Having a good resume is very important in getting a job, as it is one of the important aspects of the job interview. A resume that you have been using for a long time perhaps over two years might not be as effective as it was when you first wrote it. This is primarily because of changes or necessary updates it lacks. You can do the review yourself or hire resume writing services to help you with the review.During job applications, you are basically contending with other individuals who believe they are also suitable for the job. Your ability to stand out and prove you are the best is the key.
Things to review in an old resume
- Old information. You might need to change a lot of old information such as contact. Your current email, phone numbers or addresses should be updated on the resume. Using old information can cost you a potential job. Hence, if you changed any of your vital contact information like your email address, it is best to make necessary adjustments to your resume.
- Update new experiences. A resume you used five years ago can never be accurate in terms of your experience. New experiences must have been gained and you need to add to your previous ones to prove your qualification for the job.
- Update new skills. Experiences are not the only items that needs to be added. New skills or certifications should be added as well. This shows your worth and proves to the interviewer how perfect you are for the job you applied for.
- Update education status. You might need to update your education status as well. For instance, the year you finished a particular program must be changed from expecting status to the year you finished or graduated. Education and degree are very important when applying for a job so ensuring to update such status boosts your chances for getting the job.
Why should you update your resume?
As aforementioned the prime reason to update your resume is to add additional information that your old resume does not contain.
Submitting an old resume with old information can mislead your interviewer into contacting you via your old contact info; or might mislead the interviewer into assuming you are not the best option for the job. Therefore, it is very important to always update your resume once you gain new experience, skill, certifications or change your contact info or any other vital information.
Breviary
A good resume is a very vital part of a job application. It proves that the candidate is qualified to take on the job amidst other candidates.
When applying for a job, a candidate should ALWAYS submit the updated version of his/her resume to increase chances of getting the job.An interviewer searches for the best applicants; hence a candidate must always prove their worth.
After updating your resume, writing a kick-ass cover letter is the next step. Your cover letter should tell the interviewer how right you are for the job.
Keep it Simple
You can use a different font or typeface for your name, your resume headers, and the companies for which you’ve worked, but keep it simple and keep it consistent. No matter what resume format you choose, your main focus here should be on readability for the hiring manager. That being said, you should feel free to…
We’ll talk about getting creative in order to stand out in a minute. But the most basic principle of good resume formatting and design? Keep it simple. Use a basic but modern font, like Helvetica, Arial, or Century Gothic. Make your resume easy on hiring managers’ eyes by using a font size between 10 and 12 and leaving a healthy amount of white space on the page.
Carefully Stand Out
If you’re applying to a more traditional company, don’t get too crazy, but feel free to add some tasteful design elements or a little color to make it pop. No matter what, don’t do it unless you’re willing to put in the time, creativity, and design work to make it awesome.
Really want your resume stand out from the sea of Times New Roman? Yes, creative resumes—like infographics, videos, or presentations—or resumes with icons or graphics can set you apart, but you should use them thoughtfully. If you’re applying through an ATS, keep to the standard formatting without any bells and whistles so the computer can read it effectively.
Make Your Contact Info Prominent
You don’t need to include your address on your resume anymore (really!), but you do need to make sure to include a phone number and professional email address (not your work address!) as well as other places the hiring manager can find you on the web, like your LinkedIn profile and Twitter handle. (Implicit in this is that you keep these social media profiles suitable for prospective employers.)
Design for Skimmability
In as little time as possible. These 12 small formatting changes will make a huge difference.
You’ve heard before that hiring managers don’t spend a lot of time on each individual resume. So help them get as much information as possible.
Get Help From a Professional
so consider working with a professional resume designer. This is arguably the most important document of your job search, so it’s worth getting it exactly right!
Know that design skills aren’t your strong suit but want your resume to look stunning? There’s no shame in getting help.
Work Experience
Keep it Recent, Keep it Relevant
If there’s a choice between including one more college internship or going into more detail about your current role, always choose the latter (unless a previous job was more relevant to the one you’re applying to).
As a rule, you should only show the most recent 10-15 years of your career history and only include the experience relevant to the positions to which you are applying. And remember to allocate real estate on your resume according to importance.
