This is the second installment of my Workday Wednesday series that will look at the big scary world of professionalism and help sort things out. Everything I talk about here is only my opinion and based on my personal experiences and should not be taken as an end-all-be-all solution should you find yourself in similar situations.
Hello! Welcome to the second week of my Workday Wednesday series. If you missed last week’s post, I talked about what to do immediately after you’re laid off. This week, I want to talk about resumes.
Seems like a pretty easy thing to talk about, right? Except resumes have drastically changed over the past two years. So when I went to redo mine this past spring, I felt completely out of the loop and did some extensive Google searching to find out how to create a killer resume. Here are some of the things I learned.
This is most important thing to remember when you create your resume: The industry to which you are applying should dictate how you style and design your resume.
WHAT’S IN
-Original Designs: You’ll want a resume that not only stands out but is original. When I was creating mine, I looked at a ton of examples and saw dozens of designs I really liked and wanted to emulate. That is, until I read some very real advice; if you’re searching resume designs on Google, your potential employers are too. So if you see something you like, chances are they’ve seen it too.
–Pops of Color: Don’t get me wrong, black and white resumes are still very, very professional and sometimes ideal for corporate jobs. However, more and more resumes are incorporating pops of color. This doesn’t mean you should use hot pink as an accent. Pick a color that stands out but does not slap you in the face. You still want a resume that is clear and professional-looking.
–Visualizing Data: People are visual creatures by nature which means they love graphics and visualized information. Creating a visual representation of your work experiences, skills and other relevant information is trending now. I have graphs on my resume and Caitlin from And Possibly Dinosaurs has a map on hers that visually demonstrates where she’s been around the world. (It looks so cool!)
–Experiences: We’ve moved past the point where you can only include your past employment. Now, it makes more sense to include relevant experiences even though they may not have been a job. My resume includes more than just previous jobs and internships; it also includes special projects I worked on that are pertinent to my background in Journalism. If you’re going to include experiences, be sure that they relate to your degree or help boost your skills and abilities.
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