Writing a resume has changed over the years. We don’t live in a Madmen era, where every executive has a secretary to bring them coffee and type up their thoughts. Gone are the days when you started with a company after college and worked your way up the ladder until you retired with a gold watch. The workplace has changed and the workforce is more transient. We are constantly faced with choices to move laterally for a better corporate culture or physically across the globe for a spouse’s job. And as such, resumes reflect a new workspace, a place where you define your work rather than your work define you.
As is with the workplace, the resume too has morphed into something more modern. So, if you are feel confined by resume formatting, you might be a little excited to hear that modern resume formatting has debunked some old school resume myths.
Myth #1: One page is as long as your resume should be.
If you go to work every day and do the same task over and over again and you’ve done that for 5/10/20 years and did a similar thing at the previous job, well, one page ought to do it.
However, you have skills, projects, experience with diverse capabilities, individual contributions and achievements to highlight that showcase how proactive you are on the job. Take time to mention these. Otherwise, the reader will assume you did nothing more than what your job description says. This is your chance to stand out and tell them actions you took to help the department/region/organization reach its goals.
Myth #2: References available upon request.
Well, of course they are. And do you really want to use up your valuable resume real estate with such a statement. Chances are, the recruiter or hiring manager has already Googled you to see why you didn’t list a LinkedIn profile link.
Myth #3: Objective Statement is a must.
Isn’t your objective to get the job you are applying for? Gone are the days of putting in a fluffy objective about an intangible job. The new prime real estate section of your resume is best replaced with a summary and a link to your LinkedIn profile for more details that you can’t fit in the two page resume.
Myth #4: Comics Sans is perfect to make me stand out.
Creativity is great, but silly fun fonts don’t do anything to make you look professional. If you are applying for a child care provider, you might get away with Comic Sans, but otherwise keep it to a professional widely installed font, especially when submitting a more technical resume. Sending a PDF resume is also a great way to make sure that your font isn’t lost in translation with your more creative style resume.
Myth #5: Keep über private on social media.
The modern workplace coincides with modern publicity. Keeping yourself invisible to the public on social media is a good option if you are a corrections officer or a school guidance counselor and your clients trying to friend you. However, your social media profiles should be an added dimension to your resume, if your hiring manager wants to do some research. In most job applications, posting your LinkedIn profile address to your resume is not only acceptable but forward thinking.
No matter what type of position you are trying to achieve, your resume is your first impression. So be proud of what it says and be sure of what it says. Supplement your resume with a professional online presence and in-person networking.
If you are stuck on trying to perfect your resume and your Aunt Joan keeps tweaking it just a little too much, consider hiring a professional resume writing service like Capstone Resumes to add a new level of finesse. With satisfied customers and 15 years resume writing experience, we love helping people just like you polish and present their best self to get them to interview. How can we help you?
