Updating your Resume? Try Canva…
Due to Covid-19, over 16 million people are unemployed. Almost 40% are people of color with african-american or blacks representing over a third of that percent. The unemployment rate among women is 10.5% compared to men at 9.4%. Statistically speaking many of us are out of work, myself included. As a result, the applicant pool has become increasingly competitive as the number of qualified candidates outweighs the number of available jobs. As employers become inundated with applications, it’s important to stand out.
Over these past few months, I’ve taken time to ensure I’m putting my best foot forward by rewriting my cover letter, updating my linkedIn profile, and redesigning my resume. There are plenty of platforms with easy templates you can use to update your cover letter and resume including google docs, Pinterest, Etsy, but my favorite is Canva. I use Canva to create graphics for the blog and social media but have recently started using it for personal things. Canva is free and simple to use so it’s perfect for some one like me. I also love the templates and how easy it is to customize. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to update your resume, I highly suggest giving Canva a try.
Now you know, I’ll always be honest with you and since no platform is perfect, I wanted to share the good and bad I’ve experienced using Canva for my resume. So don’t say I didn’t warn you :)
The Upside
Accessibility - Over the years, I have learned how important it is to have an updated version of your resume on a web based platform where you’ll always have access to it and can edit from anywhere. I know people and have also been victim to saving my resume on my computer or worse my work computer. While this may seem logical at first, consider a scenario where you lose your job (…hello) or lose access to your work computer. Well now you have to start from scratch on your resume and that’s no fun. Even if you don’t use canva, I suggest saving a copy in google docs so that you’ll always have access to your file
Templates - I enjoy working with a preset template because it helps me envision my final product. I can change the colors, fonts, delete/add sections, etc. What I like about canva is that there are so many templates and styles. You can make a traditional resume or be more adventurous with a trendy or modern resume. Just keep in mind the industry you work in and their taste for traditional vs modern
Saves as you go - Canva has a setting which I believe is a default, where it auto saves every so often. This is great because you don’t lose your work. Its the little things that count right?
PDF Format - Canva allows you to save your file in pdf which is ideal for sending to employers.
The Downside
Employer Auto-populate function - Since updating my resume, I’ve submitted it to multiple employers’ application sites. All of the companies I applied to have an auto-populate function where you can upload your resume and let the site fill out the necessary and corresponding fields. I’ve had a few issues with my resume being auto-populated incorrectly, which could be the result of two things. 1. My cover letter and resume are in one document so the site is reading from my cover letter first instead of the resume and 2. The format of my resume which has two columns and can be difficult for a site to scan properly. With that said, I recommend carefully considering the format/template you use. It would also help to keep my cover letter and resume separate, however some companies only allow you to submit one document in your application and if I spend time and effort customizing my cover letter for the job I’m applying for, then you bet I want the hiring manager to read it.
Overall…
I enjoy using Canva and despite the downsides, will likely continue using it for more personal projects. If you are looking to update your resume and cover letter, I hope this was helpful.
Let me know if you give Canva a try!