As technology has advanced, so have ways to apply for jobs! Gone are the days when you would send out printed resumes with nothing more than your name and phone number. Now, there are many tools that can be used to enhance and improve your resume. These new features help capture the attention of employers who may or may not review your resume in person, making it more effective.
Many of these tools seem too gimmicky at first, but they all add something significant to your resume. They’re also very affordable, often free. It is important to use them effectively though; just adding fancy fonts and pictures to make your resume look cool will go unnoticed.
The most common types of upgrades include professional headers and footers, bold or italicized text, additional sections (like career goals), and even bullet points. All of these additions strengthen your message and emphasize key qualities.
Make it personal and engaging
Even before the era of digital documents, creating an effective resume was tricky. A job seeker would have to take time out of their day to go pick up some paper and pen, and then brainstorm how to describe themselves and what positions they wanted to apply for.
With technology advancing at lightning speed, creating your own unique online document has become much easier. With all of these tools at our disposal, no one is limited to using only pen and paper anymore!
Having a good looking, clearly written resume that highlights your skills and experiences is very important since employers will look at it.
Fortunately, there are many ways to do this easily and quickly. Technology makes designing and editing your resume quick and easy. You may even find free template resumes or drag-and-drop feature software that help you edit and update content easily.
Link your content to what they are looking for
The way people look at resumes has changed dramatically in recent years. Rather than using it as an example of how well you write, or how professional you look, most employers now view them more like business documents.
A resume is a tool designed to promote you for a position. What kind of position that is depends on who is reading it and what they are looking for at the time.
If your goal is to be promoted within the company, then highlighting your achievements and promoting yourself through education and training is a good tactic. If your goal is to find new employment, then emphasizing your skills and strengths is important.
But if your goal is to have a career in office management, for instance, then telling the story of how you spent eight hours every day doing administrative work is not going to set anyone aside.
That style of resume may even hurt you in this market. Office managers want to know if there’s something beyond the job description showing leadership potential or talent.
Use good grammar
When you make a job application through an online service or drag-and-drop, they usually give you some examples to follow. But making a professional looking resume is not just about using nice fonts and colors; it’s about putting together a well-written message that leaves a positive impression.
Just because someone else's example message is similar to yours doesn't mean it has to be done exactly like theirs! Take time to understand the position and what makes them stand out, then create your own version of those elements.
Your writing should be grammatically correct and use appropriate vocabulary (for whatever field you are applying to). And don’t forget to use proper punctuation! It may sound boring, but it is now increasing preferred to write personalized messages and resumes.
Tailor it to each job opening
Even before the era of online applications, employers would go through resumes as a way to learn more about you and determine if you are a good fit for their workplace.
With the explosion of digital information, people have transitioned into an employment mode where they use apps, websites, and other resources to find jobs. Employers now look at this information to assess your skills and whether or not you’d be a good fit.
This has caused a shift in how most professionals update and refresh their resume documents. Rather than using templates that seem too similar from person to person, professional writers now must tailor their documents to match the needs of the employer they are targeting.
Think about how you can make yourself stand out
A lot of things have changed when it comes to resumes, but one thing that has stayed the same is your need to highlight who you are as a person and what experiences you have gathered over time.
What makes the most sense these days is to include all of this information in an appropriate place. This way, people will know where to find it if they want more info!
With technology being what it is today, many employers now expect to be able to search for someone’s resume online. Therefore, instead of having to look through printed versions or hard copies at their office, yours can easily be found using a computer or phone.
Personalize emails as well
Even if you're bent on using templates, liven your resume up by changing some of the content. Add your personal touch!
Most professional recruiters will agree that one of the biggest turn offs is when they receive a resume that seems too generic or uninteresting. These professionals are trained in finding jobs for people, so they know that while a standard template may make it easier to put someone’s information into a system, it doesn’t tell them very much about who you are as an individual.
Recruiters want to learn more about you; they want to see how you describe yourself, what skills you have, and whether or not you seem like you would fit into their organization. They also look at references, making sure that whoever referred you was a trustworthy person.
Your email address is probably already available online, so why not take advantage of this and include it as a reference? It can help show potential employers that you have done your research and that you're conscious of the job market.
Be consistent
Even if you’re not changing your career, still be consistent with how you format your resume. Use the same style, use standard fonts, and put information in an order that makes sense to you.
As much as people may argue about what styles are “better” or which ones look more professional, there is one thing that really sets apart the great resumes from the average ones – consistency!
It seems like every other person has their own personal formatting style when it comes to resumes. This can make it hard for employers to compare one version of your resume to another because they do not match in color schemes, font types, and content organization, making consistency an essential feature of a resume that hits home.
