Searching for a new job is usually stressful and time consuming. And when you’re looking for a gig during a global pandemic–with jobless claims over 40 million and a real jobless rate over 29%–the task can seem overwhelming. Companies have more candidates to choose from and less roles to fill, which makes the first impression you make with your resume more vital than ever. LT Ladino Bryson, CEO of vCandidates.com who is also known as “The Employment Therapist”, recommends six changes to make to give your resume a competitive edge and to eliminate any factors that could hinder you from getting hired for your next gig.
1. Use Action Language
“Be sure to pepper your resume with active language touting what you have accomplished throughout your career. Phrases like “I achieved the following in this role…” “I exceeded my quarterly and/or annual quotas of…” and “I excelled in this position by…” are eye-catching to the resume reviewer and make your talents more interesting. This kind of language can make you more memorable. Whoever is reviewing your resume should read it thinking if they can see you excelling in their role, exceeding their quotas and so on.”
2. Update Your Email Address
“Create a separate email address just for your job search. Realtors do this all the time to make sure they are marketing their services in their email address. “[email protected]” or “[email protected]” are great examples of how to market yourself through an email address. Be sure it is not too long and make sure you set up the mail account on your mobile phone for easy access. On the flip side, if you opt to keep your current email address make sure it’s not too cheeky.”
3. Brand Yourself Correctly
“You should be able to sum up yourself and what you do in one sentence. The goal is to create a title or headline underneath your name that makes you memorable. But whatever you use be sure you can back it up within your resume. The right brand vision will help you stay on your career course, too.”
4. Keep It Simple
“You should be able to create a resume that provides a complete package of who you are within two pages. It is very tempting to provide a full story but, the truth is, no one cares what you did more than seven to 10 years ago, if it is not applicable to the position you are applying for now.”
“Saying, ‘I spent 20 years in entertainment’ when you’re applying for a recruiting position wouldn’t make sense. If you feel the need to provide more information on your experience, you can always create a personal website. I highly recommend senior level executives to have a stylish web page where they can provide a deeper dive into their career and that they list the link under their contact information on their resume.”
5. Clean Up Your Social Media
“Be sure to update all of your social media pages so that they are set to private and all public images you do not wish to show are hidden. We all leave a digital footprint on the internet every time we post or are tagged publicly. Strive to be consistent across all your social media pages. Update your LinkedIn profile to reflect what is listed on your resume. Be sure there is nothing online that can be found and hinder you from landing that dream job.”
