Long gone are the days that a word processing resume with textbook objective statements and boring descriptors would be sufficient to receive an interview offer. It is important to show employers you are innovative and on the cutting edge of your industry.
This may mean cultivating a strong social media brand that showcases your knowledge in the field and willingness to interact with the professional community. It also means knowing what is dated and should be left off a modern resume. Fortunately, a free resume builder can take much of the guess work out of crafting a high quality resume that will serve as an informative and memorable introduction to a potential employer.
Social Media Branding
Almost everyone is on at least one of the social media platforms. In many ways it has become a preferred method of getting to know the people who are being interviewed for a position. Keep this in mind when building your online brand. A LinkedIn account is ideal for all professions and should be treated as a business asset. It’s a great place to highlight any charity work you’ve done and a place to showcase specific skill sets there may not be room for in a resume.
To make the best impression on potential employers on any social media site, take the time to craft a thoroughly polished image. If you are unable to do this due to a long history filled with embarrassing photos, make that profile private and focus on posts that are more professional.
Use a classic headshot as your profile image. Be sure any content describing work history, education, awards, certification, degrees, and philanthropy work are detailed. Make an effort to connect with those who know you personally and ask for recommendations. Then, when filling out the contact information on your resume be sure to include a link to the best of your social media profiles.
Things to Drop
Traditional resume advice extols the virtues of including an objective or a summary statement. This is where prospective employees describe where they summarize how the work experience and education they have are valuable for a particular position or company. Some people still recommend this but the trend for 2017 is to leave this out and focus more on strong bullet points that show your value.
References are another thing that are falling off of resumes. This takes up valuable resume real estate and isn’t really necessary unless you make it past the first round of interviews. Hiring managers are increasingly unwilling to flip to the second page of a resume. By leaving off the names and contact information of people they aren’t interested in talking to, you are more likely to get the attention you want on the relevant information they need to see to want to hire you.
Minimalist Mindset
It is more important than ever that job seekers focus on creating a minimalist resume that is limited to one page. The information included in the work and education sections should be limited to only what is relevant to the position. To keep everything easy to read, use numbers or bullets. Paragraphs take too long to skim and most employers will pass rather than take the time to read them.
Creativity is essential in many types of careers, but it is not advisable in creating one’s resume. Do not use your signature color, font, or graphics when creating your resume unless something in the job description indicated it was expected and welcomed. Otherwise, it is more likely to come across as immature and unprofessional.
When preparing a resume, remember that this is the first impression your new employer will have. They need to know you are qualified, professional, and that you have the skill sets they need in this moment. Everything else is just noise.
