Resume
A document summarizing background, skills, and accomplishments for job applications.
A résumé (or resume, resumé) is a document created and used by an individual to present their background, skills, and accomplishments. It is most often used to apply for a job, whether in the same organization or another, and is typically one of the first items a potential employer sees before choosing to interview the job seeker.
- field
- Employment and career documentation
- known_for
- Standard job application document summarizing education and experience
- origin
- French word résumer meaning 'to summarize'
Lore & Background
The word 'résumé' comes from the French word résumer meaning 'to summarize'. For the next 450 years, the résumé continued to be simply a description of a person, including abilities and past employment. In the early 1900s, résumés included information like weight, height, marital status, and religion. It was not until the late 20th century, with the rise of the Digital Age, that résumés took on a more professional look in terms of presentation and content.
Reader's Guide
The résumé has evolved significantly over time, from a simple description of a person to a targeted marketing tool. In the early 1900s, résumés included personal details such as weight, height, marital status, and religion. The 1970s, the beginning of the Digital Age, brought a more professional look. The start of the 21st century saw further evolution as the internet and social media helped people spread résumés much faster. Since then, many SaaS companies have begun providing job seekers with free online résumé builders. With the launch of YouTube in 2005, video résumés became more common. A résumé is now seen as a marketing tool in which the content should be adapted to suit each individual job posting or aimed at a particular industry. Common formats include reverse chronological, functional, hybrid or combination, and blind résumés. The blind résumé is a modern style used by some employers in the United States to focus on an applicant's qualifications by removing personal identifying information that could potentially result in bias.
Did You Know?
- In the early 1900s, résumés included information like weight, height, marital status, and religion.
- A blind résumé removes personal identifying information such as name, age, gender, and address to reduce bias.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Resume?
Resume is the standard document a job seeker prepares to outline their education, work history, and key skills for a specific position. It functions as the candidate's self-introduction and is typically the very first thing a hiring manager reads when screening applicants.
What are Resume's powers/role?
Its core ability is condensing a person's professional background into a scannable summary that demonstrates fit for a given role. In most hiring pipelines it acts as the gatekeeper document, determining whether a candidate advances to an interview or is filtered out.
How does Resume's story end?
In the best-case arc it earns the candidate an interview; in the more common outcome it is passed over during initial screening. Either way, its narrative concludes once the employer makes a go-or-no-go decision.
Why is Resume important to the canon?
It serves as the entry point in virtually every modern hiring process, shaping the employer's first impression before any face-to-face interaction takes place. Without it, most applicants never reach the interview stage.
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