The results from one of our annual job market surveys announced the percentage of employees entertaining the idea of a new job and with today's competitive job market, there is a chance that that number could be the same, or higher in the coming months! This means competition is tough and if you want to land the job of your dreams then you'll definitely need a resume refresh. Now is the time to get creative, there's no excuse not to with an abundance of resume resources available online. The traditional resume format, with work experience bulleted and generic wording is not going to make you stand out. Employers want to see you're up with the times since they can research candidates with the click of a button thanks to social media. But that doesn't mean your resume should be left collecting dust.
Try a new template
Creating a resume from a Word doc is old news. Creating or buying a unique template online is the way to get your resume to stand out. Well, that in addition to a killer cover letter and amazing experience, of course.You want your new resume template to reflect the type of work you do. If you're an Art Director, let your creativity shine. If you're an SEO Analyst you may want to keep things on the simpler side. Either way, a new resume template will help set you apart from the crowd. Some of our favorite resume templates can be found on Etsy and Creative Market.
Include your side gig
A side gig is not something to be overlooked. In fact, including a side gig on your resume shows you have a passion and interest outside of work. It also shows how diverse your skill set may be. Maintaining a consistent hobby, project, or side gig outside of work requires self-discipline and drive, which are two characteristics that employers strongly value. In today's job market, unconventional work experience is widely accepted and sometimes even encouraged. So don't think for a second that your non-profit, retail shop, or graphic design company won't impact your chances of getting hired, because they absolutely will.
Keep it minimal
We know our attention spans keep getting shorter, so if you want your resume to have the optimal effect, you need to keep it short, sweet, and to the point. Our expert recruiters say resumes should be no longer than two pages and it's even better if you can condense your resume to one page. This means limiting your experience to only the necessary elements that apply to the specific job you're submitting an application for. Yes, your resume should change according to each role you apply for. In fact, hiring managers could get bored and/or overwhelmed reading through your entire professional career on your resume. For example, if you're going for a position in Marketing you don't want to include your summer job at a day care during college unless of course, that's your only work experience. Instead, you want to include your Marketing related experience, with specific examples. If you increased X number of email subscribers in X amount of time, your potential employer wants to know! The more specific you can get with your job responsibilities and accomplishments, the better. Overall your resume should be minimal but not bare, relevant but not boring, and exciting but not overwhelming so you can take on your job hunt with confidence.