40-year-old executive, Saranya, came across two resumes for the role of Software Developer in her company. She couldn’t help but notice how one of them resembled hers, from when she was a fresher looking for a job. Did this work in the applicant’s favour? Apparently not!

The concept of a resume is to display your skill set and show the employers that you are the right fit for the job. The resume should represent your accomplishments and strengths, mainly related to the job.

While Saranya’s employers were looking for a candidate with an impeccable scorecard, much has evolved since then. The technological landscape is constantly shifting and, with it, the expectations of the employers. The resources available to a person at the comfort of their home are immense. It is expected out of job seekers to make the most of them.

Saranya knows that the requirement for the company goes beyond academic accomplishments. She’s looking for a driven professional, active in their field of interest.

Now, to the question of the hour – What constitutes an ideal resume?

Strike the perfect balance

A resume should hold a perfect balance of academic, soft skills, and practical accomplishments. The growing demands of the employers put forth a new requirement – a web presence. As you research the company’s setting before applying, employers have cultivated the habit of looking into a job seeker’s profile. By planning a remarkable web presence specific to your niche, you stay ahead of the curve.

Thrive with a digital presence

1. Choose your niche
Explore the different topics that interest you and train yourself either through a DIY method or a trained professional. Although accredited certificates prove to be a testimonial for your course completion, the employees expect you to present practical projects built from the knowledge obtained. The online resources help you be a part of projects in numerous ways. The base point is to get out of your comfort zone and volunteer for activities that challenge you. You can always start small and expand your horizon as you go.

2. Join online communities

There are numerous communities specific to niches where professionals support each other and contribute actively to real-time projects. Some of the popular online communities include – GitHub, Stack Overflow, Developers Forum, SAP Community Network & Experts Exchange. Being an active member of communities will enable quality knowledge transfer.

3. Explore Ideas

Feed to your curiosity! If you ever have an intriguing idea, put on your thinking hat and work towards bringing it to action. No matter how hard it seems, ask for help, reach out in communities, and make progress. The effort you put in today will help you reach heights tomorrow. The practical implementation allows you to round out your learning process.

4. Utilise every opportunity

The key is to make the most out of every opportunity that presents itself. Go all-in for competitive and code hosting platforms, register yourselves with the open-source projects available, contribute to the projects and communities by staying active and consistent throughout the project. It enables you to engage and learn the complete life cycle of the project. It also helps if you write a detailed whitepaper/research paper and publish it externally.

Organisations prefer to see your work rather than hear you talk about your capability. After all, a project works as a testament to your skill that no certificate can hold. A consistent, sustainable approach to reflect your interest and abilities will help you land your dream job!

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” – Albert Einstein

Also read: How to hire the right person for your team

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