In the last two years, the workplace has changed dramatically, requiring a new style of resume. Heading into 2022, here are four of the most important resume trends to keep in mind as you prepare and submit job applications.
Include a Resume Summary
Resume summaries have been growing in popularity for several years now, and they will continue to be important in 2022. Hiring managers often spend less than 10 seconds scanning each resume that they receive, so crafting a compelling, succinct summary of your entire resume is crucial for capturing and keeping a potential employer’s attention.
In your resume summary, mention the company and the position that you are applying for by name, include keywords from the job description, and highlight your most impressive skills and accomplishments.
Highlight Remote Working Experience and Skills
With the drastic increase in remote work, employers want to see that you’ve kept up with the emerging technologies and strategies - especially if you are applying for a remote job. Be sure to mention on your resume if you have done remote work and if so, which technology and software you are familiar with.
For example, you might list experience with Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangouts, other collaborative software that you’ve used, the ability to work independently, and so forth in your skills section.
Some employers might not plan to go back to having workers in offices full-time, so it’s important to show that you can thrive in either scenario.
Optimize Your Resume for ATS Scans
By now, the vast majority of companies are using applicant tracking software (ATS) to scan incoming job applications and automatically weed out those that aren’t qualified. Only those applications that pass the ATS scan will be forwarded to a human hiring manager.
To ensure that your resume passes this initial scan, use a simple resume layout, avoid images and other graphics, and include keywords from the job description. The ATS searches each resume for certain elements that have been inputted by the hiring manager, so by touching on the key points from the job posting, you increase your chances of passing the scan.
List Your Soft Skills
Finally, include your soft skills on your resume. Employers are placing increasing importance on soft skills, which are also sometimes called people skills or qualities. Soft skills are universally applicable across almost all industries, and they are much more difficult to define or measure than hard skills (technical, job-specific skills). Additionally, soft skills are much more difficult to teach than hard skills, so many employers are hiring candidates with better soft skills, knowing that they can teach them hard skills as necessary.
Your soft skills might include things like analytical thinking, creativity, taking initiative, leadership, critical thinking, adaptability, emotional intelligence, persuasion, negotiation, stress tolerance, ability to work under pressure, reasoning skills, and so forth.
Whenever possible, include examples on your resume of when you demonstrated a soft skill in order to achieve something concrete for the company. For example, you could write that you led a team of 6 sales associates in a persuasion seminar and saw sales jump 50% as a result.