Welcome to part three of our Great Resignation series, where we’re providing a primer to get you up and out into the 2022 jobs market. Throughout this series, we’re taking a wider look at everything involved in a job switch, and once you’ve decided you’re going to embark on a new path, you’ll need some tactics to cope with what can often be a fairly long search.
This week, we’re digging deep into CVs. Before you go ahead and look for a new role, there are a few things you’ll need to do to your current resume to fine-tune it before you apply for a new job – or several new jobs.
Here’s what you’ll need to do.
Update your experience
The next thing to do is to get stuck in. Assess your CV for what you can remove and update. On average, you should ideally be tweaking it every six months to a year. In particular, right now you might not think you’ve any new or relevant experience, but remote work actually showcases lots of new skills.
These could include new technical expertise you may have garnered, or the fact you’ve managed a team remotely. Did you put together any particular programmes for your team or staff? Mention them.
It’s really key to tweak your CV for each job you apply for too, especially if your skill set allows you to apply for jobs across industries. Maintain multiple CVs if necessary – it will streamline your application processes.
And don’t forget to remove work experience that isn’t relevant to a particular role, or no longer relevant in general. It’s fine to remove jobs that are over 10 years old, and for specific industries such as tech, be really ruthless about anything that might not showcase your current skill set. Once you’re past the mid-stage of your career, there is no need to include anything related to college employment or societies you may have been involved in.
Redefine your skills
Hybrid skills abilities are what many employers are looking for now. Soft skills are your ability to communicate and listen, work in a team, manage problems and solve them creatively or with critical thinking, while hard skills are your language ability, computer skills and specific skills related to the industry you’re in.
Hybrid skills are a mix of both, and because it is estimated that by 2025, 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labour between humans and machines, this means that new roles may emerge that are more adapted to that division between humans, machines and algorithms. In other words, these will be roles that those with hybrid skills will be well suited to.
Don’t shoehorn these to the end of the CV either – aim to place them throughout, emphasising how good you are at a whole host of things.
Optimise for Applicant Tracking Systems
It’s likely most companies you apply to will be using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), or software which recruiters and employers use to track candidates throughout the recruiting and hiring process. One way to make sure your CV passes muster is to place keywords relevant to the role you’re applying for within the content of your resume.
Look at length
Do you have to keep your resume to one page? Not any more – the ideal length is two to three pages, says Indeed. However, there are caveats. It is unlikely your CV will be this length if you’re straight out of college so the key thing to focus on here is quality. Don’t pad it with unnecessary detail. When it comes to a great resume, it should be all killer, and no filler.
Spellcheck and final details
Lastly, make sure you run your CV through a spelling and grammar check and have a look at your contact information and address. Is it still correct and up-to-date? Now, you’re good to go.
