I remember the days when we all put our address on our resumes when we were job hunting. And our birthdates. Now I’m showing my age. I love that inclusion means that we no longer require information that really has nothing to do with our ability to do the job. Particularly our hairstyles. Yes, you can come to the interview with green tips or a purple fringe and like all good recruiters out there, I won’t give it a second thought, except if it’s matching a shirt, in which case, kudos for the coordinating tones. We just don’t need to see it in a ¾ page spread on the front page of your resume though. Yup, photos are out too. Phone numbers, however, are very much in; I guess the other reason we don’t need addresses any more is that no one’s sending mail, but it’s super helpful to include your contact number on your resume, not just your job board profile.

It’s hard to keep up with the changing pace of finding a job. No one’s wearing a power suit anymore, FaceTime is a meetup and good talent now interviews the boss. It’s no wonder baristas are applying for marketing and comms roles, they’re probably brand influencers between lattes, whipping up a storm on social media and blogging for food mags while no-one’s sipping. When did it become the norm for a corporate supernova to cameo as an out of work artist, wearing converse to an interview and making us shift in our seats with their awe-inspiring talent?

You don’t need your marital status on your resume either. But you do need to answer your phone. There’s such a thing as a little too laid back. I’ve watched recruitment (now there’s an old word), slip and slide as the market balances in and out of the candidate favour. We used to value propriety but the millennials changed all that, we used to view stability as the hallmark of success, now we simply see the success, we used to applaud big-ticket corporate names on resumes, now we value small pieces of work that change the world. The work you do and the influence you have outweighs job titles, company logos and in some cases salary packages.

The perfect resume reads like the headlines of your professional autobiography. A compelling opening, a few winning achievements and a snapshot of how you made a real difference. I heard work history once being called a “corridor of experience”, that was naff, but the Q-code in the top right-hand corner that took me to an online profile jam-packed with examples of work, was not. When companies make clever ads with emotional messaging that you identify with, they’ve made a connection. That’s what your resume needs to be. It’s your brand, your business, your perfect life in your back pocket. And it’s still your calling card to your next career move, make it count!

Photo credit: Anna Johansson