Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter, Master Resume Writer, wrote a great post titled I disagree with career experts who claim the resume has just one purpose.
I have heard, and have probably written about, the one purpose for a resume: to get you into an interview. But Jacqui’s post brings up some great points. She says the five functions of a resume, in addition to getting interviews, are:
- Equips interview conversations.
- Focuses your career message and saves you time.
- Conveys your value to interview committee members.
- Supports professional reputation.
- Spurs deeper interview conversations.
Check out her post for deeper thoughts on each of those.
One of the most important things to understand about a resume is that the resume writing process is a process of self-discovery, understanding what value you bring to potential companies, framing your value proposition(s) in appropriate and compelling ways, and even gaining self-confidence that is grounded in fact.
If you didn’t get any of that from your resume writing experience, you might want to call a resume professional.