Revive your resume!

Apprehensive about venturing into the job market after a long gap? The first step for you is to update your resume. Here’s how to polish up key information in the document that will get the attention of recruiters, and a job.

Setting out on a job search, especially if it is after a long gap is not easy. The last time you updated your resume and actively set out on a job hunt, you landed yourself the current job you are in. You joined, advanced through different job responsibilities, added new skills to your professional profile, and possibly a higher designation too.

 Now that you are about to enter the job market again, you sift through old folders to find your old resume, but does it speak of the professional accomplishments you have achieved or is it still frozen in a time when you joined the current company? Well, if it is the latter case, then sit up and get active. Your resume needs some work. Here is a list of things that you will require to look into:

Contact details – As a job seeker, you want to be contacted by recruiters, don’t you? Then ensure that the phone number that your resume mentions is one that is currently in use. You might also leave footer at the end of the resume (or even your cover letter) about the best time to be contacted.

Is the same email ID you used for your last job search still operational? It is a good idea to create and use a separate email address solely for the purpose of receiving job notifications and sending out applications. Either way, ensure that the contact information mentioned in your resume is correct, up to date and complete.

Skill set and transferable skills – Skills that you have picked up along the way in your current job and that will be helpful in the next one are a must-addition. Briefly list your core competencies relevant to the job you are applying for. This is of even more importance if you are switching domains or making a complete career change.

References – References are best provided from the most recent employments – your current job and at most the previous one. As you set out floating your resume this time around, include details of people from the current workplace too who will be willing to serve as referees.

Training undertaken – Learning acquired both on-the-job and through formal courses will lend you a competitive edge; be sure that your resume highlights just how you have progressed through the previous employment to the current one.

Current role responsibilities – Did your job title and description evolve along the way in your current job? Include the latest job title held by you, your achievements, and the various changing job responsibilities you undertook along the way, and also include durations of the same.

Lastly, as you set pedal on the job search wagon, take time to update your resume with key skills that highlight the particular job opening’s requirement. Target positions that specifically interest you by tailoring your CV to land yourself an interview, and further the job!