Whether you are a new entrant in the workforce, switching careers or trying to get reemployed, a résumé is your calling card and a chance to get hired. It is the initial connecting link between employers and potential employees. However, not everyone can craft professional résumés that are relevant and functional.
No wonder, job seekers are besieged with dread and fears when they are to apply for a job and have to create new résumés or have to update the existing ones. They wonder what they should include and what they should omit. They fear that they would get rejected yet again. All in all, the doubts are endless. To add to the woes, some of the resume writing advice out there is contradictory in nature. The purpose of this article is to help you understand what résumés are, how they are different from CVs, and what elements go into crafting a reasonably good professional profile:
It is Not a Formality!
When employers have a job opening, they have particular requirements and expectations associated with that position. They create a job ad accordingly and look for relevant and qualified people to fill that position. The ad invites the relevant candidates and asks them to submit their professional details. After the shortlisting process, recruiters can then invite the most suitable candidates for an interview and eventually find the most competent employee for the said position.
Why Is It Important for Your Résumé to be Customized for the Job in Question?
Not everyone who submits a résumé gets shortlisted for an interview. Not many understand the importance of your portfolio’s quality and relevance to the job in question. A professional summary is a tool that helps recruiters select suitable candidates from a vast pool, in the shortest amount of time. But if you have prepared a generic one-size-fits profile that you push everywhere, then you are setting yourself for getting rejected. What should do instead is to take the time out, get hold of help writing professional resume online, make different copies of your biodata and customize it according to each job that you are going to apply. The most relevant CVs catch the attention of the hirers right away and get shortlisted. The not so relevant ones are tossed aside without a second thought.
Resume or CV: Why the Difference Matters!
Some candidates don’t have a clear idea about the difference between a CV and a resume. They think them to be the same, which may be the case, but in some instances, mixing up the two may lead to a costly mistake.
A curriculum vitae is more detailed and extended version of your resume which elaborates the details of educational background, grades or GPA, professional experience and its breadth, professional certifications, diplomas, personal interests, personal references, even research, awards, grants, projects, publications, presentations, participation in conferences and other achievements, etc.
On the other hand, a résumé is a synopsis of your educational qualification and professional life. It lists your experiences and skills in relation to the particular career or position that you are applying for. So it is customizable with reference to that particular position. It is concise and comprises a page or utmost two and is accompanied with a cover letter. Learn more about the differences here.
Why Do Certain Employers Ask For a Resume and not a CV?
Sometimes, the employers need a broader picture of whom they want on board and ask for a CV to fill in those gaps in the picture. So, sending a brief bio is unlikely to help. At other times, they know what they are looking for and need a synopsis of what the candidate can do. They are usually short on time and want to fill the position immediately with a suitable candidate right away. So pages of personal details in the form of a curriculum vitae are more likely to put them off.
How to Decide Which One to Submit When?
Here are a few tips to determine whether it is more favorable to send in a resume or a CV in response to a job ad:
- If there is little or no emphasis on the job experience in the ad, you can send in a resume.
- If the recruiter is looking for a particular skillset or qualification in the ad, you should send a brief biodata.
- If you are applying for a job where you are overqualified, then it would be more practical to pare or tone down your CV and submit a resume instead.
- When you are applying for a short term, quick gigs, go for resumes.
- If you have an illustrious academic background and considerable work experience and the ad gives you the feeling that the said employer wants to be impressed then send forth your detailed CV. Action-oriented words and statements in your vitae have a positive impact on a recruiter. Find the right words here.
Craft your Resume Carefully
In a highly competitive job market, it is hard to catch the attention of a strong employer from the crowd. A brief, well-crafted and professionally written portfolio will increase your employability and chances of professional success many folds. A strong profile allows you, as a candidate, to get your foot in the door and land an interview. It allows you to create a favorable first impression and win an opportunity to further prove your worth for the employer during the interview. Thus, much deliberation and consideration need to go into crafting résumés that do justice to your strengths and talent. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating your bio or profile for jobs:
- It should be brief and to the point and yet should capture the essence of your qualification and skills in a convincing way.
- Do spend time on proofing, editing and formatting of your bio. Poorly crafted, formatted and shoddily written drafts just show that you lack skills, attention to details and are likely to carry over the same complacent attitude to your job.
A resume is your calling card, but even the best one is not an absolute guarantee that you will get the desired job. Still, you have to give the writing of your profile your best shot. Even if recruiters are unable to hire you right away, they might like to add your vitae in their records for future reference.
