The Evolution of the Modern Day Resume

By Nia Saunders

A quality resume is the most important aspect of getting one’s foot in the door for a potential career. Although it doesn’t provide a full representation of the applicant, it does provide a detailed first impression to the employer. With the growing competition among college graduates entering the workforce, it is extremely important to create an effective and impressionable resume.

The use of professional resumes date back to the fifteenth century, an innovation that is credited to Leonardo Da Vinci. Fast forward to the early twentieth century, this is when providing a resume became a protocol among most employers. Most resumes at this time were simply written on scraps of paper and shared over lunch during an interview. It wasn’t until the mid-nineteenth century when resumes became required and began to include information such as one’s extracurricular activities and personal interests.

This brings us to the expectations and distribution of the modern-day resume. The World Wide Web has created a significant change in the way resumes are shared and expanded the opportunities through networking. Websites such as LinkedIn are geared towards connecting individuals on both sides of the hiring process by allowing users to create online profiles. This is a vast difference from the previous standard for resumes, when they were generally typed or handwritten on a sheet of paper. A typical LinkedIn profile includes a headshot, a detailed overview of employment history, a portfolio of previous work and endless other options for creating a thorough impression.

With the transition to digital resumes and the use of job search engines, came an increase in the number of applications that companies received online. Hiring managers spend their time sorting through dozens or hundreds of resumes trying to identify people with the right set of skills. Using keywords and concise phrases to describe one’s knowledge and education is imperative in standing out among other applications.

While hiring managers search for candidates who have the most skills required for the job, they can easily identify exaggerated resumes, which are highly discouraged. A survey conducted in 2014 by an online employment website, CareerBuilder, revealed 57% of 2,000 employers said the most common deterrent from hiring someone is catching them in a lie on their resume. Most of the inconsistencies had to do with skills that applicants claimed to have.

Simply including your skillset and employment history is not the only thing modern resumes should include in order to stand out among competition. Personal branding is a way for hiring managers to identify any unique values an applicant can bring to the table. Creating and promoting a personal brand allows people to market themselves. The concept is that one can “self-package” and “sell” themselves, similar to how a product is packaged and advertised.

As resumes and expectations of employers have evolved with technology, it is important to understand how to create a unique resume and professional profile. Including key words that highlight significant skills, promoting a personal brand and ensuring accuracy and honesty in one’s resume are a few effective ways to stand out among competitors.

 

Sources:

Bahler, Kristen. “What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2017 | Money.” Time, Time, 5 Jan. 2017, http://time.com/money/4621066/free-resume-word-template-2017/.

Collins, Dona. “The 500-Year Evolution Of The Resume.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 12 Feb. 2011, www.businessinsider.com/how-resumes-have-evolved-since-their-first-creation-in-1482-2011-2#resumes-become-an-institution-2.

Collins, Dona. “The 500-Year Evolution Of The Resume.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 12 Feb. 2011, www.businessinsider.com/how-resumes-have-evolved-since-their-first-creation-in-1482-2011-2#resumes-become-an-institution-2.

“LinkedIn Profile Tips: What the Best LinkedIn Profiles Look Like.” LinkedIn Makeover: LinkedIn Profile Optimization, www.linkedin-makeover.com/linkedin-profile-samples/.

Guiseppi, Meg. “How to Improve Your Brand: 10 Tips for Stronger Resume Branding.” Job-Hunt.org, www.job-hunt.org/personal-branding/stronger-resume-branding.shtml.