Resume Versus Interview: When Employers Have to Choose
By Jeremy Cyrus 08/22/2012
Summary: When employers gain one picture from a resume and another from an interview, which of the two will tip the balance and control the final decision?
Resume Versus Interview: When Employers Have to Choose
Here’s a common experience for many employers: They find a resume in the stack that looks absolutely glowing. The candidate is broadly qualified, and her targeted areas of special knowledge are a perfect match for the position. She knows how to express this clearly in a resume, and her resume also suggests that she’s an organized thinker and a confident person. But her interview presents a different picture.
In the reverse scenario, five resumes in the stack make it to the final round, but the fifth one on the list barely makes the grade. It’s okay, but not stunning. It contains no typos and the candidate seems to possess the minimum required credentials. Employers aren’t exactly excited about this one, but since they need to interview five candidates total and the rest of the pool looks weak, they decide to give her a chance. She walks in the door for the interview and walks out with the job.
Which has more power over an employer’s final decision, the interview or the resume? In other words, if your resume earns a B minus, do you still have a chance? And if your resume gets an A plus, are you guaranteed an offer?
Which Holds More Weight, Resume or Interview?
The resume holds more weight. Partly because employers tend to see your resume first, so a poor resume means little hope for a second chance. And partly because a resume is a formal document—it’s far more objective than an interview, and its contents will become a permanent part of your personnel file once your hired. Give yourself every advantage right out of the gate, but make sure you start with a knock-out resume. Use every tool at your disposal, including the formatting resources at FreeResumeBuilder.org.
That being said, a great resume isn’t enough to get you in the door, so don’t go to sleep once your resume is polished and submitted. If you’re called in for an interview, put your resume behind you, turn your full attention to this next challenge, and give it absolutely everything you have.