February 20, 2021
As technology continuously evolves and you search for employment – it’s important to keep up to date with what will work and not work when it comes to submitting your resume – which includes looking at the resume trends for 2021 and beyond! Gone are the days of making that first impression by walking through the door of a potential employer and shaking the manager’s hand.
In fact, people may look at you funny if you walked through with your resume! In today’s world, large companies rely heavily on specific systems of recruiting and hiring and it’s important now more than ever to work with those systems to develop a winning application.
In 2021, we’ve done away with a lot of the traditional forms of job searching, and have relied more on automated systems to cull bad resumes. Now that job searching is more challenging, it’s critical to take the time to do the research – and build a strong set of documentation that will set you apart from other applicants.
In this blog, we’ll go through how to apply online like a pro to ensure you’re up to date with the resume trends of 2021. From building your base resume and tailoring it to specific applications, to filling in your applicant profile on major company’s websites – to the concept of the functional resume and how it can help smooth out job gaps that may have been created by the current economy.
As the pandemic progresses, we’ve seen fewer jobs and more people applying for them. Taking the time to follow these tips will help you get ahead and get noticed.
If you’re still unsure how to market your skills, it’s time to bring in an expert, and we can help. Resume Ninjas offers 1:1 resume coaching and packages that will take our impression of you and your job experiences and help you create a resume that will set you apart from other applicants.
You may have assumed that resume trends for 2021 would look like highlighting our favourite fonts, or attention-grabbing formatting. Instead, you should err on the practical side of things in order to produce a guide that will help you produce effective resumes for the current pandemic job field.
The following sections will go over some of the best ways to tune up your resume for the highly competitive job market in 2021!
The functional resume format is fantastic for people who want to highlight relevant, important skills and accomplishments – rather than their most recent position worked.
For example, if you’re a highly qualified candidate who was laid off from a head office of an airliner and had to work gigs to make ends meet – you won’t want to necessarily place these ‘make ends meet’ gigs front and centre. Instead, look at the position you’re applying for, and highlight the major skills you have and how you demonstrate them through your accomplishments.
Begin by replacing the “jobs you’ve held” section (the main body of the resume) with a list of major skills and accomplishments that can highlight these skills. This will benefit you as you can group your accomplishments across multiple positions that you’ve held into one area – significantly increasing the quality of what you’re putting out there.
Then, for the purpose of showing your job history, add a smaller section in which you list the job titles you’ve held and the dates that you held them. After this section is complete, the rest of your resume will look similar to the classic reverse-chronological format.
This is the quintessential resume format, and the name describes it well. Essentially, when listing your job skills, go from most recent to least – describing the skills and accomplishments under each position held. This is the most popular and well-used format, so if you don’t have any significant job gaps or irrelevant experience, and you aren’t pivoting out of a specific industry – this will be the best fit.
Have you worked at a public or private organization and wondered how they operated with outdated technology? Or frustratingly sent an email off to IT as an update went bad on your ten-year-old Lenovo Thinkpad? What about wandering off to prepare coffee while your computer loaded user profiles?
Thankfully, we don’t have these problems when working from home as we tend to purchase newer technology and run light programs – so we may assume that what we can load and support on our computers can be seen by a recruiter. We can assure you that it probably won’t! Make sure that if you’re going to use an online resume builder that you save it as a PDF, so it won’t be converted weirdly by outdated programs.
When you choose your font, go for a simple sans serif that’s easy to read. Some suggestions include Arial, Helvetica, Tahoma, or Verdana. Don’t use a new and fancy font that you’ve created or downloaded from a font generator, as it likely won’t work on older computers.
If you’re trying to fit a fair amount of information on one page, don’t make your font tiny. Anything smaller than a 10.5 will be too tricky for your hiring manager to read. The maximum size should be 12 (not including headings), otherwise, it may look odd. You’ll also want your margins to be one inch on all sides.
You may be tempted to increase the width of your writing to fit more information, but it will likely be cut off by the printer or resized funny making it difficult to read – so don’t do this!
If you find yourself with too many pages, it may be a signal to start paring down your information to fit the industry standard: which is one page double-sided.
Even if you’re looking for jobs on Indeed, LinkedIn or Glassdoor – the ad will often ask you to visit the companies site, and from there – apply through their HR systems. This is different from simply uploading your resume, instead, they will program their screening questions into fillable boxes for you to answer, and then add your resume into sections to allow the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to better screen your responses.
If you run into this (which you definitely will!), make sure to take the time to thoughtfully answer the questions. Sometimes this will take a while, but it’s absolutely critical. Even if you upload your resume, this is often the first step in the screening process – and will be your first foot in the door.
Additionally, these questions can be used for multiple applications. Much like a LinkedIn account, you build a user profile from which you can apply to multiple positions under the organization – and you’ll have the opportunity to reupload your resume to each application.
When you’re searching for your perfect career job, the effort starts in the application. Being lazy at this part (even if you’ve done 20 of them!) can screen you out from a hiring manager looking at your resume.
Finally, if you know what industry you’re going to work in, what organizations you’d like to work for, and what position you think you’re best qualified for – building these online profiles is a one-time nuisance that will really help you out in the long run!
Nowadays, most companies work with an ATS to screen out resumes that don’t fit the job description. This means that tailoring your resume is not only a helpful tip but is absolutely required to get through the system and into the hands of a hiring manager. Here are a few quick tips to getting through that pesky automated system:
You’ve tailored your resume to the job, but take it one step further – add the keywords from the job description in! Look at some of the descriptions of the work you’ve done. Are there synonyms with some of the keywords that can be exchanged?
This doesn’t mean you should copy out what they’re looking for word-for-word. Instead, look at replacing key action words with ones used by the hiring organization. The ATS knows that they’re important to the position – so it will look for those words in the resumes that are being sent in.
We often save resumes and cover letters as a PDF to limit formatting issues when received by the hiring manager. However, the ATS will have a much easier time ‘reading’ your resume if it’s a Word document.
Skip the fancy formatting and stick with something easy to read! It’ll be simpler to write and a lot more effective when screened by the ATS! If you’re looking for something eye-catching yet readable by the system, look for a resume template or builder that caters to the ATS (it should be clearly mentioned.)
One example of this is NovoResume – a system that was built by working directly with hiring managers and ATS builders to ensure their templates will port into these systems seamlessly and get applicants hired.
It’s 2021, and now more than ever you need to take extra steps to make the hiring manager’s job easier. This will in turn give them an opportunity to look into your qualifications further, and confirm your work history.
One important way to do this is to hyperlink your LinkedIn profile onto your resume, so they can simply click to see your full profile. While it may have been less important in the past, since all applications are now done online, hiring managers are now seeing your resume in its digital format – so you’ll greatly benefit from having a clean and accessible page!
At Resume Ninjas, we can’t stress the importance of reviewing your resume, cover letter, and application profiles. Start by reviewing the basics. For example, how’s your spelling? Using a service like Grammarly can give you a leg up when you spend a lot of time reviewing the same document over and over again. If you can, send your resume to friends or colleagues to review and give industry-specific advice. Make sure you leave out personal information and never include salary information.
Applying for jobs can be challenging, and the pandemic certainly hasn’t made things easier. The level of competition for each position is truly exaggerating – for every position you apply for, hundreds of people could be sending resumes alongside you.
Our non-resume-related advice is to stop and breathe. You’re going to find the job that’s the right fit for you. Finding that job you want quickly depends on the work you’re willing to do to get your resume into the hands of the hiring manager.
Are you putting in the time to add keywords from the job description to your resume?
Are you optimizing your formatting for the ATS?
These steps will be critical to your job hunting success.
In this guide, we spent time going over why the top resume trend for 2021 is ATS optimization. We hope that by the end of this article you’re starting to think about ways you can market your skills to be ‘robot friendly’.
If you’re still on the fence or want a better understanding of how to build up your resume to meet the resume trends for 2021, you can get in touch with us. At Resume Ninjas, we take great pride in offering holistic resume coaching packages that cover all areas of resume building. Our base package includes:
a 45-minute in-depth phone consultation
targeted keyword optimization and proven ATS compliance
unlocked and editable Word and PDF files
unlimited document revisions
career starter advice and tips and;
a recruiter list and job leads
We offer additional services like job application coaching to make sure that the positions you’re applying for match your skills and interests. If you think you’ll need more help, we get it! Get in touch with us and we can help design a coaching package that’s the right fit for you.
Client Type: Mid-Career | Stuck in Job Rut
Industry: Information Technology (USA-based)
Services Provided: Resume Optimization, Career Coaching, Interview Preparation
Backstory: This client worked in IT but was unmotivated and emotionally checked out. Though his job was “stable,” it didn’t bring joy—and his partner was beginning to question.
Backstory: This client worked in IT but was unmotivated and emotionally checked out. Though his job was “stable,” it didn’t bring joy—and his partner was beginning to question where his life was going. Fear of leaving the comfort zone and not knowing where to start had kept him stuck for years.
How Resume Ninjas Helped: Amen’s coaching goes beyond templates. In their session, she asked powerful questions like:
By helping him reconnect with his own story and strengths, she transformed his resume into a mirror of what he had actually accomplished. It was a confidence reframe, wrapped in a resume. She then coached him through interviews—offering insights, encouragement, and scripts that made him feel prepared.
Within one week, he landed interviews. Within days, he had an offer with a $30,000 salary increase.
Results:
Why It Worked: Amen’s unique combination of strategic resume editing, deep listening, and mindset coaching gave him the push he needed. She’s not just a resume writer—she’s a career catalyst.
“I forgot how talented I was until Amen reminded me. I walked away not just with a job—but with belief in myself again.”
Client Type: Re-entering Workforce | Domestic
Control Survivor
Industry: Undisclosed (Anonymized for privacy)
Services Provided: Career Support, Resume Build, Emotional Empowerment
Backstory: This client reached out in secret. In a controlling marriage where financial transactions were monitored, she couldn’t even send an e-transfer or use a card.
Backstory: This client reached out in secret. In a controlling marriage where financial transactions were monitored, she couldn’t even send an e-transfer or use a card without her husband finding out. But she was determined to take her first step toward independence—and that step was a resume.
How Resume Ninjas Helped:
Amen met her where she was—literally and emotionally.
Understanding the sensitivity of her situation, Amen offered to meet in person and accept payment in cash. More importantly, she offered non-judgmental space and emotional safety, reminding her of her strengths and education, and showing her the career potential she thought was lost. Even before the resume was written, the client broke down in tears, saying, “You’re an angel. I’m so grateful I called you.”
Amen’s coaching goes far beyond technical formatting—it’s trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and rooted in empowerment. With every conversation, she helped this woman believe she was worthy of a future—and that she wasn’t alone.
Results:
Why It Worked: Amen’s experience supporting women returning from maternity, abusive relationships, or major life changes gives her a special ability to see the human behind the resume. She doesn’t just write documents—she offers hope, safety, and clarity during life’s messiest transitions.
“Amen reminded me who I was before life broke me. I finally felt seen.”
Client Type: Career Shift | Midlife Professional
Industry: Laser Hair Removal & Skin Care – elegancestudio.ca Aesthetics & Personal Services
Services Provided: Career Coaching, Resume Writing, Business Branding & Marketing Strategy
Backstory: This client was more than just a job seeker—she was a mother, a caregiver, and a woman trying to rebuild her life after years of financial struggle.
Backstory: This client was more than just a job seeker—she was a mother, a caregiver, and a woman trying to rebuild her life after years of financial struggle. Working as a secretary while raising three children and supporting a husband with mental health challenges, she realized minimum wage wouldn’t be enough to sustain her family. She dreamed of doing something more fulfilling, something hers—but she questioned whether it was too late.
How Resume Ninjas Helped: Amen didn’t just build her brand and hand her a resume—she helped her transform her life and build a future. With over two decades of experience in career development, Amen knew this transformation needed more than paperwork. Through personalized coaching strategies sessions, Amen helped her explore entrepreneurship in a field she already loved: electrolysis. She guided her through every step—researching certifications, building confidence, and launching a business from the ground up. Amen even brought her branding expertise into play: she named the business, designed the flyers, created her business cards, and helped market the service. It became a family affair—her kids delivered door to door flyers while Amen mentored and cheered her on every step of the way.
Results:
Why It Worked: Amen’s nurturing but strategic approach helps clients see beyond their current job search—she supports whole life transformations. With deep empathy rooted in her own experience, she helped this client reimagine what was possible at any stage of life.
“I didn’t just shift a career and get a new resume. I got my self-worth and integrity back.”
