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By Arianna O’Dell

Résumés are becoming increasingly ineffective in today’s rapidly changing job market.

Résumés have long been the go-to tool for job seekers to showcase their experience and skills to potential employers. If you’ve ever written a résumé, you know first-hand that it can be a mind numbing experience to jam your life into one measly sheet of paper.

However, in today’s fast-paced job market, many people, including myself, argue that résumés are becoming increasingly ineffective. Here’s why I believe that résumés are dead, and why I never ask for one from applicants when I am hiring:

A piece of paper cannot accurately describe an individual

Even an excellent résumé does not always make for a great hire. In my experience, some of the most outstanding people on paper have turned out to be the worst hires. Résumés tend to concentrate on a candidate’s work history, education, and abilities, but may not fully capture a person’s personality, work style, or potential.

“There isn’t always a direct correlation between a person’s ability to perform well at work and their ability to write a good CV,” says Max Kraynov, CEO of FunCorp, who is well versed in hiring. “Some activities, including operational and back-end tasks, don’t lend themselves well to being described in a résumé. Some experiences cannot be included in a résumé because of non-disclosure agreements. I don’t think that résumés alone can provide a good way of pinpointing the best candidates.”

A candidate’s creativity, leadership skills, or innovative thinking also may not be accurately revealed in their résumé. As a result, candidates who could be highly successful in a role may be overlooked simply because their résumé does not fully showcase their full potential. Some of the most talented individuals I have worked with have lousy résumés. Why? Because I’ve found that many highly skilled people are also very humble and unable to convey the magnitude of their talent accurately.

You can’t assess emotional intelligence or drive from a résumé

Résumés may not accurately reflect a candidate’s soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, which are increasingly essential in today’s job market. It can be difficult to demonstrate these skills on a résumés. It can be especially challenging to determine the extent of a candidate’s communication skills based solely on their résumé. This can make it tough for employers to identify candidates who possess the soft skills required for a particular role.

“A qualified person may not have the exact work experience you’re looking for, but they have the ability to quickly pick up new ‘hard skills’ and already possess the important ‘soft skills’ to thrive,” says Anthony A. Reynolds, CEO of HireVue. “This shift in strategy is critically important when you think about access for marginalized groups. We’re not saying you have to toss résumés out completely, we still collect this information for our hires—but I urge business leaders to go beyond a laundry list of qualifications and to start quantifying the skills that really matter for a given role.”

There are better ways to assess candidates

While résumés have been a longstanding tool for job seekers to showcase their experience and abilities, they are becoming increasingly ineffective in today’s rapidly changing job market.

Today, employers increasingly rely on social media and professional networking sites like LinkedIn to identify and connect with potential candidates. These platforms often offer a more dynamic and holistic view of a candidate’s experience, abilities, and personality than a résumé alone. Employers are also using skills-based assessments and online tools to evaluate candidates. For example, paid trial projects are becoming a popular way to evaluate the skills of candidates for technical roles.

In today’s job market, candidates need to stand out and differentiate themselves from the competition. Instead of relying solely on a résumé, candidates may need to create a personal brand or portfolio to showcase their abilities and experience. For example, a graphic designer may create an online portfolio showcasing their best work, while a sales professional may create a personal website featuring testimonials from satisfied clients.

“Résumés aren’t the best way to evaluate talent when looking to hire based on creativity,” says Lauren Scott, social media strategist at Freedom Not Fate. “As someone who’s had to hire graphic designers and other creative talent for my own business, I always ask for a portfolio and examples of past work to gauge creativity before hiring.”

When I evaluate a candidate, I ask them to send a piece of past work they are most proud of. From this simple test, I can gain much more information than a static résumé. This quick assessment can reveal a lot about a candidate’s creativity, problem-solving ability, attention to detail, and communication skills. For example, a marketing professional may send a campaign they worked on that achieved outstanding results, while a software engineer may provide a sample of their code that solved a complex problem. By reviewing a candidate’s work, employers can gain a better understanding of their approach to problem-solving, their work style, and their potential to contribute to the organization.

Will résumés stand up against the test of time? I’d bet real money that they won’t.

Feature Image Credit: Steve Johnson/Unsplash

By Arianna O’Dell

Sourced from Fast Company

By Peter Economy.

Former Google senior vice president Laszlo Bock reviewed more than 20,000 resumes while he was at the company.

You may have all the experience and achievements in the world–but if you can’t effectively communicate your successes, you will have a hard time convincing others you deserve a job or position.

It is obvious that any résumé or material you submit with a job application should be read and reviewed by you enough times to spot and take out all errors or mistakes. But knowing what to take out from a resume can be easy. What’s harder is knowing what kinds of information or descriptions you should put in.

Google sometimes fields more than 50,000 applicants each week, so if you’re in need of résumé advice, it’s a good idea to listen to what Google’s recruiters have to say–when it comes to résumés, they’ve definitely seen the good and the bad. Here are the 5 simple things these career experts say your résumé absolutely needs.

1. Focus on impact.

An accomplishment is impressive, but what really makes potential employers pay attention is what kind of impact that accomplishment has left. Has your work resulted in an improvement in sales? Can you confidently say an initiative you led to increased client acquisition?

2. Data and examples.

Not only should you highlight your accomplishments and their impact, but you need specific data and examples with these achievements as well. Use numbers–quantifiable examples of success–to let hiring managers know you’re the one for the job.

3. A clean and consistent format.

Your résumé should be legible and look pristine. Use black ink on white paper with half-inch margins, and make sure all columns are aligned. Keep fonts, sizes, and spacing consistent. And keep your résumé tight. Says Laszlo Bock, former senior vice president of people operations at Google, “Once you’re in the room, the résumé doesn’t matter much. So cut back your résumé. It’s too long.” Craft a concise and focused résumé that prioritizes the most important information. Save the life story for later.

4. Relevance to the job description.

If you’re desperately seeking employment, you might think it’s a good idea to send the same résumé out to 50 different employers. But if you want to actually advance to an interview round, you need to read individual job descriptions and tailor your résumé specifically to that job’s duties and requirements.

5. Be fearless.

As you describe your previous job experience, let recruiters know what kind of selective process you endured in order to be chosen for a role or project. Don’t be afraid to brag— your résumé won’t be the best it can be if you choose to be shy.

Feature Image Credit: Getty Images

By Peter Economy

Sourced from Inc.

By Anish Majumdar.

“My resume reads like I’ve been a passive spectator in my own career, not a player. What am I doing wrong?”

Initiative counts for a lot. Nobody wants to hire someone who’ll need to be poked and prodded to execute the basics. They want people who can see, and contribute, in new ways.

Putting your resume into “action-oriented” mode is a great way to establish yourself as this kind of person.

Here are some ways to get there

1. Open With What You Can Do, Not What You Want

Nothing kills a resume’s momentum faster than a dry opening paragraph describing what you’re after. Employers don’t care about what you’re after–not until after you’ve addressed their pain! So give them what they want right at the start.

Here are some examples:

  • Catalyst with revenue growth who can launch game-changing Pharma products, transform marketing ROI across domestic and global markets, and expand the reach and profitability of existing product lines.
  • “In the trenches” leader who can leverage a deep aeronautics background to solve mission critical field issues, as well as align operations to strategic plans.

2. Always Highlight The Result First

Even though it feels strange at first, highlighting the end result of your actions first builds curiosity on the part of a reader, as well as anticipation to find out how you did it. It also makes for far more engaging reading.

Before: Worked on five releases of SaaS talent acquisition solution on the product management side, which resulted in a 95% customer retention rate and double-digit revenue growth. Led a 12-person team.

After: Delivered double-digit YOY revenue growth and attained a 95% customer retention rate through expert stewardship of the product management function, leading a 12-person team in the successful delivery of five releases of SaaS talent acquisition solution.

3. Don’t Rehash Core Responsibilities

The more career successes you’ve accrued, the less you should mention daily tasks. Not doing this can actually undercut your credibility.

Start every major position listed on your resume with a “Scope Statement” that shows how you moved the needle. Here are some examples:

  • Surpassed revenue targets for three consecutive years, ensured the successful commercial launch of cutting-edge Oncology products, and achieved a new level of capability and ROI across the entire $3B+ global portfolio.
  • Disrupted the telecommunications and IT industries as key engineering lead for the delivery of next-gen VoIP technology and IoT solutions.

4. Strip Away Every Ounce of “Business Speak”

Listen to the great leaders of our time. Do they describe themselves and what they do using endless reams of jargon?

No.

The most accomplished people talk simply. They explain what they do with passion, and are fine with communicating a POV that not everyone will appreciate (or even agree with).

The more you move in this direction, the more action-focused your resume will be. But it takes stepping away from the safe, weak confines of “business speak” with its meaningless buzzwords.

You’re better than that. Your resume should be too.

By Anish Majumdar

Sourced from Fast Company