7 Best Tips to Update Your Resume and Make it More Relevant

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There is nothing worse than a stale resume and just like stale food its place is in the dustbin. Yes you heard it right! One of the most common reasons for your resume to go into the wastepaper bin is because it is not an updated one. It still reflects your experience of working with Windows 7 when Windows 8 is already up! It also reflects very poorly when you mention in the cover letter that you have 7 years of work experience whereas the resume reflects only 5 years! Yes you forgot to update your crucial resume. With companies receiving hundreds of resumes for various posts, the HR executive will not glance through your resume for more than once. So it is very important to keep your resume fresh and relevant.

Here are some vital tips and tricks to update your resume with the best resume format and make it more relevant.

Update from the end
Start reviewing your resume from the bottom. It is at the end that you would need to add any extracurricular activities, workshops or seminars that you must have attended.

Add skills and accomplishments
If you have changed jobs during a year, or had a promotion or a horizontal shift in your role, do not forget to mention it in the resume. Even if you have been in the same role for a year and half, you must have handled various projects or taken over some added responsibility. Do not forget to mention it.

Include professional activities
In the course of the last update of your resume, you could have attended some professional certificates or degrees. Even if a certificate is not related to your field of your job, but you have taken up a course like language or an animation course, do not forget to mention the degree. You could have been also involved in some social service which will definitely add value to your resume.

Update the look of your resume
Just to give your resume a crisp look, you can change or modify the look of your resume. If the format of your resume is still the same as it was 2 years back, it could be treated as an outdated one. At the same time ensure that your resume is compatible in all the current formats like Text only, Microsoft Word and PDF. Having a PDF format also gives the prospective employer a hint that you are a technically savvy candidate.

Keep keywords in the resume
There are many professions which have different designations but follow more or less the same profile. The difference is only in the use of key words. For example communication manager and PR manager has more or less the same roles to deliver. But do go through the job profile in detail and ensure that the keywords currently being used in the industry are there in your resume and at the same time avoid words which appear over used. Alternatively, you can mold the language a bit to fit in the desired keywords without much of a change to the profile.

Get rid of old content
Your resume should highlight the current achievements and skill addition and not what you learnt when you were a rookie. Delete the obsolete software or technologies, the need of which is now almost negligible. If you have applied for a senior post then just a line of your highest educational qualification will do justice so you may avoid writing the grades you achieved in high school!

Edit, re-edit and again edit
Proofread your article not once but several times. Edit and proofread it endlessly to ensure that your resume is error free. If you feel the need to delete or add any information do it now and do not leave it to be completed at a later date. If required, you can even ask your friend to proof-read it for yourself. Rewrite sections that need to hold the interest of your reader and in this case it is the HR.

Ready to build an appealing resume for FREE?

Now, your resume is ready to be posted. Send it across confidently along with a well-written cover letter. But, don’t forget that updating your resume is a regular activity. You must ideally take a re-look at your resume and make relevant changes more than once in a year.

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