If your job is affected due to the impact of COVID-19, you may be looking for jobs on the market now. Beginning a job hunt can feel overwhelming, especially given the present situation. However, there are several steps you can use to give yourself the best chance for success. One of the most crucial things you can do is to reform or build your resume. In this article, we will talk over the excellent ways to build a resume employer will be interested in as we survive the effects of the coronavirus.
The importance of updating and tailoring your resume
If you're going for jobs hunting during COVID-19, it is anticipated that you will either find chances in the requisite workforce or remote jobs (even if only remote for the time being) as the country implements social distancing. As you look for new roles, it is crucial that you modernize your resume such that your background and experience ally with the roles you’re searching for now. To give yourself the best opportunities of ranking out in the candidate pool, it is also critical to modify your resume for each job you apply for, prioritizing key skills and strengths as it links to each specific job and employer.
This implementation is especially essential if you’re searching for job titles sectors you don't have experience worked in before. For example, if you were an engineer and cannot find another engineering job in the short term, you might be searching for other jobs that suit your skills and interests. While you may not have knowledge of those specific job titles, you can prioritize the transferable skills on your resume that make you a great candidate.
How to write a resume during COVID-19
Consider the following methods while you look for work during COVID-19 to develop a resume that will stand out to companies in the present environment:
1. Check the format of your resume and make any necessary changes.
2. Update or construct a resume summary or objective.
3. Go over the job description again.
4. Describe your contribution to the position.
5. Make your resume easy to read.
1. Check the format of your resume and make any necessary changes.
If you already have a resume, it's possible that it's in a traditional chronological format. When you have three to five years of experience in the same job title and industry, this format is ideal. If you're looking for work in other industries or tasks that you haven't done before, a functional or combo resume structure might be useful. These formats place a premium on your applicable talents.
2. Update or construct a resume summary or objective.
In these situations, including a resume summary or objective can be extremely helpful in providing further insight into your past and situation. For persons with at least a year of relevant professional experience, a resume summary is a succinct statement about your abilities, impact, and experience. A resume objective is a statement about your short- and long-term objectives that may be included in your resume.
It may be helpful to change the tone and language of your objective or summary to emphasize the ways your abilities and expertise will benefit the organization during this time—for example, excellent customer service, flexibility, and adaptability, and enthusiasm to work in critical roles.
Here are a few resume summary examples to put the COVID-19 job hunt into context:
Self-motivated university graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and critical learning technology experience.
Community outreach manager with experience developing and implementing outreach initiatives in metropolitan areas.
Dental office assistant with seven years of expertise keeping track of client scheduling, billing procedures, and office workflows.
Here are a few resume aim examples to put the COVID-19 job hunt into context:
I'm a well-organized and successful flight attendant looking for a career in customer service where I can put my passion for providing outstanding customer service to good use. Proven track record of increasing flight and pre-flight satisfaction ratings by 15%.
Motivated arts graduate and aspiring fashion buyer with advanced communication skills looking for online retail opportunities to expand my knowledge of the couture sector.
Experienced human resources expert seeking a customer-focused position where she can apply her considerable knowledge of employee relations, business, and internal communications to create a great experience for clients.
3. Go over the job description again.
Reviewing the job description for the roles you're applying for is one of the most crucial tasks you can do while developing or updating your resume. As a result, you may better grasp what the employer is looking for in a candidate and build your CV to emphasize and prioritize those abilities, traits, and experiences. Look for keywords in sections like "requirements" and "education." Place those that are relevant to your background near the top of your resume so that employers can easily find them. Other keywords should be woven into your resume's professional experience, education, and abilities sections.
For example, if the job description for an executive assistant says they are looking for a candidate with skills in “accuracy and attention to detail,” you might make one of your experience bullet points read this way: “Reduced spending on office supplies by 15% with new inventory process by exercising accuracy and attention to detail.”
4. Describe your contribution to the position.
It's vital to establish obvious linkages from your previous successes to the job you're seeking on any resume. The easier you make it for employers to see how much of an influence you can have in a role, the more likely you are to stand out from the crowd.
If you work in a coronavirus-affected industry and want to change careers, emphasize the abilities and expertise you have that can be transferred to another profession. Consider outlining how you can use your great time management abilities in a range of industries and how they apply to a remote position if you have them.
Another example: if you're a flight attendant seeking customer service positions, you should prioritize and explain how your customer service abilities helped you in previous jobs. Your professional experience section might look like this in practice:
IVAN AIR
Flight Attendant Lead | 2015–2020
During my stay, I was able to increase customer satisfaction by more than 20% by consistently planning and implementing service enhancements.
Over 45 new flight attendants were trained and mentored in customer service, emergency management, and safety standards.
To resolve customer crises, coordinated in-flight response and air-to-ground communications systems were implemented.
5. Make your resume easy to read.
Because most companies only have six seconds to scan each resume, it's critical that they can quickly locate key information. To do so, make sure your resume is properly formatted in the following ways:
Remove any outdated (jobs older than ten years) or irrelevant material from your resume to keep it to one page.
Document margins should be 12” to 1” wide.
Choose a simple, professional font like Arial or Helvetica.
If possible, use a font size of 10 to 12 points (smaller may be difficult to read and larger may appear unprofessional or distracting)
Make sure to prioritize the material in your CV that is relevant to the position, such as:
If your years of experience correspond with the employer's needs, include them in your resume summary—this can be years of experience with a specific talent or in a certain job or industry.
If the job description stresses specific soft or hard skills, such as expertise with specific software programs or sophisticated customer service, put your skills section near the top of your resume.
If you're transferring jobs or industries, put your talents section above your professional experience part.
If you're a new graduate with little work experience, put your education section near the top of your resume. If you have at least two years of professional experience, include it near the bottom of your resume. You can get rid of your attendance data if you have more than five years of experience.
A resume is frequently a prerequisite for moving further in the interview process in today's competitive professional job market. An excellent resume will show companies right away why the individual is a good fit. Therefore, it is critical to building a good resume to capture the recruiter's heart. Register today at Recruit Hero and don’t forget to follow our social media, Facebook, LinkedIn, Youtube Channel, and Twitter to learn about more relevant best-matched opportunities in Malaysia.