Should you update your CV often?

For most of us, updating the CV is often a yearly exercise which is triggered by a post appraisal dissonance, or fuelled by aspirations. The usual next step is that we dig out our old CV and make whatever changes which come to the mind at that point in time. This often results in a CV that does not cover all bases and often highlights only the most recent achievements, thus resulting in an underperforming CV.

As per an estimate, 67% people only update their CV only when they are contemplating changing their job. An alarming figure by any standards. The solution is to update your CV as often as there is a change in your profile or have an achievement to showcase or have acquired a new skill. In the uncertain times, where pink slips are common place, it is better to be prepared than to regret. And what better way than to keep your CV updated.

Having an updated, ready to send CV helps in maximising your chances in the job market. Most people miss out on lots of key achievements from a current or previous role when eventually updating their CV, if they don’t do it on a regular basis, usually because they have forgotten most of them. Just so you do not forget these milestones of your career, it is recommended that under any of the following situations, you should update your CV.

- You get a new assignment and successfully deliver it

- You have gotten a promotion

- Have acquired a new skill through internal or external training

- Have got an accolade for a job well done

- Typically the sections that could be updated are:

- Achievements

- Skill set, especially if these are sought after in the market.

Another reason to update is to keep the content of the CV relevant. As you keep adding new skill sets and experience to your profile, the skills which were important as a junior may now be redundant and hence are best removed or marginalized. Otherwise they may choke the limited bandwidth of your CV.

Likewise you may want to remove irrelevant experiences, which may not be relevant to your current profile.

If you are having difficulty in keeping your CV updated perhaps because of your busy schedule or because you are unable to identify the areas to change, you may consider hiring a professional CV writing service firm who often provide a Free CV Review service and they will be able to evaluate your CV, and provide you with useful recommendations.

A professional CV writing service firm could help you in the following ways in your pursuit of having an updated CV:

Being experts in their domain they will be able to guide you on the skills that you must highlight based on the prevailing job market.

A professional CV writing service firm will know how to structure the CV so that your key achievements get highlighted.

The professional CV writing firm will also be able to advise you on any job openings pertinent to your experience.

An updated CV will help better your chances in a subdued job market, and a professional CV writing service will help you stay prepared.

Posted in Job Hunting