Ever heard adjectives such as ‘exciting’, ‘personalised’ and ‘modern’ being used to describe a resume? Add ‘boring’ and ‘interesting’ to that list. If you are wondering why you never got an interview call from that organisation you have been yearning to be part of, it is probably because your resume failed to ‘excite’ the hiring manager. Your resume may not have been ‘interesting’ or ‘attractive’ enough to catch the eye of those who were doing the selection. Maybe it is time to add some colour and incorporate images into your resume just as the 20 per cent of job seekers, who were part of the New Year New Job survey by Canva, are doing!
Yes, worldwide, 20 per cent of candidates are adding images to at least half of their resumes. They are doing the right thing if the Canva survey is to be believed. A significant 55 per cent of the 4,200 hiring managers surveyed—across the US, the UK, Australia, India, Germany, Spain, France, Mexico, Brazil and Japan—were highly satisfied with resumes because they were “modern”, while 47 per cent were satisfied with how “exciting” they were. A good 62 per cent of the hiring managers admitted to their preference for colour over black and white resumes. That isn’t all; 42 per cent of those who were dissatisfied with the resumes were put off by how text heavy they were, while 38 per cent found them “boring”.
Clearly, hiring managers across the world are looking for resumes that appeal to their eyes and manage to engage them.
What should resumes steer clear of?
About 50 per cent of hiring managers said they reject resumes that contain unnecessary information. Forty-eight per cent avoid resumes that have too much text. Disorganised resumes are not welcome either, with 45 per cent skipping such resumes. Typos on resumes put off 42 per cent of hiring managers, while too many bullet points are a strict ‘no’ for 35 per cent hiring managers.
What could make resumes stand out?
A whopping 72 per cent of hiring managers prefer to see digital portfolios. This is seven per cent more than last year. However, only 35 per cent candidates have used digital portfolios. About 65 per cent hiring managers prefer resumes with interactive features, including expandable content, links and videos. This figure is also 10 per cent more than last year. That means the popularity of digital portfolios is going up amongst hiring managers as well as job seekers.
Traditional cover letters are out too. Fifty per cent of hiring managers now prefer video cover letters.
Is the professional brand of a candidate important? Hell, yes! A whopping 89 per cent of hiring managers agree that a candidate’s professional brand matters. Even candidates agree. In fact, 88 per cent of job seekers feel that a well-established online professional brand is key. This percentage was 45 per cent lower last year. Clearly, candidates looking for a suitable job are relying on their social-media presence to network and establish their brand.
With 68 per cent hiring managers relying on LinkedIn to review candidate’s social-media presence, 55 per cent are depending on Facebook, 53 per cent on Instagram and 27 per cent on TikTok to do the same, presence on these platforms appears to be really significant.
In any case, 80 per cent job seekers are using social media to look for suitable job opportunities. A huge 92 per cent of digital portfolio users are using social media in their job search.