Is your resume or bio up-to-date?
Keeping your resume and bio up-to-date is vital to your success in landing your next job or career opportunity.
In my experience, people wait until the last minute when requested to send a resume or bio to a potential employer or an organization. Then they are in a panic, feel overwhelmed and often not sure where to begin.
People who are not job-searching often disregard the importance of keeping their resume updated with their most recent achievements. This kind of oversight can lead to severe frustration and misinformation if they are offered an exceptionally good career opportunity and have to scramble to send a hastily-updated resume.
Sometimes you are not aware of the current standards and trends in what is acceptable and expected in a resume, which adds to the frustration.
After having edited hundreds of resumes over the last six years, I can tell you many misunderstand the current resume trends. Is one page or two pages acceptable these days? Currently, a two-page resume is the standard in job searching with plenty of “white space,” so it is visually appealing. A two-page resume is also acceptable for those who just want to keep it updated. You may also want to keep a complete version of your work history so if someone wants to know all of the experience you have, it is easily available to them. This complete version is also known as a Curriculum Vitae, or CV
When it comes to a bio – a brief biography – you may want to have several different versions that are appropriate for unique situations. For instance, I have several bios: speaker bio that is often published in the hiring organization’s information; website bio – describes more of what I do; introductory bio, which is often used to introduce me at an event in which I am presenting and may be totally different than the one used in their printed material. When you have a couple of versions, it becomes easy to revise and update them.
So, don’t wait too long before updating your resume and feel free to contact me for help anytime.
