One of the greater purposes of a well-crafted resume is more for the benefit of the candidate, rather than the employer, writes Sherri Edwards in her article for Quint Careers, Dispelling the Myth About Resumes.
A candidate who has selected language that is used by the employer, and included specific examples of accomplishments that are relevant to the employer’s needs has a far greater chance of using this information to his or her advantage during an interview. The candidate who has thoughtfully considered each piece of information included in the resume, and qualified and quantified his or her examples has most certainly done the hardest part of the preparation required to succeed in the interview. Without completing the connections between experiences and the employer’s needs long in advance of the interview, a job-seeker’s ability to present that information in a meaningful way and effectively lead the employer directly to those same conclusions during an interview is vastly limited. By using only relevant examples of experience, being very clear about why these examples have been selected for inclusion in the resume, a candidate has built the framework for the impending conversation. The candidate, not the employer, in essence, can control the conversation. The resume is used as the “agenda” or a “cheat sheet’ for the candidate.
