Updating your Resume - Some Helpful Tips
Most people don't bother to keep their resume up to date. They
wait until they have serious problems or dissatisfaction with
their current job, and then at the last minute they slap
something together. Updating your resume should be a constant
process - even when you are happy with your current job, you
need to be working on it.
Why should you keep working on your resume? For starters, it's
easier that way if something comes up. You don't have to sit
down and think about all the things you've been doing over the
last ten years. Also, even if you're happy with your current
job, you should think of your resume as a way to advance your
goals within your job. You should always be thinking about what
you want your resume to look like, not just what it does look
like. Figure out where you want your job to go in the next five
years, and take on new duties at work that you think will make
your resume stand out for that direction. You need to decide in
advance what you're going to want to do. If you want to stay
with the company, what position would you like to have in five
years? If not, what job do you really want someplace else? After
you've answered that question, figure out what an ideal resume
would look like for that job. You should go online and search
around - try to look at people's resumes who are searching for
similar jobs. Then, try to add to your resume to make it fit
within that field. You can do this at work or outside of it -
learn a new skill that is useful for that job, or volunteer
outside of work for something related to the skill. Volunteering
is the easiest way to get experience in an unrelated field -
people will readily take you, and you can do something good at
the same time that you're helping yourself.