It's Time to Brush Up Your Resume

As 2010 winds down, many folks look forward to time off, vacations, and some well-deserved relaxation. During this downtime though, you have work to do. It's time to brush up your resume.

No, you're not getting fired (at least I hope not - talk about Grinch-like bosses who would can someone over the holidays). And no, the job market hasn't suddenly rebounded. There's a more important reason to brush up your resume. Now the resume isn't the be-all end-all for job search and there are a lot of myths surrounding it. Check out the most common myths in this post by CLICKING HERE. That said, it is an important document that needs to be up to date at any given time.

According to close to 70% of you it has been well over 6 months since you dusted off this document. Don't believe me? Check out the poll at the bottom of the page (and vote if you haven't voted yet). 6 months is a long time. I don't know about you but I start forgetting things after 6 hours. And that's why it's a perfect time to brush up your paper. And I'm not just talking about your .doc resume either - brush up your LinkedIn and other social networking profiles too.

Your resume should always be current and accurate. I'm sure many of you have had that frantic experience when a headhunter or company calls and asks to see your resume. You scramble around trying to piece together however many years of accomplishments since you last updated it. More often than not, it will be a long, painful process and you will miss things. There is a better way...

Why now?

The end of the year is the perfect time to do this work. Things are quiet and you can hopefully think. You can get some dedicated focus time without tons of meetings hammering away at your calendar. Writing a document as important as your resume requires good dedicated effort.

It's also a good time to write it because you've likely received your year-end review. That document is a great source of the facts and figures you need to craft a clear, compelling resume.

Why do it at all?

I don't know about you but the notion of going into my archives to piece together multiple years of performance to write an updated resume is not my idea of holiday fun. I would much rather have a document I know is accurate and up to date. To achieve that, regularly updating that resume is a good idea.

The rationale behind having it updated is pretty straightforward. When you get a call from someone looking to fill a critical role you need to have that document at the ready. Especially in hypercompetitive times like these where there are so many candidates competing for few jobs even a few days' delay can cost you a chance at a new role.

And during times of layoffs, downsizing, and economic uncertainty you're much better off having that document at the ready in case you end up a casualty of downsizing. Many times when people get laid off, their access to all company documents (including copies of your old progress reviews that you failed to download off the server and onto your home PC) is cut off. How can you expect to write a good resume without access to that base data?

Make it a habit

Every year the resume update has become a ritual. Even though I run my own business and I don't plan on firing myself anytime soon or pursuing new opportunities, it's good to catalog accomplishments, reflect on where I am at from a career standpoint, and assess my performance for the last twelve months. The downtime surrounding the holidays has become my scheduled time period for doing that.

I suggest you do the same. Put the little recurring annual calendar appointment in Outlook and remind yourself every year to go through this exercise. The result will be a good sense of where you are, the accomplishments you've achieved, and readiness for the next opportunity that comes your way. The difference between landing that next dream job or waiting in the unemployment line could be as slight as a week's delay in updating your resume. Wouldn't you rather be prepared?

- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC