by Melissa C. Miller 04C 06PH
Trying to capture your career history in 2 pages or less is often challenging. For many, simply updating your resume poses to be one of the main barriers when it comes to applying for that dream job. There are so many times I have heard my friends effusively tell me about “this great opportunity” or how they would be “perfect for that position.” “That sounds great,” I tell them. “You should definitely apply.” But they would pause and let out a sigh, muttering, “oh, but I need to update my resume.”
Your resume is often a ticket into the door for an interview, so it is important that this document accurately showcases your qualifications and states why you are the best candidate. However, it is so easy to neglect your resume if you are not actively job hunting. For many, years can pass without editing it. Then when it comes time to do so, you cannot remember every detail. You might get frustrated when you start updating and can easily talk yourself into complacency, “maybe I am fine with my current position after all.”
To ensure you do not miss out on that dream job opportunity, here are a couple of quick and easy tips for updating your resume or CV:
- Keep a master version: It can be helpful to create a master version of your resume with every single accomplishment, accolade and position you have held. When applying to a position you can use the master version and tailor a version of your resume that responds specifically to the requirements of the job posting.
- Create resume types: In addition to my master resume, I have found that there are at least two different types of jobs/markets that I might ever consider applying to, and thus have two versions tailored to this. As your career progresses, you might find that you may have several trajectories. Create a resume for each trajectory.
- Use critical career benchmarks and performance assessments as reasons to update your resume: If you have a publication, if you get promoted, or had your annual review, this should trigger an action to update your resume. Your annual review and self-assessment might have some great feedback that you can incorporate about your accomplishments that year.
- Proofread: Have others look at it periodically for proofreading and content review. If you have a mentor, have them look at it. Even little things like typos can put your resume behind others. Employers like to see people with attention to detail.
- Less is more: Make your resume easy on the eyes, and think “less laundry list.” Having “white space”, or in other words not filling every inch of the page with text, can be beneficial. Using bullets can help with this. On average, when reviewing resumes, employers only spend several seconds on each resume. When formatting your resume, think in terms of a newspaper: what are your headlines, sub-headers, and the story you want people to know about your experience. Also, integrate key words that align to the job description.
The main takeaway is to incorporate a way to actively maintain your resume, and make it a living, breathing document. Following these tips can make it the process far less painless.
Remember, these tips can apply to maintaining your cover letter too! Happy editing.