Resumes Will Continue to Become Shorter, Tighter, and More Laser-Focused
The three- or four-page executive resume has given way to a standard two-page document, and resumes for people at all levels are by necessity becoming crisper and more to the point. Factors influencing this trend include the proliferation of smart phones and other hand-held devices with minuscule screens; the explosion of the social media site Twitter that condenses all messages to 140 characters; and the bombardment of multimedia messages and advertisements that constantly entertain, distract, and shift focus. Readers quickly lose interest in wordy resumes that don’t get right to the point.

Resumes are Morphing Into Online Profiles
While the traditional paper resume is still alive and well, it is no longer enough. Smart professionals are creating and maintaining online profiles whether or not they are actively searching for a new job. In fact, LinkedIn has become the executive recruiter’s “passive database,” a method for trolling through potential candidates before they become active job seekers. This trend is expected to continue as individuals post more and more information about themselves, their careers, their passions, and their personalities so that potential employers can select candidates based not just on qualifications but on the more elusive “fit” factors.

Personal Contact Information is Limited
An inflexible rule for resumes for the past several decades was to list your home address and multiple means of contact—email address, home phone, cell phone, pager, fax number, and any other information that would help people contact you. That trend is shifting, for two reasons: the prevalence of online resume posting and the ubiquity of cell phones. In response to identity theft issues, we now recommend that individuals not include their home address on resumes that are widely e-mailed or posted on the Internet. It is enough to indicate just city and state if you want to give readers an idea of your physical location. And because more and more people are reachable at all times via cell phone and email, it is sufficient to list just one cell number and one email address rather than cluttering up the resume with multiple data points that force readers to choose how to contact you.

Lengthy Cover Letters Are Evolving to Crisp E-Letters
Email and online applications are now the dominant methods for communicating with employers, sending a resume, and applying for a job. Of necessity, then, cover letters have evolved to keep up with this trend, and this evolution is expected to continue. Replacing traditional cover letters that were detailed “career stories,” today’s e-letters are crisp, high-impact messages that combine short sentences, brief paragraphs, and perhaps a few concise bullet points to quickly communicate a few key facts that will be most meaningful to the reader. Like modern resumes, today’s cover letters cater to the short attention spans and multiple distractions that are commonplace in today’s (and tomorrow’s) fast-paced business environment.

Documents Become More Distinctive
In line with trends in personal branding, electronic job search, niche marketing, and all aspects of career management, career marketing documents have evolved from bland “career summaries” to one-of-a-kind marketing documents with messages that clearly communicate unique value rather than cookie-cutter qualifications. This trend supports the creation of multiple vehicles—online profiles, web portfolios, tweets, e-letters, blogs, and more—that all share the distinct voice of the individual yet are tailored for the specific medium. As a result, even in a sea of media and messages, individuals can become recognized and sought out for their unique expertise.

Brought to you by
 Louise Kursmark, MRW, CPRW, CEIP, JCTC, CCM
Resume & Career Marketing Communications Expert – Career Thought Leaders Consortium
President – Best Impression Career Services
Founder & Director – Resume Writing Academy
Email:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/louisekursmark
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/louisekursmark
Phone: 781-944-2471