1.6.25 – Fast Company – BY Amanda Augustine
It’s more important than ever to understand how technological advances, emerging hiring trends, and shifts in work environments are changing certain expectations around the résumé.
Professionals who’ve set their sights on landing a new job in 2025 can expect to face a challenging market, according to some forecasts, with multiple applicants vying for a smaller number of open positions.
Whether you’re an experienced professional or entering the job market for the first time, it will be more important than ever to understand how technological advances, emerging hiring trends, and shifts in work environments are changing certain expectations around résumés.
Here’s a look at three key résumé trends to watch for in 2025—and how to make them work for you.
Optimize for and balance AI
Since ChatGPT first exploded onto the scene in late 2022, it has revolutionized how employers identify and evaluate candidates and how job seekers navigate their job search and application process. AI’s influence on hiring is expected to grow even further this year.
Job seekers must adapt by not only optimizing their résumés for applicant tracking systems (ATS) and other recruitment technologies but also finding a better balance in using AI during the résumé-writing process. The goal is to leverage AI as a tool to enhance their candidacy, not harm it.
Over the past year, employers have increasingly pushed back against fully AI-generated résumés. Recent research shows that 74% of hiring managers say they can spot AI-generated résumés, and 57% are significantly less likely to hire candidates whose applications appear entirely AI-driven. Their main concern is that AI-generated documents often feel generic, overly repetitive, inauthentic, and—at times—a misrepresentation of a candidate’s qualifications.
To stand out in what is likely to remain a competitive job market, job seekers should use AI thoughtfully to ensure their résumés retain the crucial human touch. If you decide to use AI for drafting your résumé, review and revise its content carefully to tailor it to the specific role, accurately reflect your qualifications, and showcase elements of your personality. Highlight specific accomplishments and contributions, and avoid repetitive phrases when describing your work experience. In 2025, the most effective résumés will be those that are AI-optimized, yet maintain the authenticity and human element that hiring professionals crave.
Emphasize skills over education
Skills-based hiring—the practice of evaluating job candidates based on their relevant abilities and competencies, rather than their formal education and direct experience—has been on the rise since 2022 in an effort to meet their talent needs and include more qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. In the past year, it has gained considerable traction, with one report finding that 81% of employers are now using skills-based hiring, up from 73% in 2023 and 56% in 2022.
For many career-driven professionals, this is good news since it levels the playing field for candidates who developed their capabilities and relevant experience through vocational schools, self-directed learning, and other non-traditional routes. However, job seekers can only capitalize on this skills-hiring trend if they reshape their résumés to place more emphasis on their skills and abilities.
This is not to suggest that job seekers should convert their résumés to a traditional skills-based format. Professional résumé writers often avoid using a skills-based résumé format—also known as a functional résumé—unless absolutely necessary because it doesn’t provide a clear picture of your work history. This often raises red flags for hiring professionals, who assume you are trying to hide a significant employment gap or downplay a lack of direct experience in your target role. In addition, this résumé format does not fare as well as a reverse-chronological résumé or a combination résumé when run through an applicant tracking system, as this technology heavily relies on a clear hierarchy of information to properly read your résumé.
Instead, focus on incorporating key terms associated with your relevant skills throughout your résumé and—more importantly—demonstrating your competency in those skills throughout your résumé’s work experience section. In other words, it’s not enough to simply state you “work well under pressure” or possess a “strategic mindset” in your professional summary. Nor can you pack all of your relevant skills into an ‘areas of expertise’ section and call it a day; you must also include proof of your hard skills and soft skills.
Offer evidence of your qualifications by including specific examples, figures, or case studies that illustrate the output of your abilities. Wherever possible, quantify these contributions and achievements to show the value you’ve created for your past employers.
You can also list online courses you’ve completed, certifications you’ve earned, and the scores from any relevant skill assessments you’ve taken to your résumé’s ‘education and continuing professional development’ section to offer further confirmation of your abilities.
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Reflect the ideal work situation
Sadly, the clash between what many employees value—like flexibility and hybrid schedules—and what some business leaders prioritize—like in-office collaboration and pre-pandemic routines—still exists. As we head into 2025, expect more companies to tighten their return-to-office policies, especially with major players like Amazon leading the charge back to five days in the office.
That said, professionals seeking opportunities with more flexible work arrangements will still find some companies that intend to remain fully remote, and many others will continue offering some version of hybrid work moving forward.
If landing a remote or hybrid job is your priority in 2025, make sure your job applications are positioned to support such a goal. Clearly communicate your preferred work arrangement in your cover letter and weave this concept into your résumé’s professional summary, as well.
Update your résumé to highlight any previous experience that included working from home on a full-time or part-time basis. You can do this by adding the word “Remote” or “Virtual” in parentheses next to any applicable job titles in your work history, explicitly stating that you worked from home X number of days a week for a specific position. If you traveled extensively for a previous job, include those details in your résumé, e.g., “traveled 75% of the time,” as they demonstrate your ability to perform while away from the office.
As you describe your responsibilities, major contributions, and key accomplishments, incorporate phrases that remind the reader of your work arrangement when achieving such feats. For example, you might state that you “managed a five-person virtual team,” that you “implemented a new collaboration tool to ensure seamless, real-time communication while working remotely,” or that you “achieved 105% of your sales quota while traveling 80% of the time.” All of these examples demonstrate your ability to perform well in a remote or hybrid environment.
In addition, look for opportunities to highlight certain traits you possess that are considered necessary for remote workers, such as self-motivation, discipline, maturity, tech savvyness, effective time management, and strong communication skills. Where possible, emphasize these soft skills in your résumé and your cover letter to show employers you have what it takes to be a successful hybrid or remote employee.
Get ahead of the curve by aligning your résumé with these 2025 trends to stay competitive in the evolving job market.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Augustine is the resident career expert for Career.io‘s suite of brands: Resume.io, ZipJob, TopResume, TopCV, and TopInterview. With nearly 20 years of experience in the recruiting and career services industry, she is a certified professional career coach (CPCC) and résumé writer (CPRW), helping professionals improve their careers and find the right job sooner More