7 Ways to Update Your Resume

Originally published at: http://www.communicationsjobs.net/articles/article.asp?id=7051

Posted By: Alex Kecskes In: Job Seeker - Resume It’s a new year. Hopefully, the economy will turn around. Whether it does or doesn’t, you’re going to have to update your resume for a new, leaner economy to land a good job. Here are seven things you can do to freshen up the old CV: 1) Cut the Deadwood. If your resume is getting longer every year, it might be time to jettison some posts you held before, say, the Internet came into existence. Unless you were a super star or a rainmaker at a previous position, cut it out. Chances are, the supervisor you worked under is no longer there, or the company may even have changed owners and there will be little record of you ever having worked there. 2) Stress Lean & Mean. As companies struggle to rebound from the bad economy, they’ll be looking for employees that have a demonstrated ability to save them money. Stress your abilities to do just that—in each job you previously held and in the objective or summary part of your resume. 3) Learn a New Language. The economy is increasingly becoming an international one. So study a foreign language and include that in your resume. It can make a difference with so many people applying for the same job. 4) Add a New Skill Set. If you’re weak on the tech side, take an IT or computer class and add your new skill set to your resume. Tech competence is becoming a deal maker in many hiring decisions. 5) Expand Your Social Media. Join more professional social media organizations. Tag your increasing levels of participation at the end of your resume. Who knows, maybe your future employer belongs to one or more of those organizations. 6) Update Awards & Recognitions. That plaque you got from the company you worked for 10 years ago is passé. Add any new awards, recognitions and accolades and keep them current. 7) Check References. Make sure the contact information you have for your references is still current. Dump old references (anything over a decade is old) and replace them with new references that reflect your latest abilities and goals. Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients. Please see more of his blogs and view additional job postings on Beyond.com.