Your resume is the first thing that many employers will see, it’s essential that you keep it up to date and relevant. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to keep extending it; a resume that continues for several pages is not likely to be read.
The reason is simple, employers have limited time, they need to be able to see that you are serious and have potential at the first glance. This is what will encourage them to look at your resume in more detail and actually arrange to speak to you.
It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a job or not, keeping your resume up to date will ensure you are always ready if an opportunity arises. Check out these 5 tips for updating your resume today:
1. Check Education
You need to list that you finished high school and perhaps even finished university. However, you don’t need to spend hours writing the details of all your grades, especially if it’s been a few years since you’ve done the exams and they are not directly relevant to the career you’re applying for.
Instead, summarize your education and look at some community services course . This can help to show you have the necessary skills for the modern workplace and that you are still prepared and capable of learning.
2. Visualize
You do actually want to rewrite your resume, the style in which you write changes as you age. There is no reason why you can’t use the same text if it appears to reflect your current style but you can easily rewrite each section adding pertinent information and removing unnecessary items.
You should also look at the visual style, including borders, font and the layout. Check out some modern resume templates to see what your resume should look like.
3. The Summary
Your position and your goals will change. These should be reflected in your summary. It is essential that you look at your current summary and then adjust it to show what you are aiming for. If you’re looking to move into a senior position your summary must show that you’re ready for this. If you’re looking for a software engineering job, you can eliminate the baking workshop you have attended as this is not related to the position you want to attain. While it is good to endorse other skills and short courses you have finished, it is important to make your resume short and relevant to your desired career path.
4. Work History
Your resume doesn’t need to show your entire work history; the last ten years should suffice with a brief summary of what you did before this. Of course if the previous work was extremely relevant then you may need to include it but your work history section should be kept relatively short.
However, you do need to spend some time updating the most recent work history even if you are in the same job. It is likely that your role and responsibilities will have changed; you’ll want your resume to reflect this.
5. Skill Level
Just as your aims, experience and even your education can have changed so will your skill set. The best approach is to take any opportunity you are presented with in your current employment that allows you to broaden your skill set.
You then need to add these to your resume; keeping the most relevant information at the top.
