Your resume is your profile

A Résumé or resume shows a persons' educational background, experiences and skills. The word résumé is a French word which means a summary. The main purpose of a resume is to get new job opportunities. The resume shows a summary of work experience and qualification of the applicant. A resume is the first document that is viewed by an employer against a vacant job. The resume is most of the time accompanied by a cover letter and an application for an employment. The employer reviews these documents and shortlists a number of qualified resumes and call the job applicant for an interview. In some regions a CV (curriculum vitae) is used rather than a resume. A resume is often a shorter document as compared to a CV.

Description

Most of the times a résumé consists of one or two pages of A-4 or letter-sized paper. It shows the most relevant work experience, qualifications and skills for the desired job. A resume is usually composed of keywords and short sentences in a flattering manner. The resume is like a marketing tool for a job applicant against a desired job. It's usually formed for a specific job or industry. Job seekers are now in a position to deliver their résumé directly to the employers through emails and online job portals.

The résumé or CV can be as simple as possible and as complex and as lengthy as required, all it depends on the profession and work experience of the job applicant. The medical professionals, artists, professors and people from other specialized fields may form an extensive résumé. But as the employer don't a have a time to review every section of a résumé or don't find it attractive to review lengthy CVs, the job applicant should try to make their CVs in a brief form.

Styles and formats

As there is no set format for a résumé, the job applicant may follow any format that is circulating in the market.

Reverse chorological

The author of the résumé use their work experience in a reverse manner i.e. start with the most recent or current job and end with the first job experience. Job positions are accompanied with starting and ending job dates.

The qualification section also follow the same pattern with the most recent qualification at the beginning and the initial degree or certification in the last section of qualifications.

This pattern is however not for professional résumé writer.

Functional résumé writer

The résumé shows specific skills and work experience for a specific job position. This format of resume shows the employer what job specific professional skills and capabilities the job applicant possess. This format of resume is good for those planning to switch the career field. This format is easy to review and helps the employer to know which job applicant is most suitable for the required job position.

Online résumé

Internet has brought a new change for job seekers and job recruiters. Job seekers search for new jobs and apply against them and the employers choose the job applications of only those, which they find attractive. Paper form of the résumé or CV is not required when the job applicant has sent an online résumé.

Some job recruiters accepts résumé of specific format like MS Word while some may accept résumé in pdf, html or other formats.

There are many online job portals that offers job applicants to choose a format for résumé and then build their resume using online résumé builder. This service of online résumé builder has provided convenience for job seekers. There are different styles and formats of résumés available for job seekers from different career fields.

There are also others styles and formats of résumés available for online job seekers like video, infographic and vine resumes.

Résumé evaluation

There are agencies that offer job applicants to build a CV in an attractive manner. They also suggest changes necessary to build a résumé on employers' requirements. These agencies may charge a small amount of fees.