First impressions are critically important in everything that we do, and your resume is no different. Before a Manager ever has the opportunity to meet with you, discuss an opportunity or understand who you are on a personal level, they take a look at a few sheets of paper that summarize your entire careers work.
Many understand the importance of having a resume that is well put together with explanations of roles and duties, career growth, certifications, accomplishments and more. Others prefer to take a more casual approach to their resume in hopes that a Manager will speak with them and then they can show them "what they're really about".
Could this more casual approach to a resume be costing you the opportunity to interview? Throughout our years of working with Clients in a diverse range of industries, the answer is a resounding... maybe.
Now let's explain the reasoning. Every industry is different, and with that comes a unique set of eyes that are reviewing your resume and considering you for their current opportunity. For industries that are more "traditional" in nature, a resume is your way to get your foot in the door, and provides a nice, clean way for the Manager to see your career progression and make the decision as to whether or not to move forward with you in their process.
On the other side of this fence are the "non-traditional" Clients, such as those in the Creative, Development and IT spaces. While your work history may carry some weight, these Managers are focused more on the results of your work. In this instance a portfolio, sample projects, sites or code may be what they covet. To many of these Clients, your resume may be nothing more than wasted paper because of the short-term, contract and project type scenarios that a candidate may have worked in. To list all of these out on a resume would not only show redundancy but also give the (inappropriate) connotation of being a "job-hopper" since often times these roles are shorter in nature, and are focused on a specific deliverable and not building a career per se.
In sum, are resumes important? Yes. The advice that we provide to all of our candidates is to have a nice, clean resume to present to a Client regardless of whether or not they are more traditional or non-traditional in their nature. Ultimately, the Client is the judge, and it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to what could be your dream job.