Those born in the 1980s and the early 1990s are born in a highly individualistic era. And that individualistic attitude pervades throughout their lives. In fact, it is even portrayed in how theirresumes are done. Some of the most emerging resume trends portray this highly individualistic flair. In this article we will go over some of the personalized trends that have appealed to some employers in the last couple of years as well as cover some of the resume fundamentals that no resume should go without.
New emerging resume trends
Twitter resumes
If you have a huge Twitter presence and want to apply for a company that has a large presence on Twitter you should consider sending your resume and job application in 140 characters or fewer. In those 140 characters, be sure to be precise about your expertise and why a company would benefit from hiring you. Additionally, you will need to include your site’s address in those 140 characters. In using Twitter, you need to make sure that your website is fully functional and represents your talents well.
Infographics
Infographics are heavily used on blogs and websites to represent trends and statistics. But some job seekers have used infographics to market themselves. If you want to use infographics, be sure to either hire a professional graphics firm to make it if you don’t have an eye for that kind of thing. If not, your infographic can just turn out to be tacky. Sending infographics in as a resume is highly creative but it best to use them to apply for highly visual/creative positions.
Video resumes
Video resumes have been around since the days of VHS, however, they are much more accessible now with the online proliferation of media and the relatively cheap price of camcorders. To do a proper video resume, you should record a one- or two-minute video introduction of yourself, filmed in high definition and uploaded toYouTube. In that video, you should be able to link to your social media profiles, your portfolio and your websites.
Using color:
Although using color is still somewhat of a stretch for traditional resumes, it can also be used to make certain elements of a resume stand out. For instance, you can use red or blue to highlight important achievements or accolades in your resume.
Multi-page resume
All of us who got out of college before 2012 have probably been told to keep our resume short and concise, being no more than one page in length. But two- and even three-page resumes are now acceptable and even encouraged for those with extensive knowledge and education.
Personal branding
In the age of blogs and social media, it is all about personal branding. This goes the same with your resume. Branding your traditional resume with a personal touch is definitely a great way to make it stand out in the pile of competitors. Just like building a personal brand on the web, your branding on your resume should portray who you are, what you have done, and what you stand for. So while using a resume template may be fine and dandy, it might be of use to you to personally brand your resume with its own unique touch and style.
Resume fundamentals
While there have been new trends in resumes and the mediums they are sent through, there are several resume fundamentals that have stood the test of time. Here are a few fundamentals that should always be included in every resume:
Work experience
All resumes should tell the potential employer about your work history. Although past performance does not guarantee future success, it is a pretty accurate indicator of how well you will do. If you lack professional work experience, you can show pieces of your portfolio. This is best done if you have your portfolio online so that employers have immediate access to it.
Education and qualification
Because of the increased competition in the workforce for the limited number of jobs, education is increasingly becoming the differentiator. If a company is faced with a choice between two equally-qualified applicants, they will (almost) always choose the one with the most (and best) education. So remember to not be shy about your educational background or any training you may have within the field.
Your achievements
No matter the medium, you must talk about your achievements. Employers care more about your prior achievements than your prior job duties. Your job duties may tell employers what you were required to do in your previous position(s), but it is your achievements that ultimately tell the potential employers what you have accomplished and ultimately what you are capable of. So do not be shy about your accolades, but do not overly embellish either.
Keywords
All employers look for certain “buzzwords” in your resume. So be sure to mention them. You can decide the buzzwords to include in your resume by reading the job description and getting an idea of what they want in an ideal candidate. For instance, if you are applying for a software engineering position that is responsible for a website’s online application, it might help that you mention your expertise building a web app.
Numbers
Employers love bottom-line numbers so it’s important to talk about them. It’s not good enough to mention that you saved your previous employer money as a budget analyst. You must tell them how much you saved them. These raw bottom-line numbers puts some objectivity into judging your past performance.
So as you are writing your resume, it is important to pay attention to big trends in resumes. However, it is also just as important to pay attention to the fundamentals of applying for a job. Once you have the fundamentals of a resume down, then you can start thinking about getting creative with your resume.
via New resume trends.
New resume trends vs. resume fundamentals
