Reasons You Need a New Resume

I recently finished a resume revision for a customer who needed an immediate update for an unexpected job opportunity. He was not actively looking for work, but the position sounded ideal. Unfortunately, he hadn’t revised his resume in years and the interview was scheduled to take place within days. We were able to make the tight deadline for him; however, the experience made him realize the importance of keeping his resume up to date. By planning for the unexpected, you can save yourself a lot of trouble.

If you haven’t updated your resume in a while, here are a few good reasons why you should do so right away:

• Your resume hasn’t been revised in over 2 years: If you have modified your job duties or achieved some important milestones at your current job, now is the time to document this. If you wait until you are in a hurry, you may forget important information and rush through the task. Your resume should include as much information as it can about your most recent accomplishments.
• Your resume is still using an ineffective objective: A robust summary statement that delivers critical information about your core strengths and accomplishments will be more powerful than a sentence or two that vaguely tells hiring managers what you want in a job. Objectives put the focus on you, but a summary statement puts the focus on the value you will bring to the company.
• Your resume looks unattractive: Just as you wouldn’t go on an interview without brushing your hair and dressing appropriately, you don’t want to submit a resume that looks sloppy or lacks visual appeal. By making sure your resume is aesthetically pleasing, you are sending a message to hiring managers and recruiters that says you take pride in your work.
• You achievements are not well quantified: If you have listed what you did, but haven’t explained how you did it and what value it brought to the company you worked for, your resume is only half complete. Providing concrete examples of your past accomplishments in a way that shows your full capabilities is extremely important. You must give readers a reason to call you.

By preparing your resume in advance and making sure it is updated regularly, you are keeping yourself ahead of the competition and positioning yourself for long term career success. Whether you choose to revamp your resume on your own, or you hire a professional career expert, you must create a compelling marketing tool that showcases your professional brand.