The purpose of a résumé is to gain a meeting or an interview with a decision maker. Your résumé must demonstrate that you have the relevant skills and experiences for the position desired. It must also demonstrate how the hiring party will benefit from hiring you. Your résumé is a marketing document, not a historical document.
Creating your résumé starts with understanding the market and positions that you are pursuing. The best résumés reflect market research. Look for job postings on the best job boards or company's website in order to see what skills and experiences are in demand. Ask friends to send you job descriptions that match your goals. Use these to identify the skills and experiences that companies are seeking, paying special attention to the "buzz" words used within that company, industry and/or position. Next, match your own skills and experiences with those that companies are seeking. This becomes the basis for a résumé that markets you to your chosen audience.
Résumé readers rarely spend more than 35-40 seconds skimming your résumé, so it must be very easy to read and provide the needed information. They are looking for three things:
- Do you have the skills and experiences to do the job?
- Where have you worked previously?
- What have you accomplished?
Use the following resources to develop a résumé that will get results for you:
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