Resume trends continue to change as time goes forward. Employers are being held responsible for their choices in candidates, the “now” generation is influencing readers to scan over your resume, and social media is telling a story about a candidate’s personality/lifestyle. At one time, your resume didn’t matter. The qualifications and years of experience was enough. In today’s market, there are rules we have to follow to produce a marketable presentation of our experience:
- Show-Off Your Personal Brand Immediately
For example: “Project Manager” – “Materials Coordinator” – “Food Service Worker”. Whatever your specialty is, let HR/Recruiters (scanners) know immediately. Also, this is an opportunity to match keywords of a job announcement or career interest. Follow your personal brand with a short summary of your skills, knowledge, and abilities -OR- a short statement. Employers will get an immediate idea of who you are and what you can accomplish for them.
- Tell A Concise Story About Your Experience (make it count)
There is absolutely no way to explain to employers, EVERYTHING you have accomplished throughout your career. Therefore, include information that will sell you for the next position. Highlight those attributes and skills that stick. For example, A Retail Manager – “Established customer service standards, performance expectations, and operational goals for the entire team”. 2016 is looking for an on-point presentation and not “fluff and buff”; readers will recognize the fluff, even if it’s unintentional.
- Format, Format, Format
In this day in time, resumes are almost always submitted online. Organizations have Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that pre-scan your resume before a human reads it. The pre-scanners are looking for keywords that match the job announcement, description, and qualifications. The thing is, ATS systems cannot read special characters: shading, colors, borderlines, or pictures. Also, your format needs to be easy on the eye and clear so employers can effortlessly identify your achievements. The most used format so far in 2016 is paragraph with achievement bullets, followed by paragraphs (Federal Resume), and complete bullet form. *NOTE: The idea that resumes should be one page is an old tall tale. More importantly, go back 10 years if you have the experience and tell a story that is easy to read. Your resume is a marketable document that serves as a memorable first impression to get employers excited and call you for an interview.
Include your LinkedIn profile and prepare your second resume (LinkedIn, Facebook or any other social media channel). About 70% of all employers/recruiters will look you up on social media before calling you and 50% of the 70% say they have disqualified candidates due to social media research. It’s significant that any candidate these days “fit” into the company culture. No employer wants to hire an individual who will disrupt the team or department from operations. Social media tells a story! Understanding these 3 Resume Trends in 2016 will position you for greatness. For information about resume development or resume critique, contact us.
