Typically, your resume is the first impression you make on potential employers. Whether you're just starting out in your career or a seasoned professional, a thoughtfully crafted resume can play an essential role in securing your next dream job. As a recruiter, I see many each week and have identified a few key details that make the best stand out. Here are seven tips for creating an easy-to-read resume that tells a compelling story and best represents you as a professional.

The start of a new season is often a time for goal setting and reflection. In the post-pandemic reality, many individuals are focusing their goals on what brings them joy and fulfillment – both in their personal and professional lives. 

As 2022 begins, it’s likely you’re reflecting on last year’s accomplishments and refining your goals for the new year. For many individuals, personal and professional aspirations are more intertwined than ever before, a result of long-term remote work, shifting priorities and continued unpredictability.

As the industry experiences “the Great Reshuffle,” it’s likely many people within your network are accepting positions at new companies, reevaluating their professional paths or making lateral moves. The experiences of the past 18 months have inspired individuals to reprioritize their work and personal responsibilities. Professionals have adjusted their employer expectations and redefined career satisfaction and success.

The need for interim talent is only growing. Seventy percent of executives plan to increase their use of on-site contract workers in the next two years, according to Gartner. Insurers are bringing in contractors to help handle heavy workloads, maintain productivity during new technology implementations, serve as subject matter experts in areas where they may lack in-house expertise, fill roles between full-time hires, and much more. As a contract worker, you’re able to benefit from flexibility, the ability to choose your projects, and the potential to gain insight and knowledge from a number of different teams and organizations.

In today’s primarily remote work environment, professionals have had to adjust how they approach daily interactions. Face-to-face meetings, impromptu hallway conversations, and in-person lunches are relatively nonexistent. Additional effort is required to meet colleagues, build relationships and make an impact in virtual meetings. Even as physical office locations begin to reopen, remote work and virtual interactions will likely continue indefinitely. In these hybrid work environments, it’s important individuals build and maintain consistent personal brands that reflect who they are both in person and on screen.

January is around the corner and most individuals are reviewing their professional goals and development plans for the coming year. In the past, these annual goals may have been linear and inspired by natural paths for career progression. However, the events of the past year have made it apparent the focus should shift to more agile goals and account for a professional reality that continues to blur into personal responsibilities and home life.

Welcome to the Age of Zoom! It’s likely your day now includes at least one – if not back-to-back – video calls. The use of Zoom has increased more than any other brand during the pandemic. In this new way of doing business, the ability to make a virtual impression and build relationships through a screen is an increasingly valuable art and a skill to be cultivated.

Mentorships can play a valuable role in all stages of your professional journey. Whether these relationships are developed through formal programs or more casual arrangements, gaining insight and perspective from mentors who excel in certain areas, have navigated similar situations or have overcome comparable challenges is invaluable. Mentorships can provide you with the clarity and confidence you need to make pivotal career decisions, take on new responsibilities or build key skills.

Now that organizations have been operating virtually for a few months, some of the initial novelty has worn off. Professionals are settling into their home offices and adopting new norms and expectations for operating in the current state of business. As the remote work environment becomes commonplace, it’s important to revitalize your role in propelling your organization’s corporate culture.