3 Tips for Updating a Resume to Adapt to the Modern Job Market | Business

The job market can be unpredictable. Although employment reports suggest that the market is now flooded with job openings, professionals looking to change careers or companies know that the modern job search is no picnic.

In early summer 2023, there was reportedly an average of one job opening for every two applicants on professional social networking site LinkedIn. Professionals are also dealing with a job market where companies that rushed to hire candidates during the pandemic are now more deliberate in their hiring practices, sometimes interviewing candidates up to six times before completing the process. In addition, a 2023 TIME/Harris Poll survey found that 52 percent of applicants with a bachelor's degree or higher completed an interview without receiving a job offer.

There's no denying that professionals face challenges when it comes to job hunting. While there's no guarantee that the right opportunity will come along quickly, professionals can update their resumes in three notable ways to increase the chances of getting their applications seen.

Write a new summary

The professional resources experts at Indeed recommend that individuals write a new work history summary that reflects their qualifications for each role they plan to apply for. Include past accomplishments, duties, and responsibilities relevant to each role and highlight these in the summary. For example, individuals seeking a management position can highlight previous experiences where they took on a supervisory role to complete a project.

Include important keywords

The frustration many modern professionals feel when looking for new opportunities can stem from how easy it is to apply for a job and never receive a response. Indeed points out that many hiring managers use applicant tracking software when reviewing applications. Such programs scan resumes for predetermined keywords and discard applications that don't contain them. Carefully reading each job posting can provide insight into which keywords to use, as the correct terms are usually included right in the job description. Indeed also recommends mentioning the company name and exact job title in the summary or career objective section.

Don't forget the person who will read your resume

Although ATS software plays an essential role in modern recruiting, the resume will ultimately be seen by a human if it gets through the ATS portion of the review process. Read through your resume several times before submitting to make sure it reflects your accomplishments, talents, and ambitions, and not just contains the keywords that will get the document seen by humans. Many resumes will not pass the ATS software, so it is imperative that the resume illustrates a candidate's qualifications and talents.

The modern job search is time-consuming and often frustrating. To pass the screening process, applicants must update their resume so they can use the modern hiring process to their advantage.