The year 2019 saw the entry of new skills into the workforce. The constantly evolving landscape of work, skills, and redefined nature of jobs has kept every corporate professional on their toes. In a competitive talent market, the need to stand out is high. Be it for the CHRO role, or a Talent Acquisition Head, or a job change in any other department, talent leaders have had to spruce up their resumes and gear up for 2020. 

In order to further explore the factors that maketh a successful resume, the People Matters team talked to experts in the field and highlighted several tips and ways to create an outstanding resume for your next job in HR or any other corporate leadership role. 

Here we’ve compiled a few of the most read resume-related articles from 2019: 

The ‘Perfect’ CHRO Resume

As business continues to evolve, the expectations of companies from their HR heads are skyrocketing. The selection criteria is getting tougher as the HR leader climbs her/his way to the top. Just having an in-depth expertise in the HR field alone is not enough to become the next CHRO. CEOs are looking for leaders who have had interdisciplinary experience in various departments ranging from product development, sales, operations etc. to take up the HR Head role.

Some of the major ingredients of a successful and ‘perfect’ CHRO resume that have been highlighted in this article include: multi-regional experience, an adviser to business, CHRO as a coach, a clear grasp of social media, networking prowess, agility and quick learnability, and the ability to manage through disruption. 

Here is a cheat sheet for writing a perfect CHRO resume for when you make the next shift in your job role.

Perfect Resume of a Talent Acquisition Head

Talent acquisition has always been the backbone for organizations who consider skilled employees to be the drivers of company growth. The talent acquisition function is majorly responsible for bringing in the right kind of talent and capabilities for business success. In light of the recent years that have been marked by digital disruptions, the role of the Talent Acquisition Head has become even more instrumental in identifying the right set of skills and capabilities required for business today. 

Companies are competing for the same pool of skilled talent which is scarce. In a tight labor market, the way in which companies attract, source, assess, hire, and onboard talent is key. Key trends such as the increased focus on inclusivity and diversity, the rise of social media as a way to source talent, and the broken barriers of geography in this gig economy, are particularly making the role of a TA Head all the more challenging, yet vital for the seamless functioning of the business. 

Organizations are thus looking for TA Head candidates who can play a strategic role for their business. Some of the skills and experiences that leaders are looking for from their TA heads include: proficiency in using new-age TA tools, understanding of TA metrics/KPIs, empathetic listener, a storyteller who can help in employer branding, and experience in leveraging data via analytics as well. 

Here is a cheat sheet on what it takes to become the head of the TA function.

Writing a resume for the changing job market 

Apart from the top roles in the HR landscape, writing a strong resume has become increasingly important in the rapidly changing job market. From the job-seeker’s perspective, the aim must be to focus on writing a resume that is attuned to the changes taking place in the recruitment function so that the chances of their resume getting shortlisted are maximized. 

Some of the major trends and tips that job-seekers can keep in mind when writing their resumes include: ensure that your resume is ATS (Applicant Tracking System) compliant. The ATS software collects, sorts, scans, and ranks the resume of job applicants. An ATS-compliant resume includes: picking the right resume format, keeping the resume crisp (a one-pager), incorporating keywords into the resume, ensuring that the resume is relevant to the particular job you’re applying for, writing the resume in a reader-friendly and articulate manner, highlighting achievements in bold, and choosing one-line pointers vs. paragraphs. 

Check out more tips and tricks for writing an articulate and stunning resume in a changing job market.

10 Resume writing tips for a job change

Finally, if you start thinking about your resume as a way to tell the world your own story, it becomes easier to hone in on the relevant parts of your journey and enable you to find strong reasons why you would make a good fit for the role that you want. 

If you are looking to change your job, there are a few pointers that you should keep in mind while sprucing up your resume: identify the skills that you have developed in your current job that can be transferred over to the next one, be concise and get to the point which also helps in highlighting only the relevant aspects of your work, basic hygiene such as editing and proofreading your resume is a crucial element of professionalism that is often forgotten--so, find a friend who can edit your work! And, finally, be unafraid to show yourself. That way, you are more likely to find a job that not only suits your career goals but also fits your personality and allows you to truly thrive in the workplace. 

For more resume writing tips when seeking to make a job change, read here.