4 Tips On Updating Your Resume

By Paige Mercer

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   

We live in an uncertain world. You may have a great job right now, but you never know how long you are really going to have it. There is very limited job security anymore. Many companies do have layoffs especially when profits start to slip a bit and the growth of the business begins to stall. It's a good idea to always be prepared with an updated resume in case anything happens or in case anything better comes up for you. Learn some tips that will help you keep your resume updated.

Consider setting a date where you will update your resume no matter how secure your job seems at the moment. A good time to do this is New Year's Day or even your birthday. Take some time and go over your resume and making sure all the information is current. By setting a goal to update your resume once a year, it will always be fairly current and ready to submit on a moment's notice.

You may want to start updating it sooner if the industry you work in is going through some changes. If you hear about layoffs happening at your company, start updating your resume right now. You will need to be able to get a jump on the others who have similar skills and experiences and be ready to take a new job as soon as possible.

It is important to have your resume in order before doing a job search. You need to have it on hand and ready else you can end up looking a bit foolish when someone wants it and it's not ready. With the intense competition for jobs these days even one day can make a difference in whether you get an interview or not.

Here is a list of the things you may need to update on your resume:

1. Start off by updating your contact information. For many people, this changes often. We change phone numbers, move, or even just get a new email address. You don't want an email or phone number on it that you haven't used in a while. Prospective employers need to be able to contact you.
2. Make notes of rewards and accomplishments that you have received since the last time you updated this document. Even if you don't think some awards won't make much difference to a future employer you should add this. Employers have been known to make the final decision on a job based on the fact that one applicant belonged to a service group.
3. Get recommendations from people right now. It doesn't hurt to ask even if you aren't looking for anything new. Having letters of recommendation on hand is smart so you will always be ready to go to an interview without waiting for someone to write a letter.
4. Update your references. Some of these might be people you aren't in touch with anymore. Some might have moved or changed phone numbers which needs to be updated. Make sure your references are reputable people that know your character. It is a good idea to let them know you will be using them for a reference so they aren't taken by surprise when they get a phone call.

If you don't need to update and of the things listed above, you might consider adding new skills and experiences so that your resume doesn't look so stagnant.