What is a Resume? Definition, Types, and Examples

Did you know that employers and recruiters only spend an average of 6 to 7 seconds looking at a resume and initially scanning it?

That's right. As an aspiring employee or professional talent, that's precisely how short your golden window of opportunity truly is. It's a clear sign of how critical it is to present key information clearly and strategically to capture their attention through your resume.

What is a resume?

So, what is a resume, exactly? By definition, it's a formal, one- or two-page marketing document designed to showcase your relevant education, work experience, skills, and qualifications.

Its core purpose is to convince potential employers that you are the right candidate for a specific position by highlighting everything that you can offer. Now, you might be wondering, "Is a resume different from a CV?"

Unlike a CV or Curriculum Vitae, which is often longer and more detailed, especially in academic or European contexts, a resume is typically shorter and tailored for most job applications in the U.S. and many other countries.

Why is a resume important?

We all probably understand that a resume is indeed important. But why exactly? Here are the reasons:

• It acts as your first impression of potential employers, making the case why you should be invited for an interview.
• It outlines your relevant skills and experience, allowing recruiters to quickly evaluate your fit.
• It helps you stand out in a competitive job market where many candidates apply for the same position. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) scan resumes for keywords related to the job title and job description, so tailoring your resume to include these increases the chances of being seen by a human recruiter.
• It's legal proof of your qualifications, with sections on certificates, licenses, and education showing you meet the necessary requirements for certain roles.

Pro tip: A well-crafted resume typically uses metrics and achievements to demonstrate value such as:

1. Increased sales by 15%
2. Managed a team of 15

What are the types of resumes?

You shouldn't just casually create a resume without understanding what the right type is to use. Remember that you have to be careful since you have to immediately capture the attention of your recruiter as much as possible.

There are primarily three types of resume formats used by candidates, depending on their background and job goals:

1. Reverse chronological resume

This is the classic format most familiar to recruiters. It lists your work history in reverse chronological order, from the most recent to older jobs. This format highlights a steady employment history and upward career progression, ideal for candidates with clear, relevant, and strong experience.

2. Functional resume

This format focuses more on skills and qualifications rather than a detailed work history. It groups related skills and accomplishments by category, ideal for those with gaps in employment, career changers, or those with less traditional backgrounds. It's sometimes called a skills-based resume or functional resume format which is suitable for skills-based hiring.

3. Combination resume

This merges the best parts of both the reverse chronological and functional resumes. It leads with a strong professional summary emphasizing relevant skills followed by a detailed chronological employment section. This format is effective for candidates with diverse experiences and strong qualifications seeking to highlight both.

What to include in a resume?

Now that we already know the different types of resumes, you should also know and understand by now which format suits you best. So, the next question would be "What should I include in my resume?"

To create an effective resume that recruiters can easily locate relevant information on, make sure to include these key sections:

1. Contact information: This includes your basic contact details, such as your full name, phone number, address, age, professional email, and your LinkedIn profile (optional).
2. Professional summary: This is a brief description of typically 1 to 4 sentences summarizing your career achievements, skills, and goals. Tailor this to align with the specific position and highlight your relevant experience.
3. Relevant work experience: List your previous roles in reverse chronological order, emphasizing responsibilities, accomplishments, and metrics that relate directly to the job applied for. Pro tip: Use bullet points and action verbs to clearly define your responsibilities and success.
4. Education section: Include your highest degree earned, school attended, and graduation year. Mention any relevant coursework, certifications, awards, or honors you received if applicable.
5. Skills: This is a focused section that highlights key competencies, including any technical proficiencies or more than one language if relevant to the role. Be honest about your proficiency level.

It's important that you maintain an accurate and on-point presentation of all the relevant skills you have. Overdoing it by including fluff and unnecessary details may ruin your chances.

Additional resources to consider

The details that we've discussed above were just the basic and typical sections every resume must have. But adding more optional sections can strengthen your application by showing more facets of your professional profile:

1. Certificates and licenses: These are essential for legally proving you can perform certain roles and responsibilities.
2. Awards and recognitions: These showcase all of your achievements and dedication to your craft or profession.
3. Volunteer work and volunteer activities: Demonstrates commitment, skills, and community involvement that many employers value.
4. Freelance experience: Highlights additional relevant roles and skills gained outside formal employment.
5. Personal projects or hobbies: When relevant, these can provide insight into your creativity, discipline, or industry passion.

Resume examples and templates

Use tools like resume builders or templates that follow applicant tracking systems in optimized formats to ensure your resume is both attractive to recruiters and ATS-friendly. Templates with clean designs in reverse chronological order are often preferred, but you can choose a combination resume layout if you want to emphasize skills.

Keep your resume concise, ideally one page for most candidates, but two pages if you have extensive experience. Avoid grammatical errors and ensure the document is easy to read to increase your chances in the application process.

Resume example for an IT Manager

Contact Information
Name: John Doe
Location: San Francisco, CA
Mobile number: (555) 123-4567
Email: john.doe@email.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/johndoe

Professional Summary
Results-driven IT Manager with 8+ years of experience overseeing IT operations in fast-paced environments. Skilled in team leadership, infrastructure management, and strategic planning to align technology with business objectives. Adept at deploying innovative solutions and leading cross-functional teams to successful project delivery.

Key Skills

• IT infrastructure
• Network management
• Cybersecurity & risk assessment
• Cloud Computing (AWS, Azure)
• Budget & vendor management

Professional Experience

1. IT Manager - Tech Solutions Inc. | San Francisco, CA | May 2020-Present
   • Led a team of 12 IT professionals supporting a 300-employee operation, managing all aspects of network, hardware, and software administration.
   • Implemented a company-wide migration to cloud services, reducing costs by 25% while improving data security.
   • Collaborated with executive leadership to align IT strategy with business growth, resulting in increased operational efficiency.
2. Senior Systems Analyst - Innovatech LLC | San Francisco, CA | Jan 2016-Apr 2020
   • Oversaw major upgrade of network infrastructure, reducing downtime by 30% and enhancing system reliability.
   • Developed comprehensive IT security protocols, achieving full compliance with industry data protection regulations.
   • Provided hands-on technical support and coaching to junior staff.

Education
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology - University of California, Berkeley | Aug 2011-May 2015

Certifications

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) | (ISC)² | 2022
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect | Amazon Web Services | 2021
• ITIL Foundation Certification | AXELOS | 2020

Additional Sections (Optional)
Languages: English (fluent), Mandarin (conversational)
Professional Memberships: Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

This article has covered what a resume is, why it's crucial, the main types, key content to include, and additional optional sections that can enhance your candidacy. After mastering the creation of your resume, it's also a good opportunity to level up your preparations and discover your expected salary based on your job title and location using the Personal Salary Report.

Remember that your resume is a strategic, formal document that markets your strengths and professionalism, vital in today's competitive job market. Tailoring your resume to each job application with relevant skills and keywords dramatically improves your chances of landing that important job opportunity.