It’s time for a new model
If I wrote your resume sometime in the past 15 years, and it worked well for you, chances are you started tweaking and updating it yourself. Or maybe not. Either way, once the clock starts ticking on that resume, it will be out of date in a matter of years. Even if it garnered several job interviews in the past, maybe now you’re only hearing crickets. Chances are your resume needs an overhaul. Here’s why:
- Times and formats change. Just like cars and clothes, preferences come and go among consumers. In the past it was “one page” only. Then two. Now they have to be mobile friendly. What? Yes. They are being read on the small screen.
- Adding items throughout the resume, aka, “tweaking” it, can lead to serious mistakes. I’ve had client resumes come back to me after many years with jobs added, as well as misspelled words, incorrect verb tenses, and a host of other problems. You don’t update your tax returns every year. And you shouldn’t just start adding info to your resume without a lot of knowledge. It can be very expensive in the long run.
- ATS / Applicant Tracking Systems. These are the computers that read resumes before humans do. And the folks that make them, are always upgrading the software. Sometimes they don’t accept certain words (spam filters) or .docx formats. The rules they set for resume acceptance are always changing. Are you keeping up?
- Keywords change. Have you noticed how many acronyms, abbreviations, and new words have popped up in the last decade alone? DOS will make you look outdated. Ruby on Rails wasn’t even around back then. And it too may disappear in a few years, much like the mp3 player that was replaced by a mobile phone.
The next time you need to update your resume, save yourself the headache and time of trying to figure out what’s relevant for today’s market. Professional resume writers, especially those who are certified and belong to resume writing associations can save you a lot of money in the long run. It’s an investment in your career.
Send us your resume for a free consultation and no-obligation quote to: info@1stRateResumes.com.