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When was the last time you gave your resume a refresh? Throughout a year, our career goes through a series of changes and the new year is the perfect time to reflect on those, and what skills you’ve gained that could be valuable to your next employer.
Even if you plan on staying in your position for a while, it is also important to keep track of all you accomplish each year. Keeping track of your tasks and projects can help you prepare for a promotion and/or raise in the future.
Refresh Dates and Special Projects
Be sure to provide the current dates! Having correct dates on your resume helps employers gauge what skills you’re up-to-date on and can be a good reminder to brush up on new skills.
After all your dates are refreshed, it’s time to add in all of the special projects that you were a part of over the last year. If you don’t have much to add from the previous year, this is also a good time to reflect on what projects you want to be involved with over the next year. If you took courses on a certain topic or gained any certifications, this should also be included in your resume.
Refresh Job Descriptions
Is there something you should have added to one of your older job descriptions but forgot to? Now’s the time to add it!
If you started a new position over the last year and finally have a grip on what your day-to-day looks like, update your job description to reflect your new role.
Remember that your job descriptions should specify your impact on a company. Using numbers or statistics can boost the effectiveness of your job description. If your job descriptions are lengthy or complicated, break them up into “bite-size” accomplishments.
Refresh Formatting and Vocabulary
Here are three questions you can ask yourself when it comes to the foundation of your resume:
- Does my resume look too crowded, making it hard to read?
- Is the font or colors on my resume distracting?
- Is it in chronological order for easy understanding? At a glance is my resume easy to comprehend?
After you ask yourself those questions, it’s time to make adjustments to your vocabulary by upgrading your descriptive words and using industry-standard words to catch an employer’s eye.
This is also a good time to skim for grammar and spelling mistakes that will quickly turn employers away. When your resume looks good, choose someone to review your resume and give you a second opinion.