Always Be Ready with Your Resume
Probably one of the most important things anyone can do for their career is keep their resume up to date. This is particularly true for anyone considering a midlife career change. So here we go. It’s time to take out that ole’ resume, brush off the dust and update it with all the wonderful things you’ve accomplished.
First, assuming you’ve go the old resume in hand, just set it aside for a moment. Before we start making actual changes, we need to learn a bit about how resumes have changed over the years. To learn more about what a quality resume should look like, check out the Resume Tutorial at Quintessential Careers. If you’ve updated your resume in the past twenty years, you’re most likely aware that marital status, hobbies and references should not be included. But are you also aware that many employer electronically scan resumes looking for the right candidate?
Now that you know how your resume should look and what to include, prepare a draft of your resume and share it with a mentor or friend who does hiring and get their opinion. I always think it’s a good idea to have even two or three people look over your resume before you send it to a potential employer. Listen to their feedback and make the changes you find appropriate.
Now print about three crisp copies of your resume and put them away for future use. Sure, you could just leave the file on the computer, but you never know when you will need that resume. And you don’t want to be out of quality paper when the time comes. I even keep one copy of my resume in my computer bag at all times. I have to use my resume for grant applications and other work, so it doesn’t seem all that unusual. But I also like having a copy handy for some unexpected opportunity that may arise.
How often should you update your resume? Well, let’s start with updating it every time you take on a new job or position. That’s right. As soon as you change jobs, change your resume. You also want to make changes any time there is a change in the information already on the resume. For example, if you move, you need to update the address and probably the phone number. But don’t forget to add important achievements to your resume soon after they occur. Keep your resume current and ready for any opportunity.
[PhotoCredit:Pvera]
