Think the only purpose of your resume is to get you a first interview? Think again. While landing that initial interview is crucial, it’s far from the only role your resume plays in the hiring process. A resume serves multiple purposes, each of which can make or break your chances of landing your dream job. It’s your silent sales pitch, a strategic sales document that influences every stage of the hiring journey.

Below, we break down the eight key purposes of a resume and show you how to maximize each one to drive results, including getting through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), influencing the hiring team’s perception of your worth, and even impacting your salary offer.

1. The Resume - Getting Through the ATS

One of the primary hurdles your resume faces is the Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This software scans, sorts, and ranks resumes, identifying the ones that best match the job description. Recruiters don’t find the best 10 candidates, they find the first 10 candidates. If your resume doesn’t align closely with the job posting, it may never even reach human eyes.

How to Succeed with the ATS:

- Use Keywords: Carefully review the job description and include relevant keywords in your resume. If the position calls for specific skills or technologies, make sure these terms are present in your resume.

- Include Relevant Job Titles and Responsibilities: Even if your experience isn’t a perfect match, try to incorporate language that mirrors the job description, as long as it accurately reflects your skills and background.

-Use a Forward-Looking Resume^TM like we create at careeroystercoach.com.  A backward-facing resume just shows what you’ve done in the past. It doesn’t show what your aspirations, capabilities, and expertises are. 

If your resume successfully navigates the ATS, it will move to the next stage, where recruiters decide if you’re worth bringing in for an interview. But don’t stop here—your resume has more work to do

2. The Resume - Getting through the 20-second recruiter screen to the A pile 

Recruiters spend only 10-20 seconds in their initial review of each resume.  The fact is that recruiters are getting 200+ applications per job listing. So there is no way they have time to review every resume. Recruiters will take the top 10-20 resumes from the ATS, and then spend only a few seconds scanning each one. If they aren’t hooked to read more after the first 10-20 seconds, your resume will go into the B pile, never to be seen again.  

How to succeed with the 20-second screen: 

-Create a scannable resume. Recruiters don’t have time to actually read the resume, they are only going to scan it. So make sure that the keywords and most important elements in your resume are bold, or stand out in some way. Otherwise, they will never be seen.

-Present a resume that aligns with the job responsibilities. Be sure that your resume aligns with the job responsibilities the recruiter is looking for. 

-Present a resume that demonstrates your aspirations, your abilities, and your expertise. 

Your goal here is to get into the A pile. Make sure you have a resume that stands out, catches the recruiter’s attention, and stands out from the sea of sameness. 

3. The Resume - Getting Through the First Interview with a Recruiter or HR

Once past the ATS and the initial screen, your resume needs to stand out to recruiters and HR professionals who will decide if you make it through the first round of interviews. Here, they’ll be looking to quickly assess your experience, skills, and whether you’re a fit for the role. This can be a casual screen or checklist type of interview. They will ask about your availability, what you are looking for, why you are leaving your current role, salary expectations, etc. Most candidates oversell to the recruiter and assume the job description is accurate. The focus here is on the recruiter’s criteria and to address what the recruiter needs to put you through to the next step. It’s about their needs, not yours. 

How to Win the Recruiter Over:

-Emphasize Your Achievements: Don’t just list responsibilities; highlight achievements that demonstrate how you added value in previous roles.

- Use Quantifiable Results: Whenever possible, quantify your results (e.g., “increased sales by 30%” or “reduced project time by 20%”). Numbers catch the eye and give recruiters a tangible sense of your impact.

- Showcase Relevant Experience: Tailor your resume to highlight the most relevant experience for each role. This will allow recruiters to see a direct link between your background and the job’s requirements.

Your resume needs to make a strong enough impression to get you that first interview. But once you’ve completed that initial interview, your resume will continue to play a crucial role, even when you’re not in the room.

4. The Resume - Getting to the Top of the A Pile

Once you’ve gotten yourself into the A Pile - now your resume needs to work hard and get you to the top of that pile. Typically another recruiter or the hiring manager will review the A candidate resumes and narrows down the list. Sometimes the initial screen may help by recommending certain candidates based on how well the candidates performed in the initial screening interview. They may support likable candidates.  For this second screen, they are only looking at the resume and a strong candidate with a weak resume may get ruled out while a weaker candidate with a strong resume will get a chance to interview. This is the basis for a complete and focused selling resume, not a short resume. 

How your Resume can get you to the Top of the A Pile:

-At this point the hiring manager is looking at your resume (aka - your sales document).  Provide a Forward-Looking Resume^TM that demonstrates how you can solve his or her problem they are trying to resolve. 

-Create a resume that is complete. Don’t believe the myth that resumes should be short, only 1-2 pages.  Your resume should be a strong sales proposal why you are a strong candidate. Don’t sell yourself short. 

-Demonstrate your aspirations, capabilities, and expertise with stories on your resume. Include win stories and accomplishments. 

5. The Resume - Guiding Interview Questions with the Hiring Manager 

Your resume serves as a roadmap for interview questions. Most interviewers will refer to your resume to create their list of questions, which means the way you present your experience can influence the tone and direction of the interview. A clear, focused resume with detailed stories will guide the questions of the interview better than a group of bullets beginning with action verbs that only generate a group of questions to understand your success and accomplishments. An example-based resume will help to control the flow of the interview and thus the chemistry and your effectiveness to communicate will be easier. Discussing the job and expectations is important here since the manager is the only one who cares about the tasks. 

How to Guide Interview Questions in Your Favor:

- Highlight Skills You Want to Discuss: Place emphasis on the skills and achievements you’re most confident about and want to discuss in more depth. This encourages the interviewer to focus on these areas.

-Avoid leading your accomplishments with verbs. Most people will tell you to lead with verbs. But this is wrong. You should lead with your capabilities. (If you want to better understand why, schedule a Free 1-hour career consultation with us & will fill you in with the details.)

When you set up your resume to prompt specific questions, you steer the conversation toward your strengths and the stories you want to tell.

5. The Resume - Selling Yourself to the multiple interviews with the Entire Hiring Team

(other Managers, Peers, or Executives (C-level or HR)

Each of these interviews must focus on why they are interviewing and their relationship to this position. They each have their own criteria and their own best interest. Compatibility, support for their groups, or long-term success for the company may be their criteria. We must secure each of their recommendations if possible. An executive can be just and important to getting hired as the hiring manager. 

How to Guide Other Interviews in Your Favor:

- Avoid Unnecessary Details: Don’t include information that could lead to unwanted questions or concerns. If a job was a short stint or didn’t go well, you can pre-emptively address it briefly but avoid dwelling on it.

-Avoid a chronological, backward-facing resume. Your resume should be more than just a list of what you’ve accomplished in the past. It should be a sales and marketing tool that demonstrates why you are a great fit for this new role. At Career Oyster, we create Forward-Looking Resumes^TM for our clients that help them double or triple their chances of winning their dream jobs. 

When you set up your resume to prompt specific questions, you steer the conversation toward your strengths and the stories you want to tell.

7. The Resume - The Consensus Meeting and Internal Advocating 

Most hiring decisions are made by a team rather than a single person. So your resume needs to be your sales tool during this process. 

After your interview, the hiring manager will likely share their feedback with others who didn’t meet you. Here, your resume becomes a key tool for advocating on your behalf. Most hiring managers have at least 50% of the vote in the hiring decision. But they also need resume details to convince the other hidden decision-makers. The hiring manager must be an effective advocate, and a strong, detailed resume will help them be your strong advocate much better than a short or jumbled resume. 

How to Help Your Resume Sell You When You’re Not Present:

- Craft a Cohesive Narrative: Ensure your resume tells a clear story about your professional journey, capabilities, strengths, and how you could fit into the company’s mission.

- Reinforce Key Qualities: Identify two or three qualities you want the team to remember about you. Are you an innovative problem-solver, a data-driven marketer, or a people-focused leader? These qualities should come through clearly on your resume.

By crafting a resume that is both impressive and memorable, you make it easier for the hiring manager to advocate for you, increasing your chances of moving forward in the process.

8. The Resume - Justifying a Higher Salary

A well-crafted resume can also support your case for a higher salary. Every role typically has a salary range - low - mid - high.  A strong, detailed resume will present you in the best light and in the higher half of the salary range. A short resume does little to help you get the best salary. Recruiters often base their initial salary offers on the perceived value you bring to the table, which is largely shaped by your resume.

How to Make Your Resume Salary-Worthy:

-Highlight Leadership and Impact: If you’ve held leadership positions or taken on projects that significantly impacted your previous employers, make this clear. This shows that you’re capable of handling greater responsibilities.

- Mention Certifications and Advanced Skills: Include any certifications, advanced skills, or training that might justify a higher salary range. Specialized expertise signals added value.

- Show Your Progression: Demonstrating a clear trajectory of career advancement can suggest you’re deserving of the higher end of the pay scale. Promotions, expanded roles, and significant achievements all help build this case.

By strategically crafting your resume, you can help ensure that any offer you receive is competitive and reflective of your true worth.

Conclusion: Your Resume’s Multipurpose Power

Your resume should be far more than a document listing your previous jobs and skills. It’s a strategic tool that serves multiple roles in the hiring process, each one designed to give you an edge. By crafting a resume that gets you through the ATS, wins the recruiter’s attention, sells you to the hiring team, justifies a competitive salary, and guides the interview questions, you set yourself up for success.

Approach your resume with these eight purposes in mind, and you’ll have a powerful sales tool that not only gets you noticed but also makes a compelling case for why you’re the best candidate for the job.

If you’re ready to take your resume to the next level, CareerOysterCoach.com offers expert coaching tailored to help you optimize your resume for each stage of the hiring process. Our team of experienced coaches can guide you in crafting a resume that doesn’t just get you in the door, but also gets you the offer. Contact us today to learn how we can help you build a resume that works as hard as you do!