Before we move on, I want to ask you when the last time you update your Resume or CV? If you say five years ago, I’m pretty sure that your resume might be outdated. A friend of mine asked me to help him on rejuvenating his resume, so it's juicy to be read. When I looked his first resume, It was three pages long, and it looked dull. Can you imagine? It was like he thrown his whole life story in his resume. Then I said, “Okay, I think you need help.”

Creating a resume or CV is like creating a Commercial Art. I mean, you sell something here. The HR/Recruitment Manager will see your resume before deciding to set up a job interview with you. There’s a lot of resume coming in, so your resume should be tempting. Either it will be on the interview list or will be in the trash bin.   

Here I share 11 things to remember when updating your resume or CV:

You must have a new resume style which represents yourself

The first thing to do is creating a new style of resume. Think like when you have a new date, and you have a dinner with her/him tonight. Of course, you want to make a good impression, right? Then you will prepare the best outfit or even buy a new one, just to make sure your look will be perfect.

Your resume should be perfect too. It's not just words; it should have the color theme, ornament such as line, icon, box, pattern, but not too much. Make it professional and not too personal. Please avoid using too many flowers ornament or even cartoon image on your resume (if there is no relation with your job). If can't create a new style or theme for your resume, I recommend finding some good stuff on Creative Market. They offer great resume templates you might love.

Your name should be BIG enough to remember

Since your name is like a Call ID for you, make sure your name typed in a large font. It shows that you’re confident with your name, also it can grab the reader’s attention. Your new employer will always remember your name. You can write your full name. And maybe you want people to call your nickname, then put your nickname below your full name, with the smaller font. You can write “Just call me...”, “call me...”, “please call me...” or “(your nickname).”

There must be your latest professional photo there

When you apply for a job in a company, It’s a must-have to have a professional photo. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer if you can’t afford it, you can your camera phone or pocket camera to take your photo. Make sure it looks professional with the background in neutral color, such as white (recommended) or other soft colors.

Put your Job Title below your name

It’s important to give a snippet about who are. The employer then will get the intention from you. People sometimes are less of confident to self-declare themselves in a right way. You can do it. Don’t be shy!

Nothing less important than your contact

It is the crucial part of your resume. Please update your phone number, email address, your social media account and your personal website. Don’t let the recruitment manager contact you in the wrong number or email address. Your top notch resume will be wasting because of this mistake.

Give your best short profile

Your story is important. Let them know a little bit more about you. Tell them about what you did in the previous companies. Just highlight the best works that you think will give a good score. Don’t throw the whole story. By providing a short profile, you will let the employer call you for a job interview.

Related Post: 11 Hand-Picked Modern Resume Templates - Simply Creative!

Your job experience must be attractive to see

I frequently found people write their first-time job in the beginning of their Job Experience section. It Is a BIG NO. It should start from the latest job to your first-time job. If you have a lot of job experiences, you only need to mention the latest 3 – 5 job experiences.

Your skills are measuring your quality, give a damn shot there

If your quality upgrades, so your skills should be updated. Your new employer needs to know your skills – what they will expect from you. You can score your skills if you want to.

Have you ever achieve an award? Mention it! It is the thing that people not usually get most of the time. If you ever get the prestigious award from the official institution, you need to mention it. The award will give a BIG PLUS for you.

If you are currently active in the social activity, I would recommend to mention it

Are you a social activist? Are you currently a member of a Toastmasters Club? It shows your interpersonal skill; you care about people, and this is an excellent point. Why? Because you will work with people and it needs teamwork and mutual understanding.

Keep it SHORT!

Always think that the HR / Recruitment Manager doesn’t have much time to read the whole pages of your 3+ pages of your resume. They only have a short period to sorting the list. So, why you have to make it so long. Keep it short and packed at the same time.