RESUME TIPS

UPDATED ON 12/12/2021

Hiring changes will greatly affect our resumes during and after COVID-19.  Some practices are more valuable than others these days.

These are changing times. More so than ever before.

By now, everyone on this planet knows that the normal we once had will never return, so we must learn to adapt to our new world. What that world will look like is only now starting to form.

Yet, this new frontier may be offering us an exceptional opportunity to shape our future however we wish.

The same is true for companies and industries.

In a recent article by CVO Arran Steward of job.com, he referenced a global employment search engine that discovered a 270% increase in job postings for remote positions since 2017.

It also goes the other way as well, with a 600% increase in people searching with keywords or phrases such as “remote”, “telecommute”, or “work from home”.

This movement toward working in our sweatpants appears to be here to stay. For those who like running the business while attending to family obligations, this is a welcoming change. For others who feel more productive in the office, this development may not be as pleasant.

Nevertheless, we will all have to fine-tune our professional development from this time forward, including transforming our resumes, to accommodate our foreseeable future as we see fit.

Here are some resume suggestions that may go a long way in that endeavor.

Promote Experience Working Remotely and Globally

Working remotely may not be for everyone, but like it or not, it is here to stay.

As this pandemic forces each of us to discover what working remotely actually feels like, we notice the difference in our performance. Not in terms of better or worse. Just different.

These differences can demonstrate strengths that complement the strengths of other colleagues, remote or in-person. They may show the ability to multitask between multiple parties, stay composed in spite of unexpected interruptions, and enforce self-discipline.

Those traits are great assets for any job.

So in addition to all of the wonderful stuff already in our resumes, consider pivoting toward remote experiences in our past and touching on how successful we were at them. This includes any collaborations with global team members, any independent contracts done from your basement, or any freelance projects accomplished for an out-of-town client.

This way, we can highlight our productivity in whatever environment and put the company at ease.

Describe Ability to Manage Change and Risk

Calling these unprecedented times of uncertainty is an absolute understatement.

A new normal is upon us. As the dust is starting to settle, this new normal feels largely unfamiliar. It cannot get more ambiguous than that.

One thing that companies do know is that before the dust completely lands on the ground, they want people who excel at change and who can mitigate risk so that businesses do not come to a standstill.

So it goes without saying that change management and risk management are going to be hugely important, if not already.

I know. Change and risk suck. But I don’t care how we feel about them. It’s not about how change or risk adverse we are.

It’s about how we handle them.

Remember those occasions in our past.

• What did we do when clients wanted to modify the project scope?
• What did we do when vendors made changes on their end?
• What did we do when our meticulous plan didn’t go as planned?

Pondering about these occasions gives us the opportunity to acknowledge how we deal with ambiguity. It examines our critical thinking style and our capacity to improvise. We can showcase our ability to implement agile project management, coordinate with stakeholders, or develop contingency plans.

Boost Strengths in Prioritization

When we work from home, we are bound to get pulled by other non-work related forces.

Mom calls out of the blue because she wants us to help her with an errand.

Our kid somehow gets himself/herself pulled into the principal’s office.

We have to prep tonight’s dinner.

I am sure we know these all too well during this worldwide crisis.

Our personal family lives suddenly take priority during work hours.

Unfortunately, many companies are not as forgiving as our family members and expect us to work on things that only they care about.

Well, that means our ability to prioritize is being tested.

You might say this actually tests our ability to multitask, but prioritization allows us to multitask. Therefore, I argue that prioritization is the more powerful one of the two.

So point out how we prioritize when we become preoccupied by numerous moving parts. It can only work in our favor.

Emphasize Strong Universal Skills Toward a Desired Career Change

Who knew that this pandemic would give birth to the great resignation.  With that comes the biggest opening for career changers.

From record-high unemployment to people freely expressing their needs, companies are frantically searching for solutions to get this economy running again.

Employers have been leaning toward candidates whose personalities and passions fit their company culture rather than those who may be more technically qualified.  This fact is more widespread than ever.

Therefore, not only are companies searching for transferable skills, they are also looking for not-so-transferable skills that would actually provide new perspectives and challenge status quo.

And companies are more willing to negotiate, which is great for us since we have become more outspoken about what we really want from a job.

The objective for us job seekers now is to figure out how to sell those not-so-transferable skills.

So read the job descriptions carefully and pinpoint which of our past experiences would serve the hiring company well.

Endorse Volunteer Experience

Volunteerism could not be more appreciated than now.

We may still be social distancing. We may be unemployed. We may be worried sick.

But that doesn’t mean we can lend a hand to help others in similar or even more dire circumstances.

Whether it is delivering groceries for those who can’t or posting Instagram videos to brighten up our days or making face masks for those on the front line, we can all contribute.

And no company is going to overlook our generosity.

It is our generosity that will capture employers’ attention because it puts the spotlight on emotional intelligence, empathy, and initiative.

It does not matter whether we are people people or tech people. Both can come to the rescue in their own terms. As long as we can detect, feel, and satisfy the needs of others, companies need human beings.

So proudly display our volunteer experiences. We all need them these days.

The Dust Will Settle

Better days will come, but they will never be the same.

We need to help each other.

We need to help companies help us.

The coronavirus has forever changed the economic landscape, and employers realize people can be productive without being in the office.

Nonetheless, we as job seekers must support them in shrinking the gap that has separated us from employers.

So boast our generosity with our ability to stay calm in unpredictable, turbulent moments from anywhere in the world.

We are all in this together.