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The dynamics of the work environment are rapidly changing. Organizations are constantly modernizing their approach to business, which requires a highly skilled and adaptive workforce. To keep a job in these times, one needs to have a high level of competency.
Now, if employees should brace up to keep their jobs, what about applicants? Insights will be provided on how one can adapt their resume to suit the modern career environment. This will significantly improve their odds of employment.
Traditional vs. Modern Resume
Resumes often evolve to emulate the times. While it can be argued that traditional resumes show tried-and-true methods, their success can be guaranteed only in static industries. They include government contracting and law firms, consulting companies, and accounting organizations. Often, those don’t accept fancy formats or technological advancements.
However, if you are in a tech-savvy field like marketing, IT, or even fashion—a modern resume is non-negotiable. To get hired in these contemporary career environments, you should move from the traditional resume to the current winning style.
Below are the pointers on how to craft a modern resume.
Modern Resume Formats – Hybrid Layout
There are 3 layouts that most recruiters accept:
- reverse-chronological layout;
- skills-based layout;
- hybrid/combined layout.
In the past, recruiters preferred the first two formats on the list. The reverse-chronological layout was revered for giving primary attention to work experience, while the skills-based layout focused on skills. The skills-based layout was common with entry-level applicants.
In the modern-day, the preferred layout is the hybrid format. It combines features of the reverse-chronological & skills-based layouts.
In the hybrid layout, a person’s work history is not over-emphasized. What goes higher up are a person’s skills and accomplishments. Then, a chronology of one’s work history is added. Work experience can be included before academic qualifications at the bottom.
The modern resume length is between 1-2 pages. Most recruiters accept that range. This applies even to entry-level applicants. Thus, if an applicant has enough details to cover 2 pages at most, they should do it. The hybrid layout presupposes that one doesn’t focus too much on work experience. That used to work with traditional resumes, but times have changed.
Due to the growing demand for jobs, when a job vacancy is announced, recruiters receive a lot of applications from around the world. Often, they do not have much time to read.
This is why the modern resume should be 2 pages max and should have a summary section. The information in the document should be recent, relevant, and focused on your skills.
The modern standards of writing a resume require applicants to use a narrative career recital. Yet, the content should be optimized and free of fluff. To do this, an individual can start by removing the initial objective statement. The objective statement is replaced with the summary for more comprehensive details. And also, get rid of references, they are outdated.
Today, applicants apply for jobs online. And to cope with hundreds of job applications, employers use what’s known as the Application Tracking System (ATS). The applicant tracking system functions as a database for applications. It helps recruiters to prioritize applications, thus making the selection process faster.
To create a bot-beating resume, an applicant should include relevant keywords in their document. The ATS simply searches for specific keywords. Resumes with more key matches are prioritized. Without the keywords, your resume may not reach the hiring managers.
Add a summary
The summary can come at the beginning of the document. It should be between two to five sentences. An applicant can use it to demonstrate why they qualify for the job. Modern-day recruiters appreciate the summary as it gives them a quick overview of the applicant.
In the summary, you should include your key skills. These skills must be relevant to the job. Plus, you should not add too many details. Any additional information should be added in the section for skills.
You can review the job description to determine the skills you can add to the summary. This is the sort of thing that will result in you getting more interviews.
Add a skills section
To craft a winning resume, juxtapose a skills section next to the summary passage. After the summary, the recruiter will want to know more. The applicant should take this chance to expand on their skills. Mind that the skills that are mentioned should relate to the job requirements.
The applicant should be free to express both their hard and soft skills. Hard skills are those one can learn in an educational environment or via getting work experience. Soft skills can be learned individually or via socialization.
Employment Information
In the hybrid layout, a person can provide their employment information. However, this should be laid out in bullet form. It’s not necessary to write big paragraphs describing former employment roles. The goal is to sell one’s skills. Former employment details are only added for clarity.
Focus more on the conveyable skills you acquired. This is better than dwelling on previous responsibilities. In the modern world, employers only need to know the perks you bring to their table.
Expand Your Education Section
Information to be added includes one’s university major and minor qualifications. You can expand this section by adding other certificates you have. However, these have to relate to the target job. After each list of academic qualifications, outline the transferable skills you have acquired so far.
In Summary
In this modern-day, you can’t just create a resume and forward it to prospective employers. You need to tailor it for each target job for the best outcome. All the best!
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