If you’re looking for a job, you might need to make changes to your resume. Your CV should always show off your most recent successes, as well as those that are still relevant and useful. Before you apply for new jobs, you should make sure that your resume doesn’t have any old information and that each element is up to date.
Why is it important to keep your CV up to date?
Your CV should show off the most recent abilities and experiences that make you a good fit for the job. As time goes on, you’ll undoubtedly learn more skills, gain more experience, and maybe even get more degrees, certifications, or licenses. Because of these changes, you need to update your CV.
Your resume should also show how much experience you have now, such as how many years you’ve worked in a given industry and what level of employment you currently have (entry-level, mid-level, senior-level, or above). You can also use your current skills and experience by going into more detail about those things on your CV during the negotiation stage.
How to Format a Resume
- Name and contact information
- Short or long
- Work history
a. name of the business
b. time periods
c. Describe the job and what you did well - School
- Skills
- Optional (hobbies and interests, awards and achievements)
How often should you update your resume?
You should look over your resume at least twice a year if you still have a job. You should update your CV as often as you can and as soon as something happens that might make you a better candidate if you’re seeking for work but aren’t actively hunting for a job. Here are a few additional signals that you need to update your resume:
1. When you make big improvements in your job
This can happen when you take on more responsibilities, reach a difficult goal, or obtain a promotion, license, qualification, or degree. You could also want to update your resume if you’ve learned anything new, like how to use a programming language or a specific piece of software.
2. When Your Information Is No Longer Current
For example, if you’ve worked for a company for five years and your education section still mentions high school, take it out and just list your most recent degree, such an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. You should also pay particular attention to the following sections for old information:
- Volunteer positions
- School clubs and groups
- Awards and honors
- Internships
- Jobs you had at the start of your career
What to Put on Your Resume
Every part of your resume should have the most important information. Before you make any changes to your resume, go over each portion carefully to see if there are any places where you might add more relevant information.
1. A summary or objectives for your resume
Your resume’s objective statement or summary either gives a short overview of your current skills and experiences or lists the areas where you want to improve your career.
If your summary doesn’t show your most recent, important, and best attributes, you should change it. Add any new skills or experiences you have gained. Instead of listing all of your jobs or commitments, keep your summary short (one to two sentences) by focusing on your most important accomplishments.
If your resume still has a goal statement but you’ve gained work experience since then, you might want to think about replacing it with a brief summary. Goals are best for people who haven’t worked much or who just graduated from college.
2. Education
In the education section, you should always list the most recent and relevant education you have earned from reputable sources. This could mean having licenses, certifications, or degrees from schools that are accredited on a regional or national level.
You might also provide coursework you’ve just accomplished in this subject along with a brief overview of the class. Even though the classes you take aren’t directly related to your degree, they show that you’re committed to learning new things and gaining more information.
3. Work history
You could want to change your professional background to get rid of any past jobs that aren’t important to your future career objectives anymore. For example, if you’ve been an associate CPA for three years, your time as a cashier in college might not be as important anymore.
Your resume doesn’t have much room, and most companies simply look at it quickly. To make sure hiring managers understand your current experience, include the most important and powerful information on your resume.
4. A list of the skills, tools, and credentials you need
You should look at the job description while you update your resume. If the keywords they mention match the skills you have, add them to your abilities section. If you don’t want to show that you know how to do a talent that an employer lists, don’t include it.
You should update your strengths area to include any new skills or certificates you’ve gotten, as well as any skills you’ve gotten better at since you last wrote about them.
5. Other Important Accomplishments
You can also add any other achievements you’ve made since you last updated your resume, as long as they’re relevant to the jobs you’re applying for. You should only highlight accomplishments that can be verified and are in line with your career aspirations.
6. Hobbies and Interests
You might have found some new hobbies or interests since you last looked at your CV. You can add your passions or hobbies to your resume if they are still relevant to your career goals and you need to provide more information or the employer would benefit from them.
Keep your CV up to date as you have new experiences, improve your skills, and move up in your work. A new CV will make it easier for employers to see what you’re good at. If you want to improve your chances of getting a job offer and a successful interview, always keep your CV up to date with the most recent and relevant material that best shows off your current skills and experiences.
