That’s right. September is International Update Your Résumé Month. Now is a great time to do it. Summer is over, kids are back in school, maybe you’ve even got some extra time on your hands. How many times have you needed to write or update your résumé and after you dust off your old one, you’re stuck on where or how to begin? Below a few tips to get yours up to snuff quickly. Do this once a year, and you’ll be close to interview ready all the time.
1️⃣ Is your contact information up to date? Modern résumés don’t require a physical address. Get rid of it. Instead, all you need is your mobile phone number, a clickable link to your email address and don’t forget to add a clickable link to your LinkedIn profile. If you just can’t get away from using your physical address, eliminate the street name and just use your city and state.
2️⃣ Are you in a new position? Get it listed ASAP. Make sure you update your previous position with any accomplishments before you left that role and don’t forget to change the “present” to an end date.
3️⃣ Look at each bullet for each position. If you can, include a tangible result like how much money you saved the company, how you improved a process, etc. Include numbers like $ and %.
4️⃣ Make sure you’re using keywords that are applicable to your industry. Applicant Tracking Systems look for résumés that meet certain keywords. You’ll want to be sure your résumé has them throughout the different sections of your résumé.
5️⃣ Add new skills you’ve developed since the last time you updated.
6️⃣ How do your credentials look? Need to add any recent courses completed, certifications, licenses, awards, publications?
If you’d prefer to have your résumé reviewed for a nominal fee, New Heights Résumé Services can help you.
Good luck!