Dec 12, 2011 5 min read

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“font-size: 12pt;”>Updating a resume is

one of those necessary tasks that always seems to fall by the

wayside. Rather than updating a resume

periodically, many men and women wait to work on their

“found”>resume until they’re ready to start looking for a

new job.

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“font-size: 12pt;”>But such procrastination can make it difficult

to remember all those new nuggets of information that can make a

person more attractive to prospective employers. Updating a

resume more regularly, such as after a

new promotion or upon completion of an especially impressive

project, is a good way to guarantee each accomplishment gets its

due.

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“font-size: 12pt;”>In addition to staying on top of things, there

are additional ways men and women can update their

“found”>resumes and increase their chances of being noticed

by prospective employers.

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“font-size: 12pt;”>* Stay on top of keywords. Keywords are certain

terms that appear frequently in job postings within a particular

industry. Employers use these keywords to find the right candidates

for jobs within their company, and job seekers use the keywords to

narrow down their job search and make it more manageable. But

candidates can use these keywords in their

“found”>resumes in the hopes of making themselves more

visible. Men and women should research industry trends to discover

which words are most popular now, and then include them on their

resumes. Recent examples of popular

keywords include “new media” and “e-commerce.” But trends and

keywords vary depending on the industry.

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“font-size: 12pt;”>* Update the education section. Men and women

who earned their degree years ago might still be able to update the

education section on their resume. If

any certificates were earned or any courses were completed since

the last time a resume was updated,

include that in the education section. For those who prefer not to

tinker with their education section, create a new section titled

“Professional Activities” and then include courses or degrees

earned post-college. This section should also reference any

memberships in professional organizations or any conferences

attended. This indicates a candidates’ passion and commitment to

the field and his or her commitment to professional

development.

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“font-size: 12pt;”>* Remove less relevant information. Men and

women who have established themselves in their field should remove

older, less relevant information as they update their

“found”>resumes. Employment history is important, but people

with a decade-plus of experience in their field don’t need to

include every last detail about responsibilities at a first job out

of college. Older experience, particularly for men and women who

have changed careers, likely won’t bear much fruit and it’s always

better to include as much recent information and accomplishments as

possible. In addition to reducing the emphasis on older experience,

also remove references to outdated technology the industry no

longer uses.

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“font-size: 12pt;”>* Be diligent with updating. No one knows what

lies ahead, and if the perfect job opportunity suddenly appears, it

helps to have an updated resume that’s

ready to be submitted. That requires routinely updating a

resume even if the desire to look for a

new gig is nonexistent.

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“font-size: 12pt;”>Effectively updating a

“found”>resume can make the difference when looking for a

new job.