September is International Update Your Resume Month!

If a recruiter or an employer called you tomorrow and presented a wonderful career opportunity, would your resume be updated and ready?!

Very often, job seekers avoid the task of updating their resumes regularly and then find themselves overwhelmed when asked to produce a quality document in a short time frame.

September marks the annual International Update Your Resume Month (founded by Career Directors International), an excellent opportunity to reflect on your career achievements over the past year and add them to your career portfolio. If you take the time each September to re-evaluate your value and update your resume, you will be ready when an opportunity comes knocking!

“September is the perfect time to start a new approach to career care-taking,” says Laura DeCarlo, CDI President.  “While children are embarking on starting the new school year, adults should also be taking stock of their professional attributes and career value by updating their resumes.”

Here are some tips to help update your resume this month:

• Get started right now.  Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity to present itself before taking action. Fall is a peak recruitment time, and application times may be short.  Rushing to get your materials together will only increase your stress and the risk of getting sloppy and overlooked.

• Review your last year of work and take inventory of new skill sets or accomplishments.  If you feel you don’t have anything stellar to share – think again. Everyone is a producer, even on a small scale.  You need to prove to employers that you are continuously growing and achieving.  If you are struggling with how to gather good material, my guest post on Careerealism: “4 Tips to Gathering Great Resume Content” can help!

• Ensure your resume meets modern standards.  Times change and resumes are ever-evolving.  A resume format that worked for you last year could need an update to look current and fresh.  Avoid looking behind the times by evaluating current resume trends and applying the best strategy for you and your career target.

• Update all of your career documents, not just your resume.  A complete personal marketing kit includes a customized cover letter, a tailored resume, an updated references list, an active and complete LinkedIn profile, a thank you letter, and more. Never neglect any of these critical communication tools. Invest fully in your career. 

• Hire a professional if you are struggling.  Professional resume writers can lower anxiety, unearth your unique value, and properly position your skills in a current format. A professionally written resume could help shorten your job search and/or secure you a role with higher compensation.  Just keep in mind that these professionals will be very busy during this peak season, so book ahead and remember to search for reputable industry members.