Is your resume up to date with how employers' selection processes have evolved in post-pandemic conditions?
Layoffs in the first three months of 2023 exceeded layoffs in the last six months of 2022. This change happened as companies started to defend against high inflation and multiple rounds of interest rate hikes that could send the U.S. economy into recession.
A larger pool of potential employees diverging from the traditionalist path since the Covid-19 pandemic has led more job seekers to re-evaluate the balance between career and life. Employers are forced to think more creatively about how to hire.
Check out these three strategies that go against what you may have heard about resume writing in the past to recession-proof your job search.
Explain The Employment Gaps Instead of Hiding Them
Traditional resume advice cautioned against exposing employment gaps for fear of being seen as unreliable or less desirable as a potential employee. Employers are less likely to care about gaps in work history than they might have been before the pandemic.
Good employers are now more understanding that employment gaps are not a sign of poor work ethic — they can be due to poor economic conditions, health, caregiving responsibilities or just by pure choice.
As a former recruiter, I could easily spot when a candidate was trying to hide an employment gap because they left off the months in their dates of employment. Many candidates falsely think that will let them off the hook, but on the contrary, it made me more likely question whether or not that employee was fired versus having a good reason to have a gap.
It also made me question if they lacked attention to detail by not remembering something as simple as employment dates.
Instead, be honest with your dates of employment and keep the dates accurate on your resume. Here are some examples I’ve used to explain gaps in resumes I’ve written:
If there was a reasonable explanation for your departure, you can succinctly include it so that in answers any doubts the employer had immediately. You don’t need more than a few words to explain.
Replace Your Home Address with Your LinkedIn Profile
I still see many resumes with a full home address displayed at the top, when that information is no longer necessary. With remote work here to stay, it’s become less important for employers to know exactly where you live.
With resumes passed around very easily online, you’ll want to keep your information private. I have seen recruiters in the past look up candidates’ addresses online to see where they live, and what kind of home they live in. You
Instead, you can simply include your home city, state and zip code at the top of your resume without the specific street address. It also helps to show your flexibility in relocating if you’re open to it by adding “(open to relocation)”, as many companies have the same job located in different cities or states, or can keep you in mind as new opportunities arise.
In lieu of your home address, it’s definitely expected to have a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile listed on your resume. You can customize your profile so that it doesn’t include LinkedIn’s default set of random numbers in the web address.
Adding your LinkedIn profile is a much better use of the limited real estate on your resume as it can also lead recruiters to see your connections and recommendations that add more context to your experience.
Save Space and Clear Out The Clichés
Typically, when I’ve seen a resume that’s more than two pages, it’s filled with unnecessary fluff that could be more succinctly summarized with action verbs and accomplishments.
Avoid generic clichés in your top-line headers and job descriptions. According to Zippia, online recruitment services company, some of the top clichés recruiters hate seeing include:
- Work independently or work well under pressure
- Enthusiastic
- Team player
- Good listener
- Excellent written communication skills
Attention spans are shorter and expectations from recruiters are higher than ever. So, keep your resume to one page, no matter how long you’ve worked. View your resume as a very valuable document on which you only want to build the best and succinct presentation of your work experience.
With a predicted recession, one of the biggest mistakes you can make with your resume is waiting until you absolutely need it to refresh it.