A resume is the primary introduction of oneself. They reflect on the personality and the career history of an individual. If you, as a corporate professional wish to stand out in the crowd, you have to do something the crowd is not willing to do.
It is a common misconception that resumes need updates only at the time of seeking a new job. However, it is not true.
One may want to update their resume for various reasons apart from applying for a new job. The resume is basically a mirror into your career history. One must highlight all the strengths and achievements in their resume and this must be done on a regular basis.
Yes, you may have been at your particular job for years together which has probably lead to not only making your resume obsolete but also irrelevant and incomplete. It may also exhibit signs of incompetence and procrastination, which is obviously not a positive thing.
Therefore, updating your resume from time to time regardless of unemployment is a good career move for various reasons as follows.
1. Self improvement
A regular resume update will help you in keeping a check on your career path and will help in delivering valuable data that you can use to your benefit. Surviving in the corporate world is not an easy task. Constant self-improvement is the only way of sustainability and growth. Once you have highlighted various activities on your resume you will be able to see the gaps, if any, and Improve or work on those particular areas accordingly. Thus, the resume update is not just for acquiring a new job but also for the purpose of self-improvement.
2. Time saving
Well, it is not news that spreading the work over a long period of time will not only save your time but also make the quality of your work more efficient and accurate. Your regular resume updates will help you in saving your valuable time at the eleventh hour. You will not have to look into your entire career history to dig or separate your achievements. They are all right there. It is a great time- saving technique and a must-try!
3. Exhibits professionalism
Oh well-updated resume at any point in your career exhibits your sense of discipline and professionalism. These are two qualities every organization in the corporate world is looking for. The last update on your resume should not be further than six months. As they say, God is in the details. Maybe, no organization looks at your resume. However, maybe one single organization happens to get its hands on your online profile and you are offered a spontaneous take it or leave it job role from your dream organization. These things don’t just happen in books or movies. There are various examples of people who have been chosen because of a single trait or a single achievement regardless of their qualifications. Organizations looking for a specific skillset inclusive of professionalism and diligence are the target here.
4. Handy
Well, an updated resume obviously comes in handy at all times. God forbid, the company you’re working for shut down or less of a major portion of its employees and you happened to be an unfortunate victim in this case. You will obviously have to go job hunting and an updated resume will keep you ahead in the race. It always comes in handy and therefore you must follow the practice of updating your resume regularly.
5. Nominations for awards
A well maintained and actively updated resume might get you nominated for various awards. Now, although getting nominated for awards may not be a primary reason to update your resume but it is surely an auxiliary one as it comes across as a feather in the hat. Getting nominated for an award will obviously reflect positively on your resume which again, you can update.
Apart from the above-mentioned reasons, you must also update your resume because it is the right thing to do so.
If you are looking for a stable career and a corporate one at that, your resume is like an audition. You are offered to play the part on the basis of the audition and not on the basis of your history.
Survival and sustainability in the corporate world is possible only if you have an edge over the others. In a world of procrastinating corporate professionals, choose to be a diligent and disciplined one. This will take you further and your career graph Will be an upward slanting slope in the first quadrant!
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All the best