Has your hiring team been noticing a major change in candidates’ resumes lately? When it comes to resumes of today, it’s not uncommon for job seekers to break the rules and add their own personal touch. Understanding modern-day resume trends are essential for recruiting the best and brightest talent in all industries. As you get acclimated, here are three major resume trends you may come across – and how they speak to a candidate’s credentials:   

Branded templates, visuals and graphics

Many candidates struggle to stand out among the competition, which is what often prompts them to create resumes with different colors, fonts and formats. Don’t be surprised to come across a resume with a unique template or branded graphic of the candidate’s initials. Candidates are opting to display their resumes with a more personalized approach to better attract the attention of hiring managers and recruiters. There’s no need to be alarmed by a resume with a flare – in fact, it shows the candidate put more time and effort into making themselves more memorable to employers!  

Links to social media profiles

For veteran hiring managers, seeing links to social media profiles on a resume can easily catch them off guard. However, with social media pervading the recruitment landscape, candidates are increasingly demonstrating their skills and abilities online – just as much as on paper. Rather than dismiss links to a candidate’s LinkedIn or Twitter profile, use these social media sites as outlets to learn more about their background, connections and professionalism. In many ways, you can discover much more about a candidate’s communication and interpersonal abilities from their social media presence – from seeing things like what type of content they post, how they communicate and the overall image they project online.  

Link to a personal website

In today’s digital age, many ambitious candidates have gone beyond the scope of their typical resume to provide a link to a personal website. In many cases, personal websites offer more than a candidate’s credentials, giving a broader view of who they are personally – and if they’ll be the right fit for your culture. For example, a candidate’s personal website may include information about their personal interests, professional aspirations and career goals. Tapping into personal websites can be invaluable in assessing candidates not just for their qualifications, but for who they are as people.  

As the world of resume development continues to evolve, hiring managers must embrace new trends and use them to better understand what candidates bring to the table. And, as resumes increasingly move to digital formats, it’s safe the say the trends above will soon be accepted across the board! 

Do you need help sifting through resumes?

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