The New-Age Resume: Know what's trending
Resumes that are not in plain text format do not get saved thus minimizing a candidate's chance of being noticed
The new resume is no longer about a three-page document, accompanied by scanned copies of work samples, sent over email. Companies look at resumes as a snapshot of candidates’ educational qualification, experience and personality, and it hasn’t changed. What has changed is how recruiters use a candidate’s resume, how they shortlist it, how they derive information out of it, more importantly, how they want to see it.
Rule #1: The new age resume is search friendly:
The days of manual short-listing of resumes are gone and nor does the recruiter look at each and every resume sent to him over email. Mostly, the resumes submitted via online applications are stored automatically in the resume database or companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan the resumes received over email and save it into their database. In both of these cases, the resumes are searched on the basis of keywords. Resumes that are not in plain text format do not get saved thus minimizing a candidate’s chance of being noticed. So, it has to be machine readable. The resumes from these databases are searched on the basis of keywords. Resumes that do not have appropriate keywords do not show up when searched for. A computer and search friendly resume isn’t an advantage anymore, it is an essential requirement.
Rule # 2: It should show your online presence
When a recruiter invites applications, he doesn’t want to read through the resume to know about a candidate. At a time when organizations are waking up to the idea of the new age employee, they are willing to recruit people who fit into their technology-friendly scheme of things. Selecting candidates with a strong online presence and personality is a strategic move in this direction. Many recruiters now demand to see a candidate’s blog, twitter link etc to know more about their online personality and multi-tasking abilities. Resumes have lesser value if they are not supported by a few essential links like your twitter handle, linkedin profile, blogs/website etc. Information in the form of video, QR codes is an added advantage and missing web, video or profile links reduce the chances of getting shortlisted..
Rule#3: It makes the most of technology tools
The resume isn’t considered to be the only source of information about a candidate. Rest assured that your name will be Googled and your credentials will be cross-checked by referring to various links that show your name in the search. Using Hypertext to link information given in resume to resources on the net adds authenticity to a candidate’s claims. Small tools like creating an image library of references, achievements, special projects etc. supported by information that pops up once an image is clicked, go a long way in keeping recruiter’s interest alive. Hard copies of work samples are passé. Web links to work samples, blogs, project reports etc. are a must in many progressive companies. Video resumes haven’t replaced the formatted resumes as yet but employers do look forward to see samples, presentations etc. in the form of videos.