How To Revamp Your Resume in 5 Steps

Revamping your resume is often quick and essential for record-keeping. Regularly updating your resume is also a good practice to ensure it's always ready for submission or view by others. Revamping your resume well involves following a series of steps. In this article, we discuss why a revamp is important, list steps for revamping a resume and provide helpful tips for the revamp.

Why does a resume need a revamp?

Depending on the field, some resumes benefit from the inclusion of hard data such as numbers and percentages. Even while you're currently employed, make note of all your achievements or other accomplishments that come with hard data. Include them in your resume at your earliest convenience for further improvement. Additionally, as time passes, the skills, experience and other requirements for positions often change with market conditions. To stay competitive, update your resume each year and make alterations to each section as necessary.

How to revamp your resume

If you're considering revamping your resume, follow these steps:

1. Add more information to short sections.

If you have extra space within your resume, consider adding more detail to shorter sections. Add more bullets to any bulleted lists and update new and previous job details. If you have additional information that might benefit your resume, include it as necessary in each section. For example, if you have a new percentage or another actionable piece of information to add, it makes your resume more competitive when you re-enter the job market.

2. Omit old or irrelevant experience.

As individuals accelerate through their careers, they often come to a point in which their experience is so vast that it no longer fits on their resume. When this occurs, consider omitting old or less relevant positions. For example, you might choose to only include jobs from a certain date onward when you settled into a specific career path. Consider doing the same for education entries as well.

3. Change your font and layout.

Beyond the information in your resume, the design itself often benefits from an update. Experiment with various font and layout options from your current library or download others from the internet. Consider options that are professional, but also add a personal touch relevant to yourself and your desired role.

Read More: 10 Fun Resume Ideas for Creatives

4. Check all bullet points for accuracy.

If you have any bulleted lists within your resume, read through them and ensure the information listed is still accurate and well-presented. Add additional bullet points where necessary for further clarity and detail and omit old or outdated information.

5. Update file name to show it as a recent version.

When you complete all the necessary changes to your resume, save your file and rename it. Include mention within the name that you updated the file along with the current date. This helps you easily identify the most recent file when uploading your resume online.

Related: 11 Ways To Update Your Resume

What to include on a resume

No matter your area of expertise, most resumes need the following sections for the best performance in the job market:

Name and contact information

At or near the top of most resumes are an individual's name and contact information. Include your full name along with a preferred first name, if necessary. Along with your name, include your phone number, email address, physical address and any other related contact information.

Employment history

An employment history or experience section outlines your previous positions by job title. It includes employer names, dates of employment and a list of your duties and accomplishments. Sort your list by date with the most recent job title first.

Skills

A skills section lists any hard or soft skills you have. Many skills, such as specific programs or application skills, are relevant to specific jobs. For example, a graphic designer might include Photoshop or Illustrator within their skills section while an administrative assistant focuses more on applications such as QuickBooks.

Read more: 10 Best Skills To Include on a Resume (With Examples)

Education

Education sections are similar to employment history sections in that you sort it by date with the most recent entry first. If you earned a college degree, listing your high school information becomes optional in most cases. Focus primarily on higher education if you have it, especially if it relates directly to your field of interest.

Resume writing tips

Here are several concepts to avoid when writing or revamping your resume:

Vague work experience examples

Consider moving away from using adverbs as a way to enhance details on your previous work experience. Instead, identify numbers, percentages and other hard facts to explain your performance. For example, instead of saying that you essentially improved customer retention, look through your records or remember a specific number. Explain it like the following examples:

• Increased customer retention rate by 15%

• With the addition of my new program, customer retention increased by 10%

• Improved customer retention by 20% in 2019

Generic objectives

If you want to add an objective section to your resume, make sure it includes actionable information. Instead of using colloquialisms or idioms, consider mentioning or detailing some of your achievements. For example, you might say that you introduced digital marketing tactics to your previous firm and increased social media engagement by 35%. Follow this mention with a reason for why it makes you a good candidate for your goal position. Clearly define the job title you want along with any related responsibilities.

Grammar errors

Your sentence structure and spelling within your resume directly reflect your written communication skills. Leave time for editing your resume once you complete it. If possible, allow a trusted friend or relative to look over your resume. Allowing another person to review your work increases the chances of discovering grammar errors, which results in a more polished piece.

Details on unrelated positions

When employers or hiring managers look at resumes, they seek information that is relevant to the position they have open. When building your resume, place your focus on the most relevant or most recent positions and related information. For example, if you are a recent college graduate applying to a research laboratory, only emphasize previous roles that have some correlation to the applied position. Consider which positions or type of experience best prepared you for the applied role and add additional details to them within your resume.