According to the National Employment Law Project, nearly 40 percent of working Americans have not updated their resume in over three years. This shows that updating your resume is an essential part of being a job seeker today. As someone who is always looking for new opportunities to help others succeed, I have compiled a list of 10 ways to update your resume in 2024, which will increase your chances of finding the perfect position for you and provide an easy way for companies to find you. If you need additional help, there are resume writing services like https://www.resumewritingservices.org/ that would help.
1. Update Your Objective Statement
The first and most basic thing you can do to update your resume is to update your objective statement. As an employer, it’s advised that you only write one major objective statement on the first page of your resume. However, you should also state a second objective on your resume, which is more specific than the first one or a third one as well. Each one of your objectives should be a clear goal for you that can outline where you would like to go in the future. For example, if you are looking for a job in the medical field, your objective statement should include a goal of becoming an X-ray technician or becoming an orthopedic surgeon in the future.
2. Update Your Summary
Your summary is another essential component of your resume, which you will want to update almost every year to include new information about your career history. You will want to include a summary that is concise and highlights your key accomplishments. Make sure it is easy for employers to talk to you by including your name and contact information as well as social media accounts that are relevant to your job position.
3. Update Your Work History
Your work history section should summarize the jobs you’ve held during your career and include the start/end dates of each job. This should include the company name, your job title, and the specific duties you performed. If you have recently changed jobs for a new opportunity, be sure to discuss why you made that choice as well. There will be a section where employers can ask lots of questions about your previous work history, so it’s best to include a brief sentence or two for each job that connects with your objective statement or includes an accomplishment you are proud of.
4. Update Your Skills
You will also need to update the skills section of your resume. If you don’t know which skills to include, there is a comprehensive list of over one hundred specific skills that you can add or update to your resume. You may want to include some of the most valuable and transferable skills on your resume. For example, if you are applying for a job as a financial analyst, you may want to include skills like Excel, Salesforce, or accounting.
5. Update Your Education
Your education section will show your most recent degree and any additional schooling or certificates you have completed. You may want to include this information in reverse chronological order with your most recent education at the top. If you graduated from college more than a few years ago, you might also want to include high school information as well. Make sure any schools you have attended are accredited and that the program data is correct. It’s also important to update your resume if you receive any awards, honors, or special recognition for academic achievement.
6. Update Your Work Experience
Be sure to add a recent job you have completed or an internship you have held in the work experience section. You will want to include what duties you performed in each position as well as what your key accomplishments were. Make sure to discuss your strongest skills and most relevant experience relevant to the job position. Also, make sure that the dates of your previous employment are correct and included on your resume.
7. Update Your Education
Your education section will show your most recent degree and any additional schooling or certificates you have completed. You may want to include this information in reverse chronological order with your most recent education at the top. If you graduated from college more than a few years ago, you might also want to include high school information as well. Make sure any schools you have attended are accredited and that the program data is correct. It’s also important to update your resume if you receive any awards, honors, or special recognition for academic achievement.
8. Update Your Professional Memberships
You should also consider updating the professional memberships section of your resume as well. You can include any notable or relevant professional memberships in this area of your resume if they will support you and the position you are interviewing for. For example, it would be pertinent to include any local membership affiliations in this section if you are interviewing for a job in the local area. This could include groups like Rotary International or Women Who Code.
9. Update Your Other Sections
You will also want to check your address, phone number, and email address to make sure they are correct as well. You should also review any other sections that you might have added in the past and remove any sections you no longer want on your resumes, like educational information or volunteer work. It’s best to remove anything that doesn’t directly support your qualifications for the job position you’re applying for.
Conclusion
If you have followed these ten steps to update your resume for job hunting, you will be well on your way to getting that important job interview! Keep in mind that these steps are not comprehensive and should be adjusted or modified to fit your current needs. Also, remember that you will want to update your resume at different times for different purposes. For example, if you are applying for a job in academia, you might update your resume every few years instead of updating it annually. Try to keep those updates as short as possible because employers often don’t have time to read a two or three-page resume.
