Resumes have always played an integral part in the steps involved towards getting a job. In fact, it happens to be the first step which gets you closer to the interview chair. The entire dress to impress concept has been a thing of utmost importance when it comes to showcasing your very best in that piece of paper, which will turn frivolous if it fails to reach the table of the employer.

I did a bit of deep digging for this article and found out that the love affair began way way back than one would imagine and the first man to have created a resume during around 1481-82, who was also one of the greatest painters to have ever stepped on the Earth, Sir Leonardo Da Vinci. However, it was not your usual form, since the resume has seen a gazillion updates and amendments in the past 540 years or so. It was in fact, a letter written to a potential employer.

Of late, as the world has seen a 180-degree change in terms of almost everything, with makeovers becoming a part of our lifestyle. And in this change of scene, the humble resume has not been far behind, and there have been changes which would blow even Leonardo Da Vinci’s mind, if he was to witness it.

Infographic resumes, video resumes, website resumes, audio resumes, the world has seen it all. However, the one thing that could not see a complete turn has been long, lengthy resumes, which are almost always not even fully read by the potential employers. With time literally running faster than flash for most of these days, there is no time left to read an entire resume full of bullets and sub heads of about 2-3 pages.

The future of resumes is small, to the point and precise Lean resumes rather than the ones that are so heavy on text that your chances of getting a job might just get shelved right there. While video and audio resumes may be used in many places when it comes to the futuristic approach to resumes, however, the textual form of resumes will remain an essential part. All that will be needed to be done is, squeezing all the information in just one sheet of paper.

Sample One Page Resume by GetSetResumes

Sample One Page Resume by GetSetResumes

While there may be arguments as to how could one fit everything in a one pager, the trick is to make sure that the resume is crisp enough with all the information smartly fit in one. For instance, if one really wants to talk about a few key points about the accomplishments and achievements, they could be fit in, and for others, the link for a LinkedIn profile could be given in the resume itself so that they can check that if you are an interesting fit for them.

In fact, experts have said that a recruiter only spends about 30 seconds when it comes to going through a resume. So, if your 2-3 pager resume do not contain important information in the beginning itself, you are out of the game without even playing an over.

Similarly, for the ones in design, instead of giving several links for the portfolio, everything could be collated at one place, and just that one link could be mentioned in the resume itself, to save space and the clutter that all those links would result in.

Another point to be noted here is that if the future of Lean Resumes says one page, it does not mean that you will fill it with so much information that the reviewer has difficulty in going through it. Please try to space it out, make it look aesthetically pleasing enough so that you have a good chance of being selected. Remember, the future of Lean resumes is all about the concept, “Less is More.”

To ensure that the resume is crisp and short enough with the exact information that your reviewer will expect, avoid adding unnecessary content. For instance, your hobbies if they are not relevant to your job, are not needed to be added in the resume. Similarly, your education that goes way back to your high school does not need that much weightage in your one pager.

When talking about your professional experience, make sure that you refrain from adding in too many bullets which are long and boring, instead, keep it short, precise and support your information graphically, which will not only be quick to go through but also an easy read to the eyes.

As they say, Time is Money and in the future this statement will hold all the more importance, therefore, make sure that you gel in to the future and transform your resume into the future.

 


This post first appeared on the getsetResumes.com Blog

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