Did you know that September is International Update Your Resume Month?!
If you’ve been putting off this task for months (maybe decades), this is your sign to spend 30 minutes celebrating and assessing your career.
Whether you’re actively looking for a new role, exploring your career advancement options, or just saving yourself time in the future, updating your resume is crucial at any stage of your career. Let’s delve into four dynamic strategies that can amplify your professional journey.
1. Build Your Portfolio:
Resumes might miss showing all your wins. Making a personal milestone collection lets you display your successes in a cool new way. This mix should have good things people said about you, along with certificates from workshops and classes you took, or even events you participated in and side projects. It’s like a trophy case of how awesome you are. This can start as a folder on your desktop or an engaging online portfolio. Either way, this collection will help when you’re looking for new jobs, chasing promotions, or talking about how great you are in yearly reviews.
2. Speak Up for Yourself:
Tweaking your resume can open doors to better jobs and even more pay. A thoughtful and thorough resume shows how awesome you are and helps you ask for a bigger paycheck. It’s surprising, but not haggling during your first job offer can make you lose more than $600,000 during your whole career. When you’re looking for more money, focus on stuff you did that can be measured, like saved time or money for your old bosses. Show off your experience, skills, track record, and LinkedIn likes, and connect them to the times you made money or saved it for your old companies. With all this proof, you’ll be all set to talk about more money.
3. Learn New Stuff:
While fixing up your resume is helpful, take the chance this month to learn something new. Sign up for classes at local schools or online. Volunteer to speak on a panel or join a mentorship program. If you earn any certificates or awards, add them to your resume and LinkedIn. Learning new stuff doesn’t just make you smarter; it also makes you a more interesting person to hire and collaborate with.
4. Get into Side Gigs:
A side job is more than earning extra cash. It can help you start a business someday, unlock new talents, or learn that maybe you aren’t cut out for a certain hobby. Plus, it can help you meet new people and explore your passions. If your work rules let you, you could offer your professional skills to others on the side or even volunteer to do a project for a local nonprofit. Having side gigs gives you more stories to tell in interviews and adds to your experience list, which is always a plus.
As we kick off International Update Your Resume Month, ProFocus Technology is giving you a friendly nudge to brag about yourself, dive into new skills, advocate for your worth, and explore new ways to feel fulfilled. This isn’t just about a resume refresh; it’s about unlocking the personal and professional growth at any stage of your career.
Need some help? Talk with our team today to discuss how to improve your resume, common tech trends we are seeing, career advancement strategies, and more!
