By Debra Auerbach,
Everything needs updating every once and awhile. After having the
same haircut for a few years, it's always fun to change it up a bit.
When a new season arrives, it's a good excuse to clean out the closet
and update your wardrobe.
When it comes to your résumé, it's smart to periodically revisit and
refresh it, even if you aren't looking for a new job at that moment.
Having a current résumé will come in handy should you find yourself in a
position where you need or want a new job right away.
No need to panic that your résumé needs a total overhaul. There are a few basic items that you can update easily. Here are five:
1. Contact information
This might seem like an
obvious one, but if you haven't touched your résumé in a while, you may
still have your old address or cellphone number on there. Also, check to
see which email address you've included; you want the email address on
your résumé to be as professionally sounding as possible. If your email
address is still likestoparty28@hotmail.com, it's time to create a new one. Consider [first name].[last name]@hotmail.com instead.
2. Objective statement
Your objective statement
may be up-to-date, well thought out and well written. The problem? You
have an objective statement in the first place. Objective statements are outdated
and are being replaced by professional summaries or summaries of
qualifications. The difference between the two is that objective
statements talk about what you want in a job; professional summaries
recap your job-seeker "brand" and explain why you're the right fit for
the position in question. Since this is usually the first thing hiring
managers will read on your résumé, you want to make sure it grabs their
attention and makes them want to learn more about your skills and
qualifications.
3. Skills/areas of expertise section
The skills
or areas of expertise section is usually where you list out in bullets
everything you're proficient at; so anything from a certain Web design
program you've mastered to your negotiating skills. Take a look at your
list to make sure you can still confidently say you excel at all those
skills, and see if there are any new skills you've acquired that you'd
like to add. Also think about the "So what?" for each skill listed; if
you can't answer or speak in depth about your expertise, don't include
it. Something else to consider? Removing this section all together and
incorporating your skills into the professional summary/summary of
qualifications section.
4. Education
You may be proud of your 3.9 GPA or
that you graduated with honors. And if you're entry level, you should
include such achievements, along with relevant coursework, on your
résumé. However, if you're an experienced job seeker, it's no longer
necessary to mention your GPA or go into specifics about what classes
you took as an undergrad. Instead, keep this section simple, listing the
college you went to and its location, the degree(s) you graduated with
and years attended.
Of course, if you recently went back to school to obtain a
post-graduate degree or certification, that information should be
included, especially if it shows how you have gained skills that will
help you succeed at the job for which you're applying.
5. Formatting
With the limited amount of space
that you have to include your entire work and education history, it can
be tempting to use a ton of different font sizes, bullets and section
breaks to break up the content and keep it organized. If your résumé
looks like an eye sore, it's time for a formatting refresh. Sleek and
simple is the name of the game -- use easy-to-read fonts and clean
formatting. You can use all caps or a different font color to emphasize
section headers, but keep it consistent and stick with basic colors such
as blue.
Sure, change is never easy, but with a few simple updates to your
résumé, you'll be in good shape to tackle a new job search -- whether
that's a few days, months or years down the road.