“For sale: 2008 Toyota RAV4, blue, excellent condition, no rust, 120,000 km.”
If you saw this advertisement online, would you call and make an offer to buy this vehicle?
If you’re like most people, you would need to see the car and ask some questions of the owner – you will likely also want to take it for a test drive.
The purpose of a car ad is to catch your attention so that you call the seller to book a time to meet. The purpose of a résumé is the same.
A résumé is your advertisement; the employer is the person looking to “buy”. Most employers won’t offer you a job after reading your résumé – however, if you’ve caught their attention, they will likely invite you in for an interview.
When you’re developing your résumé, think of it as your own personal advertisement or flyer, designed with the goal of getting an interview, not a job offer. With this as your goal, you can safely design a résumé that focuses on your skills for the position; you don’t need to try to capture your entire work history in a couple of pages.