Your resume is one of the most important parts of your job search. You need it to help you stand out from other candidates, catch the attention of recruiters, and, most importantly, land you an interview. But your resume won’t get any of this done if it’s old, outdated, and doesn’t adhere to the latest resume trends. 

If you’re about to start a new job search, you need to get your resume up-to-speed. So before you submit your application, review these 5 resume trends for 2020:

Highlight Your Accomplishments

Your resume needs to be more than just a list of your past responsibilities. Instead, you need to demonstrate the impact you had in your previous roles. That’s why you should focus on highlighting your past accomplishments on your resume. For example, it’s not enough to say you performed account analysis. Instead, you need to tell potential employers the results of your account analysis. You could say something like “Identified opportunity to reduce costs by 10% through account analysis, saving the company $1.2 million annually.”

Share Social Media Handles 

According to CareerBuilder, 70 percent of employers are checking the social media profiles of candidates before hiring them. Since they’re already going to look anyway, you might as well make it easy for them by listing your social media profiles on your resume. It helps them get to know you better than the relatively little information they can gather from your resume. 

You don’t have to go all out and share every single profile with them. But at the very least, you should list your LinkedIn profile along with your other contact information on your resume. Use caution though! Before you share links to your profiles, be sure that they project the professional image you want employers to see.

Remove Your Mailing Address 

In 2020, mailing addresses on resumes is an antiquated practice left over from the pre-Internet era. A mailing address serves little to no purpose in today’s world. Rather than your full mailing address, it is appropriate to list the city you live in so potential employers know you’re a local candidate and are not seeking relocation assistance. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, remove your mailing address from your resume to declutter and modernize your resume. 

Update Your Resume Design

Gone are the days of plain resume designs. In 2020, look to modernize your resume with a fresh design update. Your resume doesn’t need to be a work of art. A splash of color and possibly some icons or graphics can be enough to spruce up your resume. If you haven’t updated the design of your resume in a while, check out the resume templates in Microsoft Word, or search the internet to find free resume templates. 

Add Keywords for Applicant Tracking System  

Many employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to manage their recruitment efforts. An ATS allows the user to search resumes for keywords or phrases, much like a search engine. This tool helps employers identify which applicants included those keywords on their resumes, and can help identify which applicants have the experience and skills necessary for the position. To get an idea of what keywords employers are searching for on your resume, review the job posting. Use some of the same words they use to describe the person or skills they are looking for.

Is Your Resume Ready for Employers?

Before you start sending your resume to potential employers, contact Burchard & Associates. We help accounting and finance professionals find career opportunities in the St. Louis area. Check out our available jobs or contact us today to get started on your job search.