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Beyond online examples, what’s the latest advice for making my resume impactful?
Elaine Varelas addresses concerns about outdated resume advice and highlights how technology and networking can help make your Resume stand out in today’s job market.
Q. My uncle recently gave me a book on Resumes, but I fear it might already be outdated. I’ve looked at plenty of examples online, but I wonder if there is any new and improved Resume guidance I should be aware of, so that I stand out as a candidate?
A. Resumes continue to be the cornerstone of job search, and everyone will give you suggestions on how to write your resume, including what it should look like, the information that should be included, and what you no longer need to include. Recent college graduates are told they only get one page for their Resume, returning service members used pictures on their resumes and recruiters screened resumes of every candidate long into the night. All this has changed. There are many “to do’s.” Many recent college graduates have wonderful experiences and can go into detail about their co-ops, any internships, study abroad, or volunteer work projects. And you should use the real estate of a resume and the real estate of LinkedIn to go into greater detail.
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Employees transitioning out of government or highly technical roles should clearly explain any acronyms they use, as these may not be familiar to hiring managers. Additionally, they should provide detailed descriptions of their job accomplishments.
The biggest change for job seekers has been the introduction of ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems). This early-stage AI became the method used to screen candidates OUT – not in. Job candidates need to understand how Applicant Tracking System software works, because that’s what your resume needs to deal with to make it through the screening. Ruth Shuman, a career consultant in private practice advises job seekers to avoid ATS, and network instead where resumes are read in a totally different way.
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And while that is great advice, most organizations will still ask you to apply online using their ATS. So, your resume needs to speak to that tool. Do your research on resumes that work with these systems by using the appropriate keywords to match job postings. The best way to find out if an ATS will like your resume is to use JobScan, a tool that identifies the essential keywords, skills, and qualifications that employers are looking for. Candidates who are confident that their resumes are perfect have been known to run a JobScan and find that there is no match between the language they have used in their Resume and the JobScan score. The higher the score, the better the match, and the better your chances to meet the hiring manager. The Job Doc gets no monetary (or other) benefit from JobScan, other than helping people get jobs. To get a free account go to www.jobscan.com. There is a limit to the free version and of course there is a premium version as well.
If you are working with an outplacement firm, make sure to access their tool. And check if your college or university has the tool and lets alums access the tool, and as always, check your local library.
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Your network, and feedback from recruiters, can help you build relevance of your resume content. And only let professionals help you with your resume. Not everyone has the expettise they think they do.
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