Freshening up your resume is always a good idea no matter what your current job situation is. Whether you are sending your resume out regularly, you just landed a temporary position, or you are comfortably situated in your current long term position, keeping your resume up to date is critical. By keeping your resume current, you are prepared in any situation whether you find yourself looking for a new position or you find yourself under consideration for a promotion. By making a habit of updating your resume, you record the aspects of your career that tend to be overlooked when you are stress-editing your resume at the last moment.
What should you note on your resume?
Title Changes and Promotions
A steady work history and good tenure are important on any resume, but you should be careful not to undervalue yourself. If you have progressed upwards in a company, be sure that you are clearly showing that upward mobility on your resume. Even if your exact duties haven’t changed, a change in title can signify that you are valuable to a changing company.
Training and Professional Development
By documenting your continuing growth in your field, you demonstrate that you are vibrant (and not stagnant) employee. Your ability to grow and learn is a vital quality for employers who will need you to learn their systems and processes.
Special Projects
Perhaps you were given oversight of a team or a particularly intense project. Perhaps your efforts had a positive effect on the company’s statics. You should record these items on your resume. While these items may not stay, by recording them you can refresh your memory to fill out your interview instead of being flustered by fuzzy or poor recall.
Volunteer and Charity Work
Often resumes don’t reflect all of the extra work that employers do to make them exceptional people as well as exceptional employers. Not only will noting volunteer and charity work show that you are dedicated to your community, but that you are also willing to go that extra mile.
Keeping up with your resume can help you critically evaluate your progress on the job and make you a better employee. Challenge yourself to have something to add once a quarter by making a significant and positive impact on your company. All of these items won’t make it on to every version of your resume as you need to tailor your resume to the position and company, but having a complete and fresh resume can help you more easily accomplish that task.