How to update your resume and get noticed by employers

If you are just about to enter a job search, updating your resume is one of the first things you must do. You will need to invest a significant amount of time into your job search materials and get them in shape for potential employers. This involves rejuvenating your resume, rewriting your cover letter, revamping your KSA document, and updating your LinkedIn profile. The key to updating your resume is pretty simple. All you must do is remove the stuff that does not belong and add the things that are needed.

What kind of a resume gets noticed by employers?

There is no one way of getting your resume to stand out in the competition. However, there are many small things you can do to ensure that your resume stands apart from the others. When considering the visual appeal of your resume, you should update the formatting, bullet points, fonts, spacing, and text density to give your resume a new look. More importantly, you must update the content of your resume. This includes adding necessary information such as your achievements, awards, qualifications, training, certifications, etc.

How can you update your resume?

Change the resume format and design

If the functional resume format that you have used for a while now does not get you the results you want, you should go for a different resume format such as a traditional chronological resume format or a hybrid resume format. When making design choices for the resume, be sure to stick with options that are ATS-compatible.

Take a look at the contact details

If you have not touched your resume for a while, the contact information mentioned on the document might be outdated. Check the phone number, email address, LinkedIn profile link, website links, and the location mentioned on your resume and update them if necessary.

Update the skills

The skills section of your resume is important because it is a place where you can incorporate keywords into your resume. If you have a target job title in mind, do a bit of research. Find out what most employers want from candidates who apply for the position. Then, add those skills to your resume. Use bullet points to highlight your skills.

Rewrite the work experience

Your current resume was very likely created for a different job title than the one you are trying for now. This is why you should change the work experience section of your resume. If you are applying for a leadership position, highlight leadership and management roles you have had in the past. If you want to snag a technical role, emphasize your technical experience on the resume.

Add your education

You may have gained more educational qualifications since the last time you wrote a resume. Add your latest educational qualifications to your resume. Just like in your work experience section, follow reverse chronological order when listing education. If you are a recent graduate or a younger professional with less experience, elaborate on the education section.

Create additional resume sections

Creating additional resume sections is a great way to increase the value of your resume. These sections will allow you to emphasize job-related skills on the resume. Also, you can highlight your community involvement. Some great ideas for additional resume sections are Awards, Achievements, Publications, Languages, Projects, Volunteer Work, Conferences, and Hobbies and Interests.