Expert Tips to Give your Resume a Post-COVID-19 Refresh

All of us are still juggling how would we work, live and thrive in the post-pandemic future?

Well, this January its time to Rise & Shine!

From slowdown to the economic integration, we move forward to a new year and now it’s imperative that we find out healthier ways to build a sustainable post COVID culture around us. As the world is upside down and predictions can’t be made now. So, isn’t it more crucial to unlock the future possibilities in such world?

Well, it is, as in recent months, a large number of people have lost their jobs. Midst high unemployment and continued economic uncertainty, people who are looking for a job are having major times of trouble. Many of us need to update our resumes and need to beat such uncertainties.

Adios Lockdown Blues!

If you want to use your time spent in lockdown to add to your resume you need to show that you developed skills or knowledge or gained throughout the period. Writing down certain activities in your resume, might convey how proactive, resilient, caring and how interested you are to develop skills in specific field and so on.

Don’t let a crisis go to Waste

Are you thinking about making a career change? Or finding a job because you have been out of work during the COVID-19 pandemic? The post-COVID-19 job scenario is already different than we could ever think.

Below, we've curated some tips and bits of knowledge from industry expert Ms. Shraddha Bhandari Agarwal to help give our resume a pandemic update until you submit your next job application.

Tailor your Resume to fit each opening

· Keep it Short and Simple

Your resume needs to be maximum 1 page, short and crisp. Capture key highlights and let the recruiter be curious of your profile. Trying to make your resume presentable and easier can be tedious at once but will surely leave a lasting impact on the interviewer’s mind.

There are simple things you can surely do to keep your resume easily readable and presentable to a hiring manager.

· Break Down into pieces

Your resume can be split into 4 major parts: Education, Experience, Skill Sets and Awards/Certifications. You can try bullet points and avoid paragraphs to present important highlights such as skills and achievements.

Using bullets helps you to keep the space between important information and allow hiring managers to give it a perfect glance.

· Keep it Precise

Give a kickstart to your career by creating an appealing resume that doesn’t just capture your objectives like ‘who you are’ and ‘what you are looking for’ but also sheds light on ‘what you can offer’.

Being Precise about your skillset and showcasing Compelling Accomplishment Statements into your resume can really do wonders!

· Upskilling is a new normal

When we all were sailing on the boat of self-isolation, it really felt like the coronavirus has set the world on hold as we waited for release from our temporary imprisonment.

During the pandemic disguise, most businesses had to re-design their way of working.

Be a smart candidate and look for the blessing in such disguise, therefore you can highlight what you did differently during or after the lockdown, how you did and what did your organisation achieve from it.

· Show off the skills

Aren’t you sure how to showcase your best skills on resume?

Skill is different from your work experience and is simply an ability and competence to do things. Highlighting skills in your resume related to technology, creativity and communication, would be beneficial as this a need of an hour.

Try and connect your skills sets with the job you are applying for, and describe how the organisation would benefit from it.