The necessity of a job in the future will change, following the development of technology and automation. Some occupations like digital assistants might replace counter attendants, but more workers might be needed to help in staff distribution centres, McKinsey wrote. Not only jobs that change over technology and automation, however. The way individuals apply to a job also changes, especially on how they should create their resume.
As of today, a resume still becomes a mandatory requirement, nonetheless, the creation of it is far different from the past. The current phase of resume evolution started in the 70s with the first appearances of the home computer. As technology starts blooming, digital resumes through email have increasingly become the norm within the industry today. Job seekers are now expected to create a resume which is not only readable by human’s eyes but also by machine algorithms.
See also: Human Resources Skills for Resumes & Cover Letter
Today, resumes are greatly affected by the new technology resume screening, called applicant tracking system (ATS). The avert of ATS within hiring divisions has streamlined the hiring processes even further. ATS can whittle down unsuitable applicants expediently and filter out the best applicants in no time while eliminating hiring bias. Additionally, technological advances like blockchain technology will also come into effect in terms of resume screening.
Futurist and owner of Job.com, Arren Stewart commented that artificial intelligence (AI) is the latest technology today that has and will continue to change how a resume is written and read. Resumes are written based on what someone has done. AI, in this case, will not necessarily deem job seekers relevant if they write in the past tense and therefore, added Stewart, job seekers will not get mapped to the appropriate opportunities. In addition, resumes today must also be aspirational, alluding to the jobs or opportunities people want in the future.
In line with that, blockchain technology has already shaped how managers engage with their candidates’ resumes. Gartner study revealed that HR is now using blockchain to verify applicants’ information on their resumes and to conduct background screening to know candidates’ past history and how they behave on the internet. That said, HR has benefited from this technology to exclude unsuitable and untruthful candidates in no time.
As resumes are expected to pass the ATS algorithm, it could be a challenge for job seekers to create their resumes. Fortunately, job seekers can rely on keywords provided by the employer on their job descriptions. By matching the resume description in the keywords system, the chance to get through the ATS machine is higher. SHRM advised that keywords are not limited to helping resumes pass through robot ATS, it is beyond just stating job seeker’s skills and qualification. Keywords are indeed powerful because it helps communicate a specific message and critical information to recruiters.
Apart from resumes and keywords, job seekers today are also expected to demonstrate their skills, not just telling them. Thus, it is always wise to rely on a cover letter and/or portfolio to demonstrate one’s ability and capability. Resume is just a bridge for job seekers to pass the surface of the hiring process while the true challenge is how job seekers can show what they have written on their resume, which then will be recruiter’s consideration to hiring them.
Read also: What Do Recruiters Look For in a Resume?
