Resume Rules that Matter Now—What to Include, Cut, and Highlight
- amy Leighton
- Jul 17
- 2 min read
Even with all the changes in the modern job market, the resume continues to be the gold standard for presenting yourself to an employer. When applying for a job in today’s climate, you not only have to display your previous experience and hopes for your career in written form, but you also have to keep up with rapid changes in technology. A modern resume must highlight key skills, be focused on the desired job, and also be ATS-friendly (Applicant Tracking Systems) and efficient. Here are some ways to approach a modern resume.
Think minimalist. Designing a clean-looking resume continues to be the trend. This is created by structuring your resume clearly and having consistent formatting throughout, utilizing bullet points for easy reading and choosing a crisp font. If you’re in a creative field, you may be able to slightly break out of the minimal, but it’s still important to keep the overall design simplistic and professional-looking. If you use color and an atypical formatting, do so sparingly to focus on key areas, such as your headings. You want your resume to catch an employer’s attention for what’s in it, not only how it looks.
Focus on keywords. Think Search Engine Optimization (SEO) when putting together your resume. Many organizations today use ATS to sort through resumes quickly and give employers a ranked list of resumes based on keywords. The use of these words usually focus on skills and experiences related to the job that is posted. To find these keywords, scour the job description and then match the words you use in your resume to what you find. Be careful not to use too many keywords because this can backfire. The focus should be on making them flow naturally with the rest of your details.
Consider using visuals. If you are in a field related to marketing, design, or digital media, you may want to think about incorporating either a video or other visual element. The trend for more creative industries is to provide a professional-looking video resume to show off more about your creativity, communication skills, and personality. This video should only last up to two minutes and again focus on your skills and professional accomplishments. However, this video resume doesn’t replace a written resume, it only enhances it.
Modern rules for resumes are trending toward highlighting achievements and skills which need a tailored resume that emphasize measurable impacts and contributions based on your skills. Having a digital version of your resume is becoming a necessity so use platforms like LinkedIn to showcase what you bring to the table. Think about a resume as your own brand ambassador. It will make you stand out from your competition if you are able to have a solid presence online that brings together all of your experiences.
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