Do I Need a Resume?

In the Higher-Education environment where I currently work, I met a middle-aged man, who wanted assistance putting a resume together so he would be prepared for the likelihood of applying to another place of employment in the near future. He had never needed a resume before. He mentioned he was in the law-enforcement field before and he is now in a ministry role. Over the years, no one asked him for a resume. I find this interesting that a middle-aged man earning a graduate school degree and transitioning in a career change has yet to build his own personal resume. I also recently met a senior adult woman applying for a doctorate program who did not have a personal resume, well, not what I would call a resume. She did have a document that looked more like a timeline of paragraphs summarizing her life experiences. She called that her resume. For years, she was self-employed, a homemaker, and caregiver. Now, she needed a concise quality resume as part of the doctorate application process. I provide career counseling to college students and alumni and I am also surprises me when college seniors come to me for help beginning their resume because they have not put one together yet and they have noticed that job application processes commonly require a submitted resume. The truth is not everyone needs a resume, at least not for all seasons of life. Many people do need resumes and it is better to start on it now and be ready with a current resume.

A resume is a brief personal document that concisely highlights what you “bring to the table” (e.g. your skills, education, experience, and qualifications) as a candidate in an application process like for a work experience or graduate school degree program. The key purpose of a resume is to help you move forward in such a process (i.e. receive a job interview, acceptance to a graduate degree program).

Does everyone need a personal resume? No.

•      Young children and elderly people probably do not need a resume.

•          Some teenagers and adults work in fields that do not usually require a resume (e.g. entry-level restaurant service roles, construction workers, lawn-care jobs).

•         Some application processes use customized online or paper-based applications in lieu of a resume.

•         Some creative organizations require you to present your qualifications by way of a video instead of a resume.

•        The academic scholarly paths (i.e. professor) often require a CV (Curriculum Vitae) instead of a resume. The CV; however, is not entirely different than a resume. Think of the CV as a resume plus additional academic related information like your published writings, formal teaching and speaking experiences, and academic awards and recognitions.

•         Sometimes through a networking connection (who you know and who knows you), like the family business, you can bypass a resume requirement and be considered for a job.

There are many examples of application processes that do not require a resume, yet personal resumes are still commonly used in the professional world for quickly sizing up a person’s credentials. As an undergraduate at the University of South Florida, in the Business College (Management Information Systems major), I took a Business Communications course where I learned of the importance of the resume. This tool has certainly been a necessity in my professionally/ministry background the past three decades.

I recommend older adolescents and pre-retired adults have an up-to-date quality resume. They are necessary for many professional and academic application processes and also can help you with your self-worth, help toward career advancement, or promote your products and services (if you have these), and identify professional areas for improvement related to your career goals.

Also, with some of the resume alternatives mentioned above, you still need the resume content. The foundational sections to a resume are name/contact, skills profile/summary, experience, education, and other relevant credentials and accomplishments. Aside from direct relevance (like to a job position or in line with a degree program qualifications list) is the importance of transferrable/soft skills (e.g. interpersonal and communication skills, critical thinking, decision making, problem solving) that most employers desire from their job candidates even if not spelled out in detail in the job posting.

Be ready for opportunities by having a current, quality, relevant, and customized resume. Design it with a professional organized style that is easy to read quickly since most human resume readers considering applicants skim resumes in a matter of seconds for first impressions about design and key relevant words. If the resume is not organized well and concise with this in mind then it will likely be placed in the “not moving forward” pile. The resume reader for a job position is typically thinking immediately of the following unspoken questions, “Do I think this person can do the job?”, “Do I want to move forward with this candidate? Interview this candidate?” Because of this, much thought should go into the top-down, left-right, look and content of the resume. Customize your resume to a specific usage, a specific job you are applying for or a school degree program you are applying for. Some organizations use ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to initially scan your data copy of your resume which looks for key words and if your resume doesn’t include those key words then you are not likely to move forward in the process.

Here are some additional resume tips.

•            Start in a basic text window, like MS Word, and do not use the header/footer features or templates. 

•          Be consistent with your formatting throughout the resume. For example, don’t have “VA.” in one line and “VA” in another line; or your white space formatting is not proportional. 

•          Be brief; think “most bang for the buck” with your words and phrases.  

•          Use a conservative font that is easier to read quickly. 

•          Use a font point size around 11-12 except for your bolded name which should stand out bigger at the top (i.e. 16pt). 

•          Do not use too much bold, or all uppercase, or underline. 

•          Avoid italics and do not write paragraphs or complete sentences with periods at the end. 

•          For sub-entries, use indented bulleted symbols that line up vertically in the resume. 

•          Align your dates and date ranges to the far right so they pop out easily. 

•          Stick to one page per ten years of professional experience. 

•          Avoid personal pronouns like I, me, we. 

•          Create a Skills Profile at the top instead of an objective. 

•          In your education section, if you have a college degree completed or anticipated, lead your entry with the formal degree name followed by major/specialization, school, location, and date. Then include any relevant sub-entry information like minors, honors, clubs, and coursework/projects. 

•          For the experience entries, lead with your position/role, followed by organization, location, and date range and then create sub-entries describing your key actions, skills, and accomplishments. Use descriptive experience phrases that draw attention to key words that are especially relevant to what you are applying for. Experiences vary and can include self-taught, volunteer, shadowing, internship, part-time, and full-time work, paid/unpaid, and in different industries/sectors. 

•          Check your resume over and over again, and ask a knowledgeable resume person, looking for errors, misspellings, grammar issues, and other flaws.

•         Save your data file with your name and date and something like “resume.” Consider saving the file in PDF, a standard reader format most people have access to reading and it will look the same. Always look at your final version of the resume before forwarding it to anyone. 

When considering an application process, always learn and follow the exact instructions. If the instructions note to attach and submit a resume then do that. If resume is not mentioned at all, you may ask a contact person if it is okay to include your resume or submit it optionally regardless.

The cover letter and references page are usually separate documents that I would also have ready as much as possible (although the cover letter should be customized to a specific organization/position as well). Create these other files separately but at times you need to combine them because of the employer instructions (like only 1 file can be attached). The resume, cover letter, and references page usually serve three different purposes, although they do overlap, and are not always all required. I believe the resume is the most essential of the three. The Cover Letter is a brief formal letter with paragraphs and sentences of quality writing that introduces yourself, what you bring to the table as an applicant (with confidence and humility), how you are qualified for the job (or degree program), and your heart interest in that particular organization/role. The references page is a brief collection of people (3-5) and their contact information, people who you believe would give you a good reference check if/when the recruiter/manager contacts them about you. I believe the better references are those people who are familiar with you as a worker or teammate or student and can speak to your competence, chemistry, character, and communication skills. When considering a reference, share your resume with them, receive their permission first, and it would be good to note on your references page what your relational context is to your reference person (i.e. my supervisor, instructor, co-worker).

If you are a college student or alumnus, try checking with your school’s career center for resources, samples, tips, and assistance with these professional documents related to your career/ministry path. Otherwise, look for some career coaching, job seeking, types of web-sites online and/or check with other professionals in human resources and professional development fields.

What is your experience with needing or not needing a resume?

Mike Mullins