Posted under Career Management, Career Planning, Resumes, Uncategorized on August 10th, 2008
It’s hard to believe, but in a few weeks, September rolls around and that means “International Update Your Resume Month.” An initiative spearheaded by Career Directors International (CDI) meant to promote awareness about the importance of having an updated resume ready.
So why this post about updating your resume in August?
For starters, it takes time to get organized. Whether you write or update your resume yourself or have it done professionally, you’d be surprised how long it could take.
If you currently don’t have a well-constructed, powerful resume and you know you should do a complete overhaul, plan ahead. I can’t tell you how long you will need to write it yourself, but I often hear clients (after they decide to outsource this task) complain that it took them forever.
If you go the professional route, keep in mind that most good resume writers don’t churn out resumes overnight. If you’re looking for a quality service and resume, count on a turnaround time of 2-4 weeks. This does not include the time you need to compile the necessary information your resume writer needs, the phone or in-person session you will have with your writer, and editing time at the end of the process.
All in all, you could be looking at 1-2 months from beginning to end.
If you do have an already strong resume on file, the update will be quicker of course, especially if you plan to stay in the same field and if you do it yourself. Resume writers may offer a faster turnaround for updates-only; this depends.
Throughout the year, I am contacted by people who need a resume created for them, well, preferably… “yesterday.” They didn’t think they’d need to have one ready because they’re in a great job right now. But low and behold, they are approached by someone with an even better offer and they need to produce a resume.
Or, they find themselves, overnight, in an industry in distress. (Who would’ve thought a year ago that Wall Street would be in trouble?) Of course, on the less-dramatic side, your company could simply be going through a time of downsizing due to an acquisition, bad financial results, etc.
Fortune favors the prepared mind (Darwin), and this is particularly true when it comes to the job market.
Here’s how to get prepared - either for your do-it-yourself resume project or for your collaboration with a professional. You may want to start a special file for this purpose
- Keep track of your accomplishments throughout the year. Did you initiate or work on a special project? Did you achieve something special? Surpass goals? Save time or money? Gain clients? Go above and beyond? Be specific and quantify your results as much as possible.
- List conference, training, and seminar attendance.
- Save thank-you notes and other testimonials you receive from internal or external clients, colleagues, supervisors, etc.
- If you finished your education or obtained a certification, make sure to add it to your file.
- Did you obtain new skills? Create a list.
- Any awards or honors you received should be mentioned as well.
Sounds like a lot of work? The good news: This information is also very handy when it comes time for your annual evaluation and salary raise negotiation, so you’re killing 2 birds with 1 stone here!
Good luck!
Posted by Ilona Vanderwoude
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Carl E. Reid on 12 Aug 2008 at 12:15 am #
Great article Ilona. I always tell coaching clients and any I talk to about career issues “update your resume the day after you start a new job”. A person never knows will a job search may have to be done at a moment’s notice.
Carl E. Reid, CSI
landscape fabric on 12 Aug 2008 at 5:56 am #
I think what you are suggesting in your post is an excellent idea - updating your CV as matter of course rather than only updating it when you are actively searching for employment - however if i continually updated it my CV/resume would be 6-7 pages long. Now, i don’t know if the same rules apply in the States as in the uK, but we are told that a CV exceeding 2 pages will often be binned by recruiting companies. How do you suggest we fit all our updates within the 2 page barrier?
Ilona Vanderwoude on 13 Aug 2008 at 1:57 pm #
Great question! We certainly would not want to end up with a 7-page resume! The trick is in being strategic. Use more space for your most recent experience and less for your older positions. Most employers are interested in the last 15 years of your background anyway, so focus on that and very briefly summarize earlier experience. Sometimes just listing the name of your employer, your position title, and the dates suffices.
Of course, this is assuming you are staying in the same field and your most recent experience is relevant to your current job target. If you are returning to a field you worked in decades ago, you’d want to employ a whole different strategy altogether - material for another blog! : )