking for a new position, whether it’s up from Fry Cook at McDonald’s or Executive Vice President at Prudential-Bache, the common denominator required for all prospective job applicants is a professional resume. When headhunters, small business owners, or corporate H.R. honchos look for new talent, they all require a resume. A strong resume can capture your career experience and highlight your accomplishments and achievements in one or two pages. Before you can be considered for almost any new position on this planet, you need to submit a resume -- whether electronically or by snail mail.

The resume itself is valuable in that the contents can be scanned, visually or electronically, to find matches that meet the company’s specific requirements and to weed out the applicants who are not qualified. Gone are the days when you could just pass the word around that you are looking for greener pastures and can finagle a meeting with the President of Any Corp USA. Your personality, good looks, and relationship to Uncle Al in Accounting just don’t cut it any more in the competitive employment world.

Before you can even get to the point of meeting in person with the screening committee, you are going to have to submit a strong, targeted resume and cover letter. A great resume can open doors to job applicants, no matter how much experience you may have in that industry. By presenting your responsibilities, accomplishments, achievements, and skills in a crisp, cohesive format, the document should speak volumes on your behalf.

A professional resume should contain a brief overview of your experience (Summary of Qualifications), a key word section (Areas of Strength), job responsibilities and accomplishments (Professional Experience), and professional degrees and industry training (Education).

The resume itself won’t get you a job. The point of creating and submitting a resume is to get called in for an interview. A strong resume will allow you to remain at the top of the consideration pile while the unqualified sludge sinks to the bottom. Once you are called in for a personal interview, you can sell yourself, add colorful anecdotes, and complete the package.