Refresh Your Résumé and Land a Job
By Amy Jacques
March 2021
Perhaps you’re on the hunt for a job and haven’t looked at your résumé since you were last seeking employment. You’ve been at the same company for years and are unsure how to dip your toes back into the hiring pool.
With the ongoing pandemic, some sectors have been growing while others have been struggling. One way you can take control of the situation and bring yourself to the forefront is to show recruiters your strongest side with a redesigned résumé.
“In a difficult job market, you must be inventive. Use this unique moment in 2021 to carve out a résumé that shows you are prepared for a new opportunity — and have the skills to make the transition,” according to Fast Company. Review your body of work and credentials: “Ask yourself which elements are still serving their purpose and which are not. If you have been able to gain a tangible skill from this unusual year, make sure to add it to your résumé.”
What lessons did you learn? What new soft or hard skills did you acquire? What did you accomplish? Allowing this to come through in your résumé will help set you apart in the applicant pool, Fast Company advises. Explain how you maintained connections, built relationships and grew. Don’t consider the events as résumé gaps or lost time.
A volunteer role, an entrepreneurial venture or a new certificate from an online course can be relevant and great items to highlight. Be honest, as hiring managers will likely be understanding for those who were laid off or stepped back from a job to take on caregiving duties, for example.
Also, be mindful of applicant-tracking systems. While intended for creating qualified matches, sometimes the computer algorithm may pass over your résumé due to formatting guidelines, job gaps or word choice. Try putting keywords from the hirer’s job posting into your résumé to avoid this.
Minimalism and simplicity are always good rules of thumb as well. Use a straightforward font and stay away from visual flourishes and embellishments with design. Instead, let your body of work speak for itself.
Here are five tips to help refresh your résumé and land a job during an uncertain year.
1. Elevate your pandemic pursuits.
2. Surpass the robots.
3. Explain any gaps.
4. Show off secondary sources.
5. Guide a recruiter’s eye through focused design.
Amy Jacques
Amy Jacques is the managing editor of publications for PRSA. A native of Greenville, S.C., she holds a master’s degree in arts journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising from the University of Georgia’s Grady College and a certificate in magazine and website publishing from New York University.
