- The best time to update your résumé is when you don’t need it right away.
- We asked experts from TopResume to make over the résumé of someone who just landed a new role at work.
- You can use these tips to make over your own résumé.
When you land a new job, it’s hard to imagine there’s any need to update your résumé once again.
Perhaps you just updated it to land the role, and, at the very least, you don’t have plans to pursue a new gig after just landing this one.
If you’re like most people, you’re probably going to wait until something happens that triggers your need to update your résumé.
But Amanda Augustine, the career advice expert for TopResume, says this is the worst time to write your résumé.
"The best time to update your résumé is when you don’t need it right away, when there’s no pressure or tight deadline hanging over your head," she told Business Insider. "You want to approach the résumé-writing process — whether you’re planning to work with a professional résumé-writing service like TopResume or go it alone — when you have access to important information and there aren’t any emotions clouding your judgment."
According to a study by TopResume, 73% of employed professionals are open to exploring new job opportunities, even though they enjoy their current job.
But if your résumé isn’t up to date, you may not be ready when that opportunity comes your way.
Beth (not her real name) recently got a promotion at work, and she wanted to update her résumé to reflect her new role so she could be ready should an interesting job opportunity come her way.
As part of Business Insider’s résumé makeover series with TopResume, we thought we could help.
We asked TC Paulson, a résumé writer with TopResume, to rewrite Beth’s résumé now that she’s moved into her first management role to help reflect her progression.
With an up-to-date résumé, she’ll be prepared should a networking contact or a recruiter reach out with an interesting opportunity, Augustine said.
Overall, TC adjusted the format and presentation of Beth’s résumé to make it easier to read and scan through electronic applicant tracking systems. TC also beefed up Beth’s résumé to match the strength of her career’s trajectory and crafted statements to reflect her creativity, her communications expertise, and her talents in diplomacy.
"This can often be an intangible, yet essential aspect of a résumé for someone in her field of PR," TC told Business Insider.
Augustine explained in more detail some of the specific changes TC made to Beth’s résumé to help prepare her for her next step. While your résumé may look different, these pointers should help you overhaul your own résumé:
SEE ALSO: 38 things you should remove from your résumé before it ends up in the ‘no’ pile
DON’T MISS: 10 ways to fix your résumé when you’re not entry-level anymore
SEE ALSO: These real résumé makeovers will teach you exactly how to fix your own résumé
1. Remove the street address
Augustine said she encourages candidates to include their city and state if they’re local candidates, but there’s no reason to provide additional details about where you live.
"They take up precious space on your résumé and can be considered a security threat — think about all the places you post your résumé online," she said.
2. Add links to social media
TC added a link to Beth’s LinkedIn page, while Beth made sure her other relevant social media accounts, such as her Twitter account, were linked to her LinkedIn profile.
"While it’s important for most candidates to add LinkedIn to their résumé, it’s even more so for Beth, since she is in PR, and social media is a critical area of expertise for her career progression," Augustine said.
3. Create a professional profile
TC created a qualifications profile for Beth "that set the tone for the rest of the résumé," Augustine said.
"The professional title clearly states Beth’s current job, leaving no room for ambiguity," Augustine said. "However, the word ‘manager’ in the title can be swapped out at any time to reflect whatever specific position Beth is targeting."
Below that, TC included Beth’s professional summary, which Augustine said gives the reader a sense of Beth’s most marketable soft skills and hard skills and the extent of her experience.
"While you might be able to get away with omitting a professional summary from your entry-level résumé, you must include something at the top of your mid-level résumé that summarizes your goals and value proposition," she said.
"Think of it as the place where you incorporate your elevator pitch into your résumé," Augustine said.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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