Last year turned pretty much everything upside down, and the job market is no exception. Plenty of people lost their jobs or had their income streams affected by the pandemic. Now that the recovery is in sight, it’s time to think about getting back into the job market or perhaps rethinking your career.
The first step in this process is, of course, updating your resume. Pretty much everyone groans when they remember they have to do it. Companies keep changing their requirements, and no one is 100% sure what the right resume should look like. Should you include your high school job? How about the fact you were in a drama club? Weekly D&D games? How to explain the gap in your work experience?
Well, that’s why we’re here. Read on and find out how to improve your resume in a way that will help you land that job you want.
Emphasize your skills
Keep in mind that recruiters don’t spend too much time reading each resume the first time. You want to emphasize the most important information and make sure they read it. Now, your skills are your most important asset, so it makes sense to put them first.
In addition to drawing the eye to a short and easy-to-read list of important traits you’re bringing to the table, it also deemphasizes any gaps in your work experience. This is important because these gaps are often a red flag for recruiters who will do anything to reduce the number of applicants that need to be interviewed.
Know your target
Just like cover letters, your resume or CV needs to be tailored to the target audience. Emphasize skills, work experience, education, or hobbies that are important for the role you’re applying for. We’re not saying you should pare it down to the bare essentials, but you definitely should organize your resume in a way that puts you forward as the best candidate for the position.
Include language skills
Knowing more than one language is pretty much essential in today’s job market. If you’re applying for a public-facing position, knowing two or more will probably put you at the top of the pile.
A lot of people made the best of the 2020 lockdowns and learned new skills thanks to countless online courses. If you’ve used all the extra time to learn French online or to brush up on your Spanish, definitely include these. Even if the job isn’t public facing, the world today is highly multicultural, and knowing more languages might just be the thing that helps you land that job you wanted.
Include your hobbies
Yes, you read that right. Even if you’re an amateur woodworker or a certified scuba diver and these things have nothing to do with the job you’re applying for, go for it. It probably won’t be important for the first round, but when someone gives your resume a more thorough look, they’ll see there are things you’re genuinely passionate about, and that might have some transferable skills.
Pretty much every recruiter gets a ton of resumes to sift through, and you need to be able to stand out. You never know if your hobby will be the thing that puts you in the “keep” pile.Sometimes, you may even just have embarked on a hobby, but it’s so notable and interesting that the reviewer will want to speak to you regardless. Imagine getting an application from someone who is an active martial artist, learning in an online flight school, or volunteering for the fire department. You can see how this may warrant another look.
Add final touches and format it properly
Now that you’ve put all the information down, you need to make sure it’s formatted in a way that won’t prompt the recruiter to discard it. First, it should be neat, properly aligned, and easy to read. Make use of headings and bullet points, and bold the necessary information if you really want to make it stand out.
Everything in your resume should be effective, affirming, and honest. Try to avoid negative statements and keep it simple. If you want to explain gaps in your work history, put them in parentheses; that’s also a good way to deemphasize jobs you only did to get by and don’t reflect your career goals.
Get a second pair of eyes
It’s difficult to evaluate one’s own work, even when it comes to something as “simple” as a resume. So, once you’re done writing it, have someone else look it over. It can be pretty much anyone, a parent, sibling, neighbor, significant other, or a friend. They won’t only be able to catch any mistakes, they’ll also be able to identify things you might have forgotten to include.
It also doesn’t hurt to put it through a more robust spellchecker than Google Docs or MS Word. You definitely don’t want any errors slipping through when you should be putting your best foot forward.
Wrapping up
So, there you have it: some tips and tricks on how to improve your resume in 2021. Writing resumes isn’t rocket science, but it does take some effort and you shouldn’t just do it off the cuff. It should be more than a simple list of jobs you’ve had and schools you’ve attended. Plan it, organize it, tailor it to your audience and emphasize your strengths. Present yourself as a person with their own life that’s qualified for the job you’re applying for and an asset to the company.
Sources:
https://www.offtheclockresumes.com/blog/21-resume-tips-for-2021
https://www.nbcnews.com/know-your-value/feature/5-ways-rethink-your-resume-2021-ncna1252841
https://www.cleverism.com/22-best-examples-of-hobbies-and-interests-to-put-on-a-resume/
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-explain-a-gap-on-your-resume-2063188
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinstoller/2020/12/21/heres-where-the-jobs-will-be-in-2021/
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