By Rich Bond
The New York Times ran an article on Sunday, January 23, 2022, saying that even in today’s hot job market, you still need a resume, and that not much has changed when it comes to writing one (“The Pandemic Changed Everything About Work, Except the Humble Résumé”). However, the author did point out that one thing you do need to do is make your resume easy to read by a computer, as most resumes are scanned by algorithms. If you don’t have legible keywords that relate to the job description, you will be toast.
But I have a somewhat different view. While you’ll need to include the right keywords, that should not be your focus. Crafting your resume may actually be the most important part of your job search process.
My belief is that a resume is more important to the person who prepares it than to anyone else who gets the resume.
A resume is in essence a script for an interview. Putting time into a resume can pay huge dividends, if the resume tells a story about how you made a difference or added value.
My experience is that only about 10% of people interview the same as their resumes – 90% are better or worse. Having someone else prepare your resume or using someone else’s format largely dooms one to interview at a lesser level than indicated by the resume.
Going for an interview without spending quality time on your resume is like running in a marathon without any training; a few people can do it, but most can’t.
