After a year full of uncertainties, salary-cuts, and lay-offs, finding a new job post-COVID might be the first thing on the mind of many people. If you are also planning to appear for an interview, but with the same old resume, then you need to rethink and invest some time in giving your resume a much-required makeover. Your old resume might be deemed outdated for the new recruitment process which in turn might lower your chances of getting shortlisted. As time changes, the trends of writing a resume also change, making it important to revisit your old resume and make it ready for the new job. Here’s how you can give your resume a makeover in 5 easy steps.

1. Redesign your template

The first thing on your resume that will catch the recruiter’s eye is the design of the template. A neat and updated template will interest the recruiter to take time to go through your profile, while a cluttered one might be off-putting at the first glance itself. It is highly advisable to explore new and trending templates online before planning to make edits to the resume. You should also try to find the right Resume template to suit your resume needs as the templates for beginners tends to be different from those for experienced professionals. Depending on the length of your write-up, you may redesign your resume with a classical chronological format or the latest hybrid format. The design that is compatible with your personality, as well as the latest trends, would provide the reader a refreshing experience.

2. Balance the details

A good resume has a balanced amount of information relevant to the post applied for. As per a study, recruiters only take 7 seconds to go through each resume. So, your details need to be worth their time. Too much information about your past work jobs might overshadow the essential and star-details of your resume. So, you may need to skim out some fragments from each section and crop the total number of bullet points to provide only the relevant details to the recruiters. You need to keep your ATS friendly resume precise and articulate at the same time to justify your candidature for the job. Saying a lot in a few words is the art that needs to be adopted while editing the resume for your next job interview.

3. Make it engaging

Post reopening of the businesses, your resume will stand among many to reach the desk of the recruiters. So, your candidature must be justified in your resume in a compelling manner to escape the pile of papers and reach the recruiter. The language should be engrossing and the details should be placed comprehensively. The wording of your resume should be formal and compatible with the standards followed by the company. If you are switching to a new job this year, you may need to rephrase your document and use some action words that describe your role and responsibilities at the previous firm clearly and compellingly. It is advisable to check for any sentence in a passive voice and replace the same with an active voice. Also, replace the outdated phrases for the trending keywords that are in use in the industry at the time. These tips should make your resume engaging and compelling enough for the reader to take a good look at it.

4. Mention your accomplishments from the past

Every job is an experience worth cherishing. You earn some quality skills and experience from every job. Put those accomplishments on the paper and mention your achievements from your past works to strengthen your profile for the next interview. Did you spearhead a team to achieve a difficult target? Or was your problem-solving approach appreciated at the company? Mention your previous achievements in your resume to prove your suitability for the new role. The year 2020 was especially a challenging year and any new professional skill added during that year is definitely a plus point. From learning a new programming language online to earning a remote work skill, make sure to mention how you continued working during the pandemic. Talk about the new skills you earned and new tools you started using in the past year. Your efforts during the challenging times would be reflective of your discipline and dedication. Accomplishments like these can make a case for you to catch the recruiter’s interest in your profile and increase your chances of getting shortlisted for the next round.

5. Add a resume summary

Your resume provides the highlights of your work experience and key skills. A resume summary, on the other hand, provides a brief insight into your candidature as to why you are suitable to be considered for the job. If you are an experienced individual and your resume still carries an objective statement on the top of the page, then you might be missing the new trends of the industry. Experts advise the job seekers to replace the objective statement with a brief and dynamic summary that gives an overview of the acclaimed skills and experience. The recruiter may take a quick look at this section and develop an idea about the candidate’s professional personality and suitability for the role.

Author- Samar Sood

Samar Sood is a senior editor at Job Nexus – a professional resume writing and editing service provider that helps job seekers meet their potential recruiters.