By Esther Lamarre, Assistant Director, Graduate Student & Alumni Career Programs
A number of articles continue to surface around the topic of
resumes. Each one usually provides the latest trends regarding what to include on the resume or what format is getting
some buzz in the job market. It made me
think about my own resume and the out dated practices that still existed on my
own document.
When I finally opened the file I use to obsess over during
my job search, I found missing experiences, unlisted accomplishments, and a few
other blanks I couldn’t remember how to fill.
But why would I need to look at my resume again if I already have a job?
1. You gained new
experiences and/or skills OR Your position has
changed
A change in your professional experiences or in your
position is likely something you will one day want to highlight on your resume.
This can be anything from a title change to a change in responsibilities. For instance, if you were managing a project
when you were first hired but now your position has evolved to include managing
multiple projects and
supervising staff, your future employer should know!
Year after year, you add new experiences and skills to our
professional tool bag. When you fail to update resumes with these new
experiences, you forget the amazing accomplishments you achieved. Changes in your position or skill set might
occur every year but when you get around to updating your resume in two or
three years, you’ve likely forgotten significant outcomes from year one.
A great time to review and update your resume is during
annual or quarterly performance appraisals.
Achievements and success highlighted during your appraisal should also
be reflected on your resume. If your company or organization does not conduct
performance appraisals, set a calendar reminder to review successes annually on
the anniversary of your hire date. This will help to repel stagnancy in your
position while also encouraging the possibility of creating new goals!
2. You have not gained
new professional experiences OR Your job has not
changed
A lack of change in either your experiences or your position
can be a strong indication of the need to revisit your old resume. Unfortunately, you might not even notice your
workdays turning into routine tasks being completed with little to no effort. In
these instances, you are no longer mastering new skills or gaining new
insights.
Consistently updating your resume could help you identify
monotonous routine before it fully impacts your workplace effectiveness and
professional development. If you are
doing the same things over and over for multiple years in the same position
without any new accomplishments, you may want to consider making changes to
your resume and your workplace.
Great work places challenge staff to grow by tackling new
problems and accomplishing new goals.
Lack of change in job responsibilities could result in complacency and
boredom. A complacent team member isn’t
strengthening the company or helping to fulfill the organization’s mission or
vision. A great time to assess whether
or not a position is pushing you as a professional is when you sit down to
articulate successes on a resume. If you
cannot pinpoint clear areas of growth, meet with your supervisor to identify
areas in your workplace that would allow you to hone new skills. You’ll never
recognize growth areas as a professional if you don’t revisit that old resume.
3. New opportunities
await!
Here’s a little secret: opportunity will find you whether or
not you are looking for it. Whether you
are actively searching or content with your current position, the perfect
opportunity just might fall in your lap without warning. This could come in the form of a recruiter
who lands on your LinkedIn profile or a friend who casually passes on your
information to a colleague. The only
notification you might receive is a time sensitive request to share your resume
with Person X as soon as possible. Will
you be ready?
These scenarios are not as far fetched as you might
think. As the economy continues to
bounce back, many companies are able to re-establish positions that may have
been eliminated by budgets or add new positions within specific focus areas to
strengthen company goals. Additionally,
recruiters have access to vast technologies allowing talent discovery in
various industries across the world. If
you are known for great work, someone will take notice. When this happens, you have to be prepared to
sell yourself. Your resume is that
marketing tool. It is your greatest
asset for showcasing your strengths as a professional. Don’t let this document collect dust on your
hard drive. You can avoid the stress of
rushing to get ready by staying ready.
Maintaining an updated resume can help to keep your
accomplishments in the forefront while also making it possible to identify new
professional goals and stay prepared for new opportunities. An outdated resume can cause you to miss out
on your next adventure.
So open up that file and update that resume. Happy editing!
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