{"id":356,"date":"2022-04-04T16:00:08","date_gmt":"2022-04-04T16:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/esc-businesscomskills\/chapter\/the-purpose-of-resumes\/"},"modified":"2022-04-04T16:00:08","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T16:00:08","slug":"the-purpose-of-resumes","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/esc-businesscomskills\/chapter\/the-purpose-of-resumes\/","title":{"raw":"The Purpose of R\u00e9sum\u00e9s","rendered":"The Purpose of R\u00e9sum\u00e9s"},"content":{"raw":"\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcome<\/h3>\n<ul>\n \t<li>Discuss the purpose and contents of a r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nA r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is your first introduction to a potential employer. It is a written picture of who you are\u2014it's a marketing tool, a selling tool, and a promotion of you as an ideal candidate for any job you may be interested in.\n\nThe word r\u00e9sum\u00e9 comes from the French word <em>r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/em>, which means \"a summary.\" Leonardo da Vinci is credited with writing one of the first known r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, although it was more of a letter that outlined&nbsp;his credentials for a potential employer, Ludovico Sforza. The r\u00e9sum\u00e9 got da Vinci the job, though, and Sforza became a longtime patron of da Vinci and later commissioned him to paint <em>The Last Supper<\/em>. You can see the letter and read the translation at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.openculture.com\/2014\/01\/leonardo-da-vincis-handwritten-resume-1482.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s Handwritten Resume (1482)<\/a>\n\nR\u00e9sum\u00e9s and cover letters work together to represent you in the brightest light to prospective employers. With a well-composed r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and cover letter, you stand out\u2014which may get you an interview and then a good shot at landing&nbsp;a job.\n\nIn this section, we discuss&nbsp;r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and cover letters as key components of your career development tool kit. We explore some of the many ways you can design and develop them for the greatest impact in your job search.\n<h2>Your R\u00e9sum\u00e9: Purpose and Contents<\/h2>\nYour r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is an inventory of your education, work experience, job-related skills, accomplishments, volunteer history, internships, residencies, and more. It's a professional autobiography in outline form to give the person who reads it a quick, general idea of who you are. With a better idea of who your are, prospective employers can see how well you might contribute to their workplace.\n\nAs a college student or recent graduate, you may be unsure about what to put in your r\u00e9sum\u00e9, especially if you don\u2019t have much employment history. Still, employers don't expect recent grads to have significant work experience. And even with little work experience, you may still have a host of worthy accomplishments to include. It\u2019s all in how you present yourself.\n\nYou don't need to be new to the employment world to struggle with what to put in a r\u00e9sum\u00e9. This is an important advertising tool that takes time and skill to demonstrate how your past experiences and education fit a new position. Remember the soft skills discussed earlier. They work in any r\u00e9sum\u00e9. From there, you demonstrate your successes.\n\nThe following video is an animated look at why r\u00e9sum\u00e9s are<span style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\"> so important. You can read a <a style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/oerfiles\/College+Success+Lumen+Build\/Transcript+for+Why+Do+I+Need+a+Resume.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript of the video \"Why Do I Need a Resume?\" here<\/a>.<\/span>\n\n<iframe src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=1291152&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=Yc4pgOsUJfA&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-dgkpofg2-Yc4pgOsUJfA\" width=\"800px\" height=\"450px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe>\n<h2>Elements of Your Successful&nbsp;R<strong>\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong><\/h2>\nPerhaps the hardest part of writing a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is figuring out what format to use to organize and present your information in the most effective way. There is no correct format, per se, but most r\u00e9sum\u00e9s follow&nbsp;one of the four formats below. Which format appeals to you the most?\n<ol>\n \t<li><strong>Reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;A reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9 (sometimes also simply called a chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9) lists your job experiences in reverse chronological order\u2014that is,&nbsp;starting with the most recent job and working backward toward your first job. It includes starting and ending dates. Also included is a brief description of the work duties you performed for each job, and highlights of your formal education. The reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may be the most common and perhaps the most conservative r\u00e9sum\u00e9 format. It is most suitable for demonstrating a solid work history, and growth and development in your skills. It may not suit you if you are light on skills in the area you are applying to, or if you\u2019ve changed employers frequently, or if you are looking for your first job.<\/li>\n \t<li><strong>Functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;A functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is organized around your talents, skills, and abilities (more so than work duties and job titles, as with the reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9). It emphasizes specific professional capabilities, like what you have done or what you can do. Specific dates may be included but are not as important. So if you are a new graduate entering your field with little or no actual work experience, the functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may be a good format for you. It can also be useful when you are seeking work in a field that differs from what you have done in the past. It's also well suited for people in unconventional careers.<\/li>\n \t<li><strong>Hybrid r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;The hybrid r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is a format reflecting both the functional and chronological approaches. It's also called a combination r\u00e9sum\u00e9. It highlights relevant skills, but it still provides information about your work experience. With a hybrid r\u00e9sum\u00e9, you may list your job skills as most prominent and then follow with a chronological (or reverse chronological) list of employers. This r\u00e9sum\u00e9 format is most effective when your specific&nbsp;skills and job experience need to be emphasized.<\/li>\n \t<li><strong>Video, infographic, and website r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;Other formats you may wish to consider are the video r\u00e9sum\u00e9, the infographic r\u00e9sum\u00e9, or even a website r\u00e9sum\u00e9. These formats may be most suitable for people in multimedia and creative careers. Certainly with the expansive use of technology today, a job seeker might at least try to create a media-enhanced r\u00e9sum\u00e9. But the plain-text, traditional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is by far the most commonly used\u2014in fact, some human resource departments may not permit submission of any format other than a document-based, plain-text r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nAn important note about formatting is that initially, employers may spend only a few seconds reviewing each r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2014especially if there are a lot of them or they seem tedious to read. That's why it's important to choose your format carefully so it will stand out and make the first cut.\n\nAs potential employers do that first review, they are looking to see the evidence that you match, at least, all the minimum specifications in their ad or job listing. (If you do not match 100% of the minimums, and list it in the resume, then do not apply.)\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/8711\n\n<\/div>\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\n<a style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1sO4hzZsm_uZmdXo-yM-oRklShCHgsDlaga3eOJCyw7E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn More<\/a>\n","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcome<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Discuss the purpose and contents of a r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>A r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is your first introduction to a potential employer. It is a written picture of who you are\u2014it&#8217;s a marketing tool, a selling tool, and a promotion of you as an ideal candidate for any job you may be interested in.<\/p>\n<p>The word r\u00e9sum\u00e9 comes from the French word <em>r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/em>, which means &#8220;a summary.&#8221; Leonardo da Vinci is credited with writing one of the first known r\u00e9sum\u00e9s, although it was more of a letter that outlined&nbsp;his credentials for a potential employer, Ludovico Sforza. The r\u00e9sum\u00e9 got da Vinci the job, though, and Sforza became a longtime patron of da Vinci and later commissioned him to paint <em>The Last Supper<\/em>. You can see the letter and read the translation at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.openculture.com\/2014\/01\/leonardo-da-vincis-handwritten-resume-1482.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s Handwritten Resume (1482)<\/a><\/p>\n<p>R\u00e9sum\u00e9s and cover letters work together to represent you in the brightest light to prospective employers. With a well-composed r\u00e9sum\u00e9 and cover letter, you stand out\u2014which may get you an interview and then a good shot at landing&nbsp;a job.<\/p>\n<p>In this section, we discuss&nbsp;r\u00e9sum\u00e9s and cover letters as key components of your career development tool kit. We explore some of the many ways you can design and develop them for the greatest impact in your job search.<\/p>\n<h2>Your R\u00e9sum\u00e9: Purpose and Contents<\/h2>\n<p>Your r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is an inventory of your education, work experience, job-related skills, accomplishments, volunteer history, internships, residencies, and more. It&#8217;s a professional autobiography in outline form to give the person who reads it a quick, general idea of who you are. With a better idea of who your are, prospective employers can see how well you might contribute to their workplace.<\/p>\n<p>As a college student or recent graduate, you may be unsure about what to put in your r\u00e9sum\u00e9, especially if you don\u2019t have much employment history. Still, employers don&#8217;t expect recent grads to have significant work experience. And even with little work experience, you may still have a host of worthy accomplishments to include. It\u2019s all in how you present yourself.<\/p>\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to be new to the employment world to struggle with what to put in a r\u00e9sum\u00e9. This is an important advertising tool that takes time and skill to demonstrate how your past experiences and education fit a new position. Remember the soft skills discussed earlier. They work in any r\u00e9sum\u00e9. From there, you demonstrate your successes.<\/p>\n<p>The following video is an animated look at why r\u00e9sum\u00e9s are<span style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\"> so important. You can read a <a style=\"background-color: #ffffff;\" href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/oerfiles\/College+Success+Lumen+Build\/Transcript+for+Why+Do+I+Need+a+Resume.docx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transcript of the video &#8220;Why Do I Need a Resume?&#8221; here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=1291152&amp;p3sdk_version=1.10.1&amp;p=20361&amp;pt=375&amp;video_id=Yc4pgOsUJfA&amp;video_target=tpm-plugin-dgkpofg2-Yc4pgOsUJfA\" width=\"800px\" height=\"450px\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Elements of Your Successful&nbsp;R<strong>\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Perhaps the hardest part of writing a r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is figuring out what format to use to organize and present your information in the most effective way. There is no correct format, per se, but most r\u00e9sum\u00e9s follow&nbsp;one of the four formats below. Which format appeals to you the most?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;A reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9 (sometimes also simply called a chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9) lists your job experiences in reverse chronological order\u2014that is,&nbsp;starting with the most recent job and working backward toward your first job. It includes starting and ending dates. Also included is a brief description of the work duties you performed for each job, and highlights of your formal education. The reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may be the most common and perhaps the most conservative r\u00e9sum\u00e9 format. It is most suitable for demonstrating a solid work history, and growth and development in your skills. It may not suit you if you are light on skills in the area you are applying to, or if you\u2019ve changed employers frequently, or if you are looking for your first job.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;A functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is organized around your talents, skills, and abilities (more so than work duties and job titles, as with the reverse chronological r\u00e9sum\u00e9). It emphasizes specific professional capabilities, like what you have done or what you can do. Specific dates may be included but are not as important. So if you are a new graduate entering your field with little or no actual work experience, the functional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 may be a good format for you. It can also be useful when you are seeking work in a field that differs from what you have done in the past. It&#8217;s also well suited for people in unconventional careers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hybrid r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;The hybrid r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is a format reflecting both the functional and chronological approaches. It&#8217;s also called a combination r\u00e9sum\u00e9. It highlights relevant skills, but it still provides information about your work experience. With a hybrid r\u00e9sum\u00e9, you may list your job skills as most prominent and then follow with a chronological (or reverse chronological) list of employers. This r\u00e9sum\u00e9 format is most effective when your specific&nbsp;skills and job experience need to be emphasized.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Video, infographic, and website r\u00e9sum\u00e9<\/strong>:&nbsp;Other formats you may wish to consider are the video r\u00e9sum\u00e9, the infographic r\u00e9sum\u00e9, or even a website r\u00e9sum\u00e9. These formats may be most suitable for people in multimedia and creative careers. Certainly with the expansive use of technology today, a job seeker might at least try to create a media-enhanced r\u00e9sum\u00e9. But the plain-text, traditional r\u00e9sum\u00e9 is by far the most commonly used\u2014in fact, some human resource departments may not permit submission of any format other than a document-based, plain-text r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>An important note about formatting is that initially, employers may spend only a few seconds reviewing each r\u00e9sum\u00e9\u2014especially if there are a lot of them or they seem tedious to read. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s important to choose your format carefully so it will stand out and make the first cut.<\/p>\n<p>As potential employers do that first review, they are looking to see the evidence that you match, at least, all the minimum specifications in their ad or job listing. (If you do not match 100% of the minimums, and list it in the resume, then do not apply.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"lumen_assessment_8711\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/load?assessment_id=8711&#38;embed=1&#38;external_user_id=&#38;external_context_id=&#38;iframe_resize_id=lumen_assessment_8711\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:400px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\n<p><a style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1sO4hzZsm_uZmdXo-yM-oRklShCHgsDlaga3eOJCyw7E\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-356\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Practice question. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Susan Kendall. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>College Success. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Linda Bruce. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/\">https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">All rights reserved content<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>WHY DO I NEED A RESUME?. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Leinard Tapat. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Yc4pgOsUJfA\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/Yc4pgOsUJfA<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em>All Rights Reserved<\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Standard YouTube License<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":395986,"menu_order":10,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"College Success\",\"author\":\"Linda Bruce\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-collegesuccess\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"copyrighted_video\",\"description\":\"WHY DO I NEED A RESUME?\",\"author\":\"Leinard Tapat\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Yc4pgOsUJfA\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"arr\",\"license_terms\":\"Standard YouTube License\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Practice 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