Modern CV Making: Is Your Résumé Outdated?

With all these rapid changes in technology and computer software, it is getting harder and harder to keep up with the latest trends. However, sometimes this may work to our disadvantage. When it comes to applying for jobs—something humanity has been doing for centuries—if you want to make it, you have to keep up.

You will find hundreds of articles online that give tips on how to get your résumé noticed or how to make the perfect résumé. To save you the exercise of going and finding good, well-rounded advice, here’s a piece by career guru Rich DeMatteo. Go read it now, and implement these changes right away!

Now that you have some sound guidance on how to make your CV stand out, you’ll need to ask yourself this question:

Is your résumé outdated?

A lot has changed in the résumé world. Today we have infographic résumés and creative résumés instead of the traditional black and white text. Some people also like to include a photo. Given all these latest trends in résumé creation, let’s read on to find out if your résumé is archaic.

If any of these things ring true for you in your résumé, it is time to make a change:

1. Your Résumé Is Only On Paper

This is the age of the internet. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has an online presence these days. You can literally look someone up with the click of a button. People have wised up and have begun to use this to their advantage in job hunting. Creating a professional profile online to supplement your résumé on paper gives a better impression to employers. You can add information online that you may not be able to put on your actual résumé. If you don’t have a professional online profile, I suggest you log on to LinkedIn as soon as you are done with this article and create one for yourself.

2. You Have A 1-page Resume

It was a common belief that one’s résumé could not extend beyond one page under any circumstances. This is not true anymore. One page is perceived as too short a résumé and is only acceptable if you are applying for your first ever job. The “acceptable length” of a CV today is 2 pages. Embrace this additional space and add more value to your résumé.

3. You Still Use An Objective Statement

Perhaps the most outdated thing you could possibly have on your résumé today is an objective statement. Objective statements only tell employers what your objective is. They don’t do much in the way of showing the employer what you have to offer. They show employers what your needs are (as opposed to showing them how you can meet their needs).

Get rid of it. I’m serious. Do it right now!

4. You Have Too Much Block Text

Too much text in a paragraph or in blocks is the easiest way to lose the reader’s interest. Put in plenty of subheadings. Make them bold, and make sure your sentences are short and to the point.

Don’t be afraid of adding in bullet points or numbering if you have lists of any kind. However, try not to get carried away with the formatting. Whatever you do, stick to the same font and font size. If you have too much going on, it will distract the recruiter from the actual content of your résumé.

5. You State That References Will Be Provided Upon Request

I have yet to meet someone who refuses to provide references when asked. This is a frivolously obvious statement and takes up unnecessary space on your resume, space that you can use to add in things that will make you look like a desirable candidate.

Remember, you only have two precious pages. You want to use them to represent the best of you. Your aim is to land an interview and you can only do that by showing the reader that you are what they need, not by telling them that you can provide them with references.

We all know that we have to adapt our résumé to the kind of job that we plan to apply for. You can’t send out the same CV to everyone. Even the format would likely change depending on who you send it out to, or depending on what your profession is. At this stage, you have to use your own discretion and creativity and include things that would appeal to the receiver of your application while being careful to remove any irrelevant information.

So get cracking and spruce up that résumé today!

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