Now is the time of a well-developed economy which leads to a highly competitive labor market. This means that each person looking for a job has more than a hundred other applicants for the same position. Being in such a condition is very stressful, so people try to stand out in different ways. We are here to reveal some secrets and help you do it better than others.
What information is important?
When you are writing a resume or talking to your potential employer, the initial thought that you have - the more information the better. However, you need to understand that the employer doesn’t want to know everything about you; they are interested in just the useful things. So what is useful?
- Firstly, your work experience is undoubtedly important. However, not every position that you’ve held is relevant, so only include those that are somehow connected to the position you are currently looking for. If you want to get a position in the IT sphere, there is no practical reason to mention your first job as a shop assistant at a clothes shop.
- Secondly, personal information usually includes contact details such as your phone number and personal email address. It’s even better if you have a professional email address. However, personal information does not include your family status, religion, political alignment and other too personal things. None of these are connected to the position you’re applying for. Moreover, revealing them may lead to conscious or unconscious discrimination. Be careful!
- The words you use create an image in the recruiter's mind. So, if you want to have a professional image, ensure that you sound professional. Depending on the field of work, conversations may be more or less formal, but following standards and paying attention to your speech is essential.
- Adding information about soft and hard skills is a must but that doesn’t mean the list can be endless. Choose only those you can really demonstrate and those you will need to use in your work. Don’t lie about your skills - it shows.
These rules are not unbreakable, but following them will help you make the right first impression. And once you’re ready, it is time to present this information to a recruiter or an employer.
- Not every work experience is relevant and important, so consider this when writing your resume
- Avoid mentioning personal details such as age, family status, political, or religious preferences unless they are directly related to the position
- When talking to a recruiter, use appropriate language; try to strike a balance between being too informal and sounding overly aristocratic
- Highlight only the hard and soft skills that are required for the exact position
Examples of dos and don’ts in action
We laid out the theory, now it's time for some practice. Let's take a look at good and bad examples of how and what you can tell about yourself.
High school science teacher
🔴 Bad example: I worked at my previous school for 20 years and developed immunity to children's cries and manipulations. I have a deep understanding of the subject and can instill knowledge in any student. I am a Protestant Christian and deeply respect my beliefs, unlike the current generation. I believe that my work experience makes me the best candidate for your vacancy.
Problems: personal information, informal and inappropriate speech
🟢 Good example: I have a deep understanding of child and adolescent psychology, having worked in a school for over 20 years. I always strive to find an individual approach to each student, even the most unique ones. I continue to develop my knowledge of the subject I teach, keeping up with the evolving world.
Front-end developer
🔴 Bad example: I have extensive work experience in various fields: copywriting, sales, assistant developer, and at my last position, I grew to become a mid-level developer. I can effectively apply all the knowledge and experience I have gained in the future. I possess a wide range of useful skills: communication skills, team building, client management, writing both mobile and web applications, public speaking, multitasking, and much more.
Problems: irrelevant work experience and skills
🟢 Good example: I have experience working as an assistant developer, where I worked for 3 years and grew to become a mid-level developer. The experience and skills I gained from my previous position continue to help me develop further. I consider my most important skills to be multitasking, communication skills, and the ability to work in a team. I have experience in developing both mobile and web applications.
Digital Marketer
🔴 Bad example: I am 34 years old, married, and have two wonderful daughters, aged 12 and 4. I worked as a nurse for 5 years, but at some point, I realized it wasn't for me and decided to completely change my profession. Working in a hospital was very difficult, seeing all those sick people. It's scary to imagine my dear daughters in such a situation. I took courses in digital marketing and have been working in this field for 3 years now.
Problems: personal information, irrelevant work experience
🟢 Good example: Initially, I worked in the medical field, but I decided to change my profession and pursue digital marketing because it has always interested me. After completing the courses, I got a job at a small company. Over the 3 years of working in this company, I have learned a lot and helped increase sales by 35%.
Where do we have to disclose the information?
You've chosen all the information you need and are ready to present it. You will have to do this twice: once in your resume and once in an in-person interview.
Resumes usually have a certain structure that you should follow. This structure helps ensure you don’t forget anything and maintain a formal appearance. On the other hand, it also tends to make every resume look quite the same. If people want to stand out, they often turn on their creativity, which does not always work in their favor.
It seems that in-person interviews, on the contrary, have more freedom to express your thoughts the way you want. However, it is no secret that in an in-person interview, you answer the recruiter’s questions, which are again structured. There is definitely more room for improvisation, and here you have to be careful. Recruiters know what to ask and how to ask in order to get the information they need. Sometimes you may find yourself discussing a topic you hadn't planned for, and by then, it's already too late. In-person interviews lack your control over the situation, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.
You will go through these two stages anyway, so acknowledging the fact that you understand the pros and cons of both is a big advantage you can gain.
- There are two stages where you must disclose information about yourself: your resume and an interview
- The typical structure of a resume is easy to follow and fill out, but it also lacks freedom and can make all resumes look alike
- During the interview, you have the opportunity to discuss your skills and experience in more detail. However, the process is controlled by the interviewer, who decides what you can say, for how long, and how much you can share
Faster, easier, better
Resumes lack freedom, interviews lack control. But there is a third option. Video resumes eliminate unnecessary problems and provide a solution. In a video resume you are free to express emotions and deliver your attitude toward work. This resume will be the way you want it to be. In a video resume you choose the questions you want to answer. There is no one trying to pull out details you are not ready to share. And uhired can help you make your video resume special.
If you want to know more about video resumes, go and check “How is a video resume helpful for me?”.
We provide you with a list of relevant questions you can answer based on the profile you’ve filled out. There is no need to search for appropriate questions on the Internet, you’ll have a ready-made plan. At the same time, we are not recruiters, you can skip any question you have nothing to say about.
While written resumes have a particular structure and are limited to ‘one page only,’ in a video, you can answer informative questions more effectively, including examples from your work experience and previous projects.
- With a video resume, you have much more freedom and control over how you present yourself
- uhired is the ideal platform for creating a video resume, offering tailored questions crafted by AI. By responding to these questions, you can create a unique video resume
- Unlike traditional resumes, there's no restriction to a single page, and you won't encounter generic questions like 'Why do you want to work for our company?'
- You have the flexibility to choose which questions to answer, how much information to provide, and what aspects of yourself to disclose
Video resumes are unique
Do you remember we said that all written resumes look almost the same? Video resumes solve this problem as well. Every person is unique, and their videos will be unique too (unless you’re trying to steal someone’s personality).
Even processes like screening interviews may become unnecessary because the recruiter has already built an image of you, understood how you will fit into the team and evaluated your communication skills. Your personality is the first thing an employer wants to see, it is your main advantage.
- Since no two people are completely alike, no two video resumes will be identical
- As the use of video resumes becomes more prevalent, traditional screening interviews may lose their relevance