Outdated CV? 7 Tips To Update It With Ease

When was the last time you updated your CV?

As a jobseeker, I used to see this as a waste of time, until I realized that it was necessary if I wanted to find the right job. Having your CV ready at all times, allows you to respond quickly to unexpected job opportunities whenever and wherever they appear. It also encourages you to look at your career development as a whole, review your skills and decide what your next step is going to be.

Not updating your CV, can leave you unprepared and at risk of not making a good impression on employers. To avoid this, learn how to revamp your CV the right way by following these tips that worked for me;

Update your current role

The first thing you can do is to improve your current role. If you are working or planning to leave work at some point, you need to gather the information you think is necessary and include it in there to show your contribution to the role. It helps to go back and think about what you have learned from this experience. Ask yourself what difference you made, what was the result and why it matters. Refer to examples, and quantify your accomplishments to show future employers what you can do.

Go through your skills

As you progress in your job and career, you equip yourself with new experiences. If you use the opportunities presented to you effectively, the more skills you are going to add on your CV If you want to improve your skills section, go back to those you already have on your CV and come up with more convincing and recent examples to support your skills

Add your achievements

Most jobseekers forget an important detail when writing their résumé, and this is listing their achievements. Adding achievements can help you stand out in the most unique and effective way. But what do we mean by achievements? Achievements can be anything from a reward or recognition you got from your boss, to a small success at work through other settings. Accomplishments can be tied well with skills. Start by preparing a draft list of your proudest achievements and update it regularly.

Check your CV design

Even if you don’t want to admit it, appearances do matter. Go through a general check for the design and make sure that it’s up to current standards. Does it look too old-fashioned or traditional? If yes, you can add some colors to it or make the necessary changes to modernize it. But first, make sure that you research the role and the company it offers the position.

Review your career objective

If you have a career objective on your résumé, check whether this is still relevant or not. Career goals can change in a blink of an eye, and if you haven’t updated your CV in a long time, you might need to revise it. Some experts believe that this is not needed at all, but if you don’t have a career summary on your CV, it’s a good idea to use one. To write a career objective, make sure you know what you want and that you tailor it for each job.

Make it consistent

Don’t forget that the content is as important as the design. Before you send your CV out, check for any mistakes within the text that you may have missed and fix them. Try to make it consistent regarding the structure the fonts, and the headings you are using. For best results, take your CV and take a good look at it from a distance. Make sure there is enough white space on the paper and that you follow a logical order that allows the content to flow nicely.

Run a format-check

Are you using the correct CV format? Choosing the best format is all about determining your purpose. Ask yourself what you want to use the CV for. Are you interested in a career change, trying to get your first job or hoping to get a promotion?  When you make it clear to yourself about what is it that you are after, employers will be able to tell as well. This way you ensure that your professional needs are aligned.

What next…..

This is just a snippet of how you can update your CV. The list of tips are endless like Adding Keywords, proofreading, etc

Want to make this process easy? Have a professional CV writing expert revamp your updated CV and await tremendous results to happen. You will be getting calls for interviews in no time!