Innovative Ways to Remix Your Resume for 2020

Rebecca Serviss

With the start of a new decade, employers expect candidates to be up to date with new trends in business and work ethic. It all starts with the perfect resume, one that will catch the employer’s eyes in the never-ending pile of eligible, hopeful applicants all aiming for the same goal: to be hired.

In many cases, applicants feel like it’s almost impossible to stand out on a piece of paper. They feel that no matter how many times they restructure it, it will never be good enough to get an interview. For those who feel this way, there are many different ways to make that one piece of paper one that employers will want to pick up and one that could land you your dream job.

The power of the digital resume

When taking a look at your resume, start to think about multimedia. A majority of employers have switched over from the traditional paper pile to a format that not only saves trees but also allows for more interactivity: Microsoft Word.

Many employers don’t print out resumes as they used to, which allows for the addition of hyperlinks to places like your portfolio, projects you have worked on, and even your LinkedIn profile. This allows the employers to view more pieces of your work and learn more about you as a candidate that cannot fit on that one-page document.

It also has the possibility to save applicant’s vital space on their resumes that could be used for more experience, skills, and recognition.

While adding hyperlinks to your resume will make it more interactive, there are some things you should avoid like headshots and photos. You want people to see who you are through your experiences and accomplishments, not for what you look like. Of course, this doesn’t apply to those going into fashion, showbusiness, and other industries that would require it.

Tailoring your resume

Another tip is to keep your resume short. Many employers only care about the experience that is relevant to the position they are trying to fill, so it is best to organize and prioritize your experience based on what the job involves.

With that being said, it is also a good idea to keep different versions of your resume to appeal to different employers and industries. This allows you to create a unique representation for each type of position you want to apply for. It also helps keep the page length concise and the content well organized for anyone to easily look through it and understand.

Keep track of all your experience

Along with that, having a “master” resume consisting of every work, volunteer, and college experience and every award and recognition you have received in one document can be very beneficial.

This copy wouldn’t be sent to recruiters and employers but should serve as a document for you to go back to, add to, and reference if at any point you need to.

Your resume is a living, breathing document that will continue to grow and evolve with every new experience you get. It can get hard to keep up with at times, especially for those who are just starting to get into the workforce and who only spend months in a position before moving onto the next. Still, it is important to keep your resume as updated as possible so that you don’t lose track of it.

Experiment with formats

Lastly, play around with the format and margins of your resume. It doesn’t hurt to experiment with different layouts, especially when it could add space for more content and make it more organized and easier to follow along. Also, don’t be afraid to try using shapes and text boxes to display different sections that don’t require an explanation like education, skills, and contact information.

When playing around with shapes and lines to break up each section of your resume, be sure also to save a copy of the document as a PDF so that when it gets sent from different devices, it doesn’t get distorted during each transfer. Saving it as a PDF does not take away access to hyperlinks, so it will still work well if you’ve added them.

The wrap up

If you haven’t looked at your resume in a few years, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give it the 2020 digital makeover it deserves. Bring it into the next decade with a bang so that if and when you need it, it will be ready to wow the next set of recruiters and employers waiting to help advance your career.

March 3, 2020