What's the most important element of a resume?

Sorry to be a contrarian (well, actually, no I really enjoy being a contrarian because I see things differently than other people, and often that's an advantage).. however ...
No one has even touched on THE MOST IMPORTANT element on a resume, it is the ADDRESSEE's NAME on the OUTSIDE of the ENVELOPE (or EMAIL).

Chances of getting a job from sending a resume to some "filter" person (that's H.R.'s job, to filter out the absolutely worst candidates so other people don't waste their time on "duds"), or even to the "hiring manager" are between slim and none, only you have done your homework and know a "hook" to catch the attention of that particular person in the "gatekeeper" position. But there is a better strategy.

You want to research the company, target someone with significant influence and get an introduction to that person. You may have to go talk to your obnoxious, old, retired Uncle who farts from drinking too much beer and never leaves his easy chair in front of the television to find someone who can introduce you (the easy way is here on the internet, through a social networking site or business networking site) but without at least an introduction to someone in upper management, you'll have to play the "graphics" game, or find some other quirky way of getting their attention. When a "hiring manager" receives your resume from someone higher on the food chain them themselves, the resume gets close attention. That's just the way the world works, so you might as well know it and use that fact.

Now, as to "presentation" if you don't have a contact, can't beg, borrow or steal a contact at an upper level, you are left with a marketing job. I heard recently of a marketing company that sent out a promotional message on paper folded like a paper airplane, with an address and stamp on it. Surprisingly, perhaps, the post office WILL deliver it, just like the rest of the mail. Or you might try putting your resume in a PRIORITY MAIL flat rate box, along with three loose golf balls (test that your resume is in a small enough envelope that it falls out when the package is opened, or the envelope is large and colorful so they can't help notice that the box contained more than the golf balls). If you go with this kind of whimsical approach, it might help to "pretend" your name is "Pebbles Leach" (sounds like the famous golf course named "Pebble Beach") though you should print in LARGE letters on the back that "Pebbles Leach is an alias used by YOUR NAME."

Good luck.

Sincerely,

Stafford "Doc" Williamson

The COVER LETTER. An idiot can have a resume that "looks" great. It's not hard to format, spell check or use creative language like "Administered motivational sessions" (aka, "afternoon coffee fetcher") to make a resume look good.

What I like to see is a cover letter that tells me that the applicant understands the job they are applying for and can tell me how they bring something to the table that uniquely qualifies them for the position.

The resume itself should just be there to backup the claims in the cover letter.

Keep in mind that a resume is primarily used to exclude people from consideration. No one gets a job based on a resume.

The purpose of the resume is to get an interview, not get a job. There is a big difference. Don't put so much in the resume that they find reasons not to interview you.

Assuming a perfectly executed cover letter that is personalized and relevant to the company you send it to, explain what you have accomplished and the positive impact it had on the company. That is in direct contrast to simply listing your responsibilities or what you did, which says nothing about your value.

Whatever the hiring manager is looking for... :)

The honesty factor.

(Which is why I never read resumes till I've seen the RBA report.)

I have to agree with Mel and Dr. Presser. Layout is highly important it needs to be easy to read. Honesty is also very important because if you cannot back up what you have said you will be found out in the first 30 days and you will be looking again.

I also must say the top 1/3 of the front page is important because if you cannot grab and hold my attention in this portion I will not bother to read the rest.

I agree with Joseph and Mel, it is a marketing piece and you have about 10 seconds to catch the Recruiter's or Hiring Mgr's attention. The "Rule of Thumb" used by resume writers says that the top 1/3 is the single most important part of the resume because if you do not catch the eye of the reader then it's a moot point about what the contents are if they are not going to read it.

If you wish to test your resume against the Rule of Thumb, pick up the first page as if you are going to read it. From your thumb to the top of the page is what the reader is focused on. Nothing else. So does yours grab your attention or does it need a revision?

I would not recommend putting a picture on your resume in the US. If I was a recruiter I would not want to have this in my file because it could be setting up a claim for discrimination if the person sending it was a minority or part of a protected class.

Your photograph as well short description about your profile , decent fonts and font size your contact details

The mission/objective statement at the beginning of the resume. It shows if you can package a strong sttement in a short paragraph, and if you really understand your strengths and the key contributions you can make.

Rachel- I agree that a cover letter, personalized for the job, is critically important. At the same time, people with resumes that claim they are "detaled-orentied" wind up in the recycling bin (really, I see this more than you would like to think). A candidate must demonstrate through a perfect resume the abilities to think, write, format, and proofread. Then I will read about work-related skills, education, and experience. Fancy resumes, infographic resumes, video resumes, creative resumes without any work chronology - most will not even be considered. Be careful, be clear, be direct, be honest, be willing to take the time to individualize for the job if you really want it.

So what is the most important element of a resume?
A tricky question I would say, since every standard element of a CV is important otherwise why is it their in the first place. In my opinion the most that needs lots of focus and homework by both the recruiter and candidate is deriving the Competency Profile. What is needed? and why? and who? and when? and where?

What is the most important element of a resume?
I added the links because it is really very complicated to give a simply answer.

Why every job seeker feel like their resume is losing in the black hole? What is the most important to go though the first selection and not disappear into electronic trash.
I did some research- what’s "the secret"?

By Phil Rosenberg

“CUSTOMIZATION TO THE READER’S EXACT NEEDS”

http://www.recareered.com/blog/2009/09/30/differentiate-your-resume-with-a-wi...

In my opinion - THE KEYWORD as the first step of resume's selection.

What Keywords Should I Use On My Resume?
http://www.recareered.com/blog/2010/08/12/what-keywords-should-i-use-on-my-re...

What Are “The Keywords” In Your Resume Anyway?
by William George
“Resume tips are all over the place on the Internet. One of the great ones is this: make sure you have the right keywords in your resume. Great advice, isn't it? But if you are not Internet or HR machine-reading savvy,..” http://cuberules.com/2010/05/17/keywords-your-resume-anyway/

Different things are important in different fields. For a programmer you many be concerned about the person's experience/education for an entry level position you may be concerned about teachability. So a part of it iss layout so that you can identify the key areas and another part is content.

If you are worried about getting past the HR filters then you need to have the job skills that are required in your work experience section.

I believe the final piece is trying to know about the company and the hiring manager's experience so that you can tailor the resume appropriately.

there are many CVs that have been respected and admired but not selected; and there are many that have never been attractive but got into the interview box and mostly selected.

The following are the mostly impacting criterias:
- The vacancy itself and its budget
- the recommendation factors (know your employee0
- the position (technical or marketing; top level or middle level or bottom level)
- honesty and ethical matters than can be visible by first time reading

M. Shahul Hameed, MBA, M.Sc., CMA, CIA, CGEIT, CISM, CISA, PMP, ITSM, ISO27001LA, ICBRR
Advisor to Dean & Head of Quality Management Office
Deanship of Information Technology
King Faisal University, Al Hassa, Saudi Arabia

The Professional Summary

The Professional Summary

The Professional Summary

It seems fairly obvious to me that the most important element depends on the reader. And so, that being the case, there is no perfect formula for creating the perfect resume. The fact is: the most important element of a resume is elusive. I've had recruiters tell me to catch the eye with color, while others say they toss out anything other than black ink. While spelling and grammar seem obvious, many people lack in that area. Some look for a great summary and others look straight to experience. If the resume is used in an electronic screening system, it must contain the same words contained in the position posting. In the end, the idea is to strive to put your best foot forward early, honestly, and in a way that will tell the employer exactly how you fit the position.

Really it's the presentation. Keeping it short and highlight your accomplishments and qualifications that make you a fit for the job you are applying for is key. As others have noted your resume is really a marketing piece and you need to tailor it for your audience - a prospective employer who has limited time to review and is looking for a specific candidate.

A PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE. If the employer is willing to guarantee pay for the time you're there, then the employee should guarantee performance or the employers money back (prorated). I am the hired gun to reach a target and the employer just needs to pay! Just ask Tony Soprano.
Also, who cares whether or not you have a picture...oddly enough, everyone saying not to put a picture has a picture on their post. So according to some posts above, if you see how a candidate looks and you don't hire them they can sue? Don't you see all candidates you interview, and don't you say no to most of them? So I guess you guys may have lawsuits coming.

As an HR professional for many years, the most important element(s) are name, email and phone. What good is your resume if the hiring manager can't contact you easily? The next most significant element is layout and clarity. No HR person is going to spend their time going through a resume that is hard to follow or difficult to read. Squeezing more onto a page by shrinking point size below 11 is a death nell.

A resume is your advertisement. Make it clean and crisp. Include all the relevant information that pertains to the job. Showcase yourself by including a unique, but professional, cover letter.

Great answers thus far...and as all the major components of a resume have been covered, I'll take a little bit different approach.

The most important resume component: Tracked Hyperlinks.

I completely agree with Mel's comment that a resume is a 'marketing piece' and I believe we're missing a huge opportunity to treat a search like a marketing campaign. By simply using URL shorteners and including them on a resume, candidates can begin tracking interest in their application (much like a marketing campaign).

Tracking a resume is something EVERY candidate should be doing (in some form) in order to be thoughtfully engaged in their search. The full details for my particular concept were outlined in this blog post:

http://chewitt.posterous.com/creating-hyperlinked-and-tracked-resumes

Coming from a smaller organization's perspective where there isn't an HR filter that eliminates you for a typo, etc., I'd say that the most important element on a resume is a link to your blog. Or a link to something that lives online demonstrating your thinking or your ideas and thoughts on your particular expertise. A way to differentiate you from all the others vying for that position with the company. A way to identify with your personality. That's what we look for.

This is a very interesting subject with a variety of answers, although a number of respondents actually contradict themselves.

Almost everyone commented about the importance of layout, grammar and the need to proofread. Amazingly, the responses themselves often contain those same errors, even though some of them were written by chief executive officers. Apparently, at least a few of these people are executives of their own small companies and have not been on the applicants' side of the hiring process for quite some time, if ever.

If I were Mel, I would use the word "were", instead of "was", for the conditional statement.

Winston talks about spelling, then misspells the word "minimize" (unless he is in Australia).

Stafford makes some interesting points, but needs to learn how to use commas. His sentences are too long and need to be reread in order for the reader to understand what he is saying.

Janice uses "till" (as in tilling the soil) instead of "til" (the short version of until).

Joseph also needs to review the proper use of commas.

Michael has a run-on sentence in his response, and he also needs to use commas.

Andrew's response is perfect, but he contributes absolutely nothing worthwhile to the discussion.

Williams simply did not proofread his statement and even forgot the period at the end of his sentence.

Raymond has a sentence fragment, and he also displays his lack of understanding as to of the use of the comma.

Rachel has a syntax error (singular "applicant" with a plural possessive prononun "their"). Also "back" and "up" (as used in this context) should be displayed as two separate words.

Lin's very long sentence structure needs work, and he or she could also use a "how to use commas" class.

Elzbiea has two syntax errors in the very first sentence and also shows a lack understanding between "lose" and "loose".

Wow! Did everyone miss the 5th through 7th grades?

Don't bother sending your resumes to me. None of them would pass the test.