In today’s world, it is essential to always be prepared. It is important that our personal grooming, knowledge, and skill set must always be sharpened. In the same way, it is a must to keep our resume up to date.
Even if you aren’t on the lookout for a job right now, you never know when your resume might come in handy. This article will help you save yourself the last minute panic of updating an interesting resume, always keep your resume updated with your relevant accomplishments, recent certifications, and any other major additions which can help you progress today’s job market.
Tips for Keeping Your Resume or CV Up to Date:
1. Resume Contact Information:
This point is often undermined, but it is essential to make sure the contact information you have provided at the top of the page is up to date and correct. It often occurs that you provide an email address or phone number which you don’t use anymore. This will act as a barrier when your future employers would want to contact you, and you would be wondering why you are not hearing back from anyone.
2. Tailor Your Resume:
Take some time to tailor your resume according to the job you are applying for. A resume that is generic does not appeal to recruiters as it does not point your specific skills accomplishments. When you are applying for a job, read through the specific job description and highlight your own skills and experience that match with what your employer is looking for.
Even though it is not feasible, most hiring managers would like to believe that you have made a resume specifically for that job. Make sure you properly go through the job description and are able to analyse what skills are desired from that specific job. Tweak your resume to highlight these points which will help you in securing the job.
3. Write A Capturing Personal Statement:
It is a good idea to begin your resume with a personal statement about yourself. Make this statement a short, crisp piece, which will tell the recruiter in a nutshell something interesting about you. This personal statement will give the employer a first impression about you, and what you have to offer to the company.
This statement should be engaging, and focus on what you think makes you a perfect candidate. Avoid listing your personal skills and accomplishments in this opening sentence. Your personal statement should not exceed more than 5 sentences.
4. Look Back At Your Old Performance Appraisals:
If you are having a hard time putting down what you think should be the correct information you should provide in your resume, take a look back at your old performance appraisals. Notice the points which your boss had appreciated about you, and highlight those points in your skills section in your current resume.
5. Attractive Font:
In attempts of making your resume stand out against competitive resumes, people often make the mistake of using very stylish font, which ends up standing out but in the wrong way. Recruiters have to go through dozens, maybe even hundreds of applicants a day, and a resume with a stylish font, but one which ends up becoming difficult to read, creates an adverse impact on the candidate.
While choosing a font, ensure it is simple, yet attractive. Times New Roman is the most popular font to be chosen for writing a resume. Also, make sure your font is of a legible size, such that it can be easily read. Key points can be highlighted by making them in bold. This will ensure your resume stands out. Adequate spacing should also be kept while typing the resume so as to make it easily readable.
6. Always Proofread:
Be specific and truthful in the information you provide, and proofread your resume as many times as needed to ensure that it does not contain errors such as spelling mistakes, or information which is no longer relevant to you. A perfect resume which has true information and is proofread will always add to your creditworthiness.
7. Highlight Your Strong Points:
An important section to add in your resume would be to highlight what you feel are your strong points. These points may include your nature to be able to adapt to new situations, or simply that you are good with people (this is important when you are applying for HR related jobs).
Here it is also important to state your academic background, so that it is easy to asses which field you have background knowledge in, or which field you have specialized in. This will allow you as well as your recruiter to get an idea of where you would be useful, or which area you would be best in.
8. Include Technical Skills:
Any sort of technical skills you have learnt or gained through experience must be added in your resume. These technical skills can vary from knowledge or hands-on experience in using the latest gadgets, softwares which the company is using, being able to efficiently put together a spreadsheet in Excel, using Tally software for data. Technical skills can also be listed under being able to successfully operate fax and copy machines, or using other such equipment which is required for that particular job.
9. Use Keywords:
It is an advantage if you can use resume keywords in your own resume. These keywords include words like “adaptable, accomplished, ambitious, good with people”, etc. While reading your resume, recruiters and hiring managers will look for these keywords which stand out to them. This will help in making the selection process easier.
Nowadays, computer based selection processes are often used to sift through resumes and select suitable ones with keywords which match the needs of the organization.
10. Recent Accomplishments, Skills and New Employment:
Ensure that your resume contains information about what you have learnt, from where you have learnt it, the skills you have developed in the past few years, the experience you have gained working, and the differences you’ve made in your career. Listing these out will give your resume an up to date and fresh feel, and will help you in making short and long term plans for yourself.
It is also necessary to keep your resume information current by specifying any change of jobs during the past year, added responsibilities, promotions earned, or any noteworthy achievements gained. A resume isn’t just a list of jobs you have taken and certificates you have achieved, it is a complete record of your work.
11. Keep It Crisp:
You should also be aware of the fact that you are not the only person applying for that specific job. Your employer must be looking through hundreds of resumes to select a fit candidate. Due to this frustrating process, it is a known fact that your resume is only given a glance.
Because recruiters and managers give your resume a cursory glance, the trick is to make your resume stand out. Figure out what your most important skills are, and make those shine out in your resume. Even if your resume is just glanced over, the most relevant parts should pop out to them, making it easy for them to pick you out of the herd.
12. Constantly Edit Your Resume:
While you need to keep updating new information into your resume, keep in mind the usefulness of outdated, older and less relevant information. Your resume does not need to be a chapter of all your achievements, small or big. It must only highlight the important information which stands out. Make sure your resume isn’t unnecessarily ostentatious, but also that it showcases your noteworthy accomplishments.
13. Prioritize Contents:
While your resume will contain many facts concerning you, there are certain facts focusing on your strengths which should catch the attention of the hiring manager. For this it is necessary that the strong points or characteristics of the candidate are placed at the top of the resume. This will ensure that the recruiter will get a good initial impression about you.
Conclusion :
If you are having a hard time trying to build a perfect resume for yourself, you can now use the help of online resume design services to build a basic resume. Most people find it difficult to market themselves. While you don’t want to fabricate tales about your skills and accomplishments in your resume, you must make sure it also paints a true picture of what you have achieved. By using the help of a professional, or online resume builders, or even simply going through resumes of your friends, you will get a basic idea on how to build a resume which is up to date with the current requirements of organizations.
