Elevate your hand when you’ve ever felt just like the resume writing course of is endless, overwhelming, or a ache.

At this time I’m sharing seven ideas and actionable methods for what your resume must appear to be in 2021. As a result of the job market and job search course of have modified dramatically (thanks, 2020), when you’re going to face out, it’s essential clean up your resume and ensure it aligns with the trendy hiring course of.

Let’s soar in!

I requested my LinkedIn followers to fill on this clean: The resume writing course of is ________________.

A lot of the responses mirrored simply how difficult the method may be. A few of my favourite responses had been: 

“Like a recreation of Tetris, with hearth.”

“Traumatic and cathartic.”

“Like baking a cake for Cake Wars and hoping your creation blows the judges away. 🎂”

“Writing the right CliffsNotes a couple of lifelong novel.”

After which somebody shared this image:

I’m going to take a guess that when you’re studying this, chances are high you most likely really feel equally. 

It’s not straightforward attempting to condense 10, 15, or 20+ years of labor historical past into two pages. Particularly when you’re not 100% certain what’s vital to incorporate or omit, and what is going to make the most important impression on employers. 

That’s why in the present day I’m sharing seven ideas and actionable methods for what your resume must appear to be in 2021. As a result of the job market and job search course of has modified dramatically (thanks, 2020), when you’re going to face out it’s essential clean up your resume and ensure it aligns with the trendy hiring course of. 

Let’s soar in. 

What Your Resume Ought to Look Like in 2021

Your resume wants a transparent place and business goal. It needs to be targeted on that one position and all the resume ought to help the position you’re concentrating on by utilizing laborious abilities, key phrases, and smooth abilities that align with the necessities of the position, and by utilizing accomplishments and quantifiable outcomes that relate to the place. 

And right here’s a professional tip for you: embody the place title you’re concentrating on on the high of your resume. I see so many resumes that say “advertising skilled, gross sales skilled, or HR skilled.” However the factor is, employers don’t use these phrases to go looking their databases or job boards. They use the place title or laborious abilities to search out candidates which are a match. 

Be sure to embody the place title on the high of your resume proper beneath your contact data and proper above your profession abstract.

Subsequent, help your goal place with the way you add worth. 

That is the #1 problem I hear from job seekers. “It’s laborious to write down a resume that displays my worth.” 

The most effective methods to do that is by focusing in your accomplishments. We use a framework referred to as the CAR components. It’s a option to write your resume bullets so as to present an instance of your accomplishments to potential employers.

CAR stands for problem, motion, and outcomes. 

You begin by explaining a problem you confronted, then an motion you took to deal with the problem, and at last what the outcomes had been of the motion you took. 

Whenever you’re writing the precise bullet it really works effectively to begin with the motion verb, then convey the end result, and wrap up the bullet by sharing the problem. There are various other ways you may write a bullet utilizing the CAR format, however I like to recommend all the time beginning with an motion verb.

In case you need assistance with motion verbs I created a free PDF that features 178 motion verbs and high-impact phrases that you may obtain. I’ll hyperlink to it within the present notes.

Embody your strengths with an equal mixture of laborious abilities and smooth abilities.

I’m usually requested in regards to the distinction between laborious abilities and smooth abilities. Each play an important position when writing your resume.

Laborious abilities are the key phrases employers use to go looking/scan resumes. They search for laborious abilities to see when you’ve got the skilled, technical, or educational {qualifications} for the position.

Delicate abilities are the EQ and character abilities that make you an amazing folks particular person, allow you to guide or encourage others, and contribute to teamwork.

Each have an vital place in your resume.

Embody laborious abilities to extend your resume’s potential to populate in search outcomes and present you will have the talents for the position.

Incorporate examples of the outcomes you’ve achieved due to your smooth abilities to indicate employers you’re a great tradition and other people match.

Optimize for applicant monitoring methods and for people who scan and skim.

Your resume has a number of audiences so whereas it must be optimized to indicate up in search outcomes when a hiring supervisor searches a candidate database or job board for resumes, it additionally must attraction to the hiring supervisor screening the resume to find out who to interview.

One of the best ways to do that is to offer content material that appeals to each audiences. As I discussed earlier, laborious abilities are sometimes the key phrases recruiters use to go looking in candidate databases they usually’re additionally the key phrases they’ll search for when skimming your resume. 

Past the content material, although, it’s vital to make sure the design and format of your resume is optimized for ATS and people. 

Listed below are a number of key resume writing ideas that can assist you with this:

• Use a place title on the high of your resume, as I beforehand talked about.
• Maintain paragraphs corresponding to your profession abstract to a few to 5 sentences—that approach it’s not too text-dense.
• Alongside the identical traces, just remember to’re not itemizing greater than three to 5 bullets collectively. Something greater than that and the resume loses its potential to be rapidly scanned. 
• Create a key phrase/ core competencies part that features 12 to fifteen of your laborious abilities. Save smooth abilities in your bullets.
• Create a notable accomplishments part the place you spotlight two to a few of your high achievements—those you wish to make further certain that the hiring supervisor sees and doesn’t miss. These will go within the high third of your resume. Use a coloration border, shading, or daring textual content to attract consideration to this part.

For extra recommendations on optimizing your resume for ATS, learn this weblog here.

Incorporate branded content material. Model your resume—quotes, outcomes, your onlyness issue.

Social proof is a superb option to validate the standard and effectiveness of your work. You’ll be able to solicit quick quotes or testimonials out of your community and former supervisors, or pull them from suggestions in your LinkedIn profile.

Keep away from selecting obscure statements like “John is a good man. We actually worth what he did for us.” As an alternative select a testimonial that’s particular: “John all the time goes the additional mile for his shoppers. Due to his distinctive consumer care, he secured a $2M contract with a beforehand competitor-aligned firm.”

Utilizing a brief quote is a good way to brag about your self with out bragging about your self, which is great for individuals who are uncomfortable boasting about their wins. It additionally offers the much-needed proof and validation that employers are so hungry for.

Discovering frequent themes throughout your profession can assist you develop your private model when you’re uncertain what it’s, or make clear your message when you already know your model. I can’t suggest the Reach personal branding survey sufficient when you’re within the discovery part of the branding course of.

Listed below are some questions you may ask to search for these themes:

– What profit or contribution do you add to the corporate?

– What key achievements or successes have you ever earned time and time once more? Huge gross sales? Profitable restructurings?

– What would you say is exclusive about your self and the way you do what you do?

– What do others see as the worth you add?

– Learn via your LinkedIn suggestions and previous efficiency evaluations and search for themes. Whenever you put related phrases and phrases collectively, what image do you get?

– What do others say are your best strengths or most useful {qualifications}?

– How do others describe you?

– What do your boss, workforce, or direct stories come to you for frequently?

Trendy design. Don’t be afraid of borders, shading, visuals, and graphs. 

Let’s go forward and speak about this controversial tip proper now. Each time I like to recommend that your resume structure embody visuals, borders, graphs, graphics, charts, or shading, somebody pops up and asks “What about ATS?”

OK, what about ATS?

You’ll be able to create an ATS-optimized model of your resume that doesn’t embody charts, graphs, or visuals. Nonetheless, finally your resume goes to get to a human reader they usually’re going to be the one deciding whether or not to name you for an interview for that govt place you need.

Utilizing charts, graphs, and visuals is not going to robotically kick your resume out of ATS. There are various ATS that may learn these (know-how is advancing). Even the archaic variations of ATS that some firms should use can learn a resume that makes use of borders, shading, and coloration.

Sure, there must be steadiness, however you may obtain that steadiness a number of other ways:

1. Have a contemporary resume model and an ATS-optimized model. When you need to apply via an automatic system, use the ATS model. Observe up with an electronic mail (if you realize the e-mail tackle) and embody a PDF model of your trendy, visually participating resume.

2. Pass over the charts and graphs however use the bolded textual content, borders, coloration, and shading that you realize will be capable to undergo the system with no points.

3. Work round ATS. Discover and submit your resume through electronic mail, networking, utilizing social media, or making use of on LinkedIn the place you may add a PDF model of your resume for employers to see with out the trouble of ATS.

You’ve got choices on the subject of creating a contemporary and visually participating resume. Once we work with shoppers to create a professionally written resume, we create two variations: a contemporary resume that’s visually participating for the human reader and one which’s extra modest in design to breeze via ATS.

In case you don’t wish to create two variations, then go along with choice two above and have a steadiness of each.

Tackle the ache factors by displaying every thing you may provide.

What are three predominant challenges this firm faces or the particular person on this position would face? How have I tackled these challenges or related ones in previous positions? Put that info entrance and heart in your resume and in your cowl letter. 

After I learn a resume, I’m not simply seeking to see if the particular person has the mandatory key phrases, abilities, and credentials. I’m studying the resume and considering “Can this particular person meet the wants I’ve, clear up the issues I’m dealing with, and contribute in a significant approach?”

You probably have an efficient resume, when the employer reads it they need to say “That’s precisely what I need assistance with!”

They need to be getting enthusiastic about the potential for what you are able to do for them based mostly on what you’ve been in a position to do for others.

For this reason it’s vital to know and perceive the wants and ache factors of the employers, departments, and firms that you simply’re concentrating on. What wants are distinctive to them? What issues are they dealing with and need assistance fixing?

There are some issues that would be the identical for a specific position it doesn’t matter what firm you’re employed for. For instance, as an HR supervisor, having the ability to display screen, interview, rent, and onboard new staff rapidly is important to the profitable operating of a enterprise. If I can reduce the hiring time in half, then I’m saving my firm cash and bettering their productiveness and effectivity. On the flipside of that, if it takes me months to search out and rent a professional new worker, my firm is dropping cash and worthwhile time.

After I labored for Medtronic as an employment supervisor, it used to take them over a month to search out, interview, rent, and prepare new workforce members. I used to be in a position to reduce that point in half finding, hiring, and coaching new workforce members in two weeks. This elevated the workforce’s productiveness by 20% and saved hundreds in misplaced income and time. It additionally turned a theme throughout my human assets profession as I used to be in a position to do that in a number of completely different positions throughout various organizations.

I perceive how vital it’s to have the proper folks in place as rapidly as potential. Lacking a key particular person is like limping alongside versus having the ability to run at full velocity.

Even in my very own firm we’ve skilled such speedy progress that I’ve needed to revamp our hiring and coaching course of to have the ability to discover top-performing resume writers who can dive in and excel instantly at creating efficient, professionally written resumes for our shoppers.

I exploit my very own private examples for example how you can discover the wants and ache factors of the employer after which write about accomplishments that talk to your potential to satisfy these wants. In case you’re uncertain what their best wants are, they’re straightforward to analysis. Begin with Google. Discover out what frequent points are inside the firm, place, and business. You’ll be able to even take a look at employer reviews on Glassdoor.com to search out out what particular firms are combating and the place they excel as shared from these with expertise inside the group.

As soon as you realize what the corporate’s struggles are, share examples of the way you’ve overcome related obstacles in your present or earlier roles. You are able to do this utilizing the CAR (Problem, Motion, End result) format:

Problem: State a problem or impediment you encountered.

Motion: How did you overcome that impediment?

End result: What was the results of the motion you took?

Embody COVID Contributions

Employers need staff who’re adaptable and versatile. They’re additionally in search of staff who’re updated with new applied sciences like Zoom. Tackle these EQ abilities and tech abilities on the high of your resume. Additionally, think about what contributions you’ve made because the pandemic began and the way you’ve added worth. Embody these accomplishments in your work expertise part. 

For instance, we had a consumer who labored as a medical machine gross sales rep and really was accountable for ventilators, which turned an enormous want. He took initiative and proactively secured the tools that his shoppers wanted in order that his firm had what it wanted to help their shoppers. In consequence, his gross sales elevated and his shoppers’ wants had been met. This is just one instance of how somebody might have added worth or impression through the pandemic. Take into consideration what your contributions are and ensure to make use of the CAR format I mentioned earlier to convey these accomplishments.

I assure that when you can efficiently incorporate the above ideas in your 2021 resume, the content material and visually interesting design will propel it to the highest of the hiring supervisor’s stack. Nonetheless feeling just like the canine within the image I shared earlier, attempting to brazen it out whereas the room goes up in flames? Our workforce of licensed resume writers is aware of simply how you can current your model, accomplishments, and laborious and smooth abilities to have the very best likelihood of creating your subsequent profession transfer. 

Take a look at this article, if you’re in search of extra resume writing recommendations on differentiating yourself from other similar candidates.

If you’re contemplating a profession change in 2021, listed below are 101 resume writing tips for career change resumes.

About Jessica Holbrook Hernandez

Hello! My identify is Jessica Hernandez and I’m the President and CEO of Nice Resumes Quick. My need—and the center of Nice Resumes Quick —is to make use of our experience and expertise inside the HR world to assist job seekers who do not need the time, expertise, or experience to create interview-worthy resumes.

Let’s join on LinkedIn, you may send me an invite here.