Is a Great Resume Still Necessary?

Are Resumes Alive or Dead?

As more and more companies are using the internet to advertise their open job positions, prospective job hunters might begin to wonder whether a resume is still necessary. While it can be argued that certain aspects of job hunting have indeed changed, for example, using social media to help with the hunt, other processes have not.

A resume is very much still a vital part of being hired for a position. This is because a resume will showcase the amount of your knowledge, your achievements, and of course, your skills. It’s your opportunity to give a potential employer that great first impression, as your resume is going to be the first thing that they see.

Perhaps a better question might be, should I send a hard copy of my resume or am I better to send an electronic resume? Electronic resumes, (often referred to as e-resumes), are sent via electronic means, usually this would be through email, and are not delivered via snail mail or fax.

The answer to this would really depend on what the company has requested. Many companies are putting their job offers online, and they want the resumes and applications to come to them electronically as well. Each company should have its preferred method of receiving resumes listed and you should follow this to the letter. Make sure you are prepared for either option, and have a hard copy ready to mail and an e-resume, you can then send out the correct type of resume to any company you are applying to.

If sending your resume electronically is what you are doing, bear in mind there are several ways to do this, so read their instructions and send as they have requested, it could be:

Word document email attachment,
Text document typed right in the body of an email,
PDF attachment,
Cut and pasted onto the company’s resume page of their website.

Another great benefit to having an e-resume is that you can post it onto virtual job boards and job-related websites that accept them.

The older style paper resumes are still important as not every company has gone down the digital information path, and would be happy to receive an e-resume. Often it can be a good idea to follow up your e-resume with a paper copy sent via regular mail. You might also want a paper copy to bring along to interviews so you can refer to it if necessary.

Whichever way you are sending your resume, it needs to be the best it can be. It can often pay to use the services of a professional resume writing firm like , this one to make sure you have the best chance of success.

So to conclude, while some aspects of job hunting have changed, sending resumes continues to be an important part of the process. Make sure your resume is top class, and have both paper and electronic resumes at the ready and send either through the proper channels as requested. This way you are giving yourself the best opportunity you can, to obtain an interview