If you can’t remember the last time you updated your resume, then you are due for an overhaul. Many candidates wait until they find a job that interests them before scrambling to add key projects or experience that could give them the edge in the hiring process. Before they know it, their competition has earned the spot because they sent their updated submission well ahead of the deadline. Don’t let this happen to you. There are many tips and tricks to keeping your resume updated throughout the years. And doing so can help you save critical time should the need arise.
BABY STEPS
Updating your resume doesn’t have to be a stressful experience done under the pressure of an impending job announcement deadline. Start small by taking a few minutes on the first day of every month to jot down your most recent achievements, tasks or special projects. Type them into your resume and save the version with a date in the title so you can remember when you last updated the document. Now when you find that perfect job opportunity, you will be prepared with a resume ready for distribution.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Recruiters love numbers: Budgets, the number of direct reports and cost savings can be made much more impressive by letting people know the numbers associated with them. And it is critical to separate your achievements from your main responsibilities. This differentiation helps recruiters scan through resumes to find tangible accomplishments. If you choose to include all of your tasks and achievements in paragraph form or in a running list of bullets, how are recruiters supposed to easily find what your impact on the company is?
EDITING
Keeping updated doesn’t apply strictly to adding information. As content ages and becomes less relevant, it may make more sense off of your resume than actually on it. In most cases, recruiters are spending very limited time reviewing incoming documents. The goal of every job-seeker should be to craft a shorter and more concise resume that adequately tells their story without compromising crucial experience. There is no steadfast rule on the number of pages a resume should be, but keeping your information listed to one or two pages is a great rule of thumb.
