New year, new you? Don’t worry if you don’t have vast life-altering plans for 2020. It’s just another year, after all, and you’re allowed to be the same you.
Amidst resolutions about quitting a bad habit, starting a good habit, or “getting organized” (whatever that means), some of us out there are looking for a new job this year. Maybe it’s for a boost in income, maybe it’s to get out of a job that has a poor life balance and leaves you stressed and exhausted, or maybe you’re not actually looking for a new job at all.
This post will explore 5 reasons you should dust off the ol’ resume for the new year, even if you’re not job searching.
1. To Put Some Pep in Your Professional Step: Just looking over your accomplishments since the last time you updated your resume can put some serious coin in your professional confidence bank. Plus, updating frequently (once or twice a year, at least) means you can spruce up your resume while the details of your latest projects are still fresh in your mind. While you’re updating, you should also jot down some notes and highlights about your projects that don’t make it to the resume — these can be used for cover letter material.
2. To Make A Case: If you redo your resume and find that you’ve significantly stepped up your responsibilities and project management skills, it’s a good time to think about negotiating a pay raise. Taking an objective look at your accomplishments over the past year (or more) can help you outline your conversation with your boss.
3. Because Shit Happens: If you lose your job, it’s far better to have your resume already up to date than to have to think positively about the job you just lost while you try to fix it up.
4. To Stay On Trend: Resume trends change over time, and you may end up taking yours a completely new direction! Research the latest resume tips like scrapping the objective section for a summary or profile, leaving the references off, and highlighting skills in a separate section.
5. To Invite Opportunity: You never know when you might have an opportunity fall into your lap through a new connection in your professional circle or a recruiter on LinkedIn. If your resume is already up to date, you won’t need to scramble to get one put together, which risks leaving out important details.
Caitlin Liz Fisher 