Five easy steps for your resume update

resume update

Are you dissatisfied with your current job and want to move on? A resume update will be one of your first steps to take. You may have lost patience with the job or your boss, or just want to gain relevant experience in another sphere within your niche. Perhaps, you have just been laid off suddenly and find yourself in need of a job unexpected. Whatever the case is, you need to make sure that your resume is updated if you want to stand a chance in the competitive job market of today.

Another reason why updating your resume is a good idea that should be encouraged is that employment opportunities arise every day. A reorganized resume will give you the chance to grab such opportunities with both hands, placing you as one of the top contenders with a head start within the next twenty-four hours. If you have to start to update your resume at this time, you will lose your advantage due to the delay.

Your resume needs to be restructured with the latest information about you so that you don’t appear stale in the job market. Hiring managers or recruiters don’t have a lot of time. With only six seconds to impress your prospective employer, your resume update has to be above average with lots of impressive skill sets, or else, it gets trashed.

A resume update in five easy steps:

1. Visual Style

Visual illustration cv

One of the first things you should do is to change the look and style of your resume. Resume experts have disclosed that looks matter a lot for anyone who wants to make a positive impression on job recruiters. Check out new templates or new layouts that are currently the rave in your industry. This means that you must search out the fonts, visual themes, and other paraphernalia that will suit your brand.

Remove any skills or terminologies that make you appear archaic; let your resume reflect prevailing trends in your industry. Style elements that are simple, and avoid complicated ones as much as possible. Use two or three font styles and colors at max. Avoid using images or elegant styles that may confound resume scanners or tracking systems.

2. Enhance Your Social Profiles

Prospective employers look at how active your online presence is, and even recent studies have revealed that about 84% of hiring managers recruit employees via social media. About 40% of recruiters check out candidates through search engines and social media networks. Therefore, add links to your social pages when updating your resume, and if you own a personal blog or website, then include those links to the resume as well. Spruce up your social media profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Using industry-related keywords will increase your chances of being found on search engines and pass applicant tracking systems.

3. Update the Education Section

If you want to stay relevant in today’s market, you need to upgrade from time to time. Even though you don’t intend to get more educational degrees, you can always go for additional training courses. Extra courses enhance your skillset and improve your level of proficiency with the use of particular software applications. Include any current certifications that you have earned in the industry which will be relevant in the new job position that you are applying for. Of course, if you have earned higher academic degrees, then delete your earlier qualifications and add them to your resume. Additional courses show potential employers that you are passionate about your profession and your skill are up-to-date with current trends.

4. Work History

empty desk with computer and window view

Since you have now acquired more experience in your field, you must update your job history by tightening up the summary of your entire career. Start from your current job position and the name of your employer. Itemize your most significant accomplishments, move down the list of the positions that you have held in the past. If there is any former job that is not relevant to the position you are vying for, delete it immediately.

5. Incorporate Crucial Resume Keywords

One of the most vital elements that enable a resume update to pass applicant tracking systems (ATS) is the use of relevant industry keywords, mixing nouns and verbs as well. Integrate your resume with keywords that showcase your job title, skills, career summary, and education.
Other important things to take note of are the use of fonts as well as your testimonial section. Utilize professional-looking fonts; fonts like Arial, Cambria, Book Antiqua, Tahoma, Calibri, Helvetica, etc. These fonts are some of the most appropriate fonts to use when updating your resume. Use size 10 or 12 fonts so that your resume can be readable.

Career experts also advise that you get rid of the ‘Objective’ section on your resume. Securing a position is the primary reason why you applied for that job, and your prospective employers know this already. Tone down on your testimonials, but make them readily available upon request. Then lastly, to prevent anyone from accidentally editing your resume, save it as a Portable Document Format (PDF). Job reviewers have no problem opening and reviewing PDF files. A resume update should be a regular habit that you should incorporate into your business lifestyle.  For you, don’t know when an immediate job opening will call for an updated resume with your skills and qualifications.