Does your resume need a little love? Have you put off looking at it for a couple of months (years) now? I’m here to deliver some good and bad news.
Bad news first- you have to update your resume and no one else can do it but you.
Good news next- there’s ways to make this process less painful, and I’m giving them to you right NOW. As follows are my general tips to updating your resume:
Stick to a bi yearly schedule!!
This was a wonderful tip given to me curtoesy of my high schoo english teacher. No matter where you are in life, no matter if you think nothing has happened to warrant updating, UPDATE YOUR RESUME. I update mine usually on a lazy Sunday in January and again in July. If you stuck to this cademce, you like I, will probably be shocked at how much has actually happened.
Updating your resume on a regular basis will give you a far more organic and true snapshot than intermittent blitzes that are years apart.
Think about what has happened in your life as a whole, not just what jobs you have had.
Have you won any awards? Moved around in any of the oragnizations or clubs you’re involved with? Do you now have links to things that you are involved with? Look at your past experience or volunteer work and see if you should update your hours. You’ve probably participated in something that expanded your skills, wether tecnical or personal.
Do some resume stalking. Bookmark those resumes.
Find leaders or people you admire in your desired field or job and take a look at their resumes. This is an important exercise that serves two purposes:
- Provides motivation/ examples for formatting your resume. Blanket resume advice can sometimes be dangerous. Instead of googling **your industry/job** resume, finding real ones is far better. What information do they include? What information dont they include? How long are their job descriotions? Whats the total length?
- Gives insight into potential jobs/ paths you could take to acheive your goals. Their path might be linear and predictable, it might not! Either way its an opportunity to see the variety of methods in which you could achieve your dreams. Be careful not to compare yourself in an unhealthy way here.
Take advantage of writing/ career centers!
If you’re currently in college/ grad school/ have access to a resource that offers resume advice, TAKE IT. These recourses are shockingly underutilized across the board. Let someone trained in making great resumes MAKE YOUR RESUME GREAT.
Make edits, then read it with fresh eyes.
Once your changes have been made, its imperative to make sure that what you changed actually makes sense. Take a day or two (or three) and then read your new draft front to back. Remove unnecessary words (I’m sure you can find some), make sure the formatting is PERFECT and CONSISTENT, and be proud of what you’ve created!
Cheers to you ya productive little professional! Now grab some coffee and get after it!
Paige Hoel 