Picture by Adrianne Harris
Written by Adrianne Harris, Broadly Speaking
How often do you put your car in for a service, or have your engine tuned up so it is working at peak efficiency? How often do you change the oil, check the headlights are working or replace your tyres?
Most people might service their vehicle at least once or twice a year and most cars have at least one registration check per year where your mechanic makes sure your car is roadworthy. We like to make sure our car is working well and ready for us to jump in and be able to just drive without worry.
Regular tune ups and services let us go on our adventures safe in the knowledge the car will work and not break down and leave us stuck on the side of the road. A regular service will check that the parts of your car are in good condition and your mechanic will replace any parts that are no longer working or at risk of failure.
How often though do you tune up you resume? How often do you review the component parts of your resume to make sure it’s operating at peak efficiency?
A resume tune up should include a 10 point safety check on:
- Your contact details – has your email or phone changed?
- Your career objective/skills statement – does this reflect where you currently are in your career and skills set
- Is your current job listed?
- Tense – have you updated the tense of your responsibilities of previous jobs and is your current job in present tense
- Have you updated your achievements?
- Have you added any new qualifications?
- Have you updated relevant training courses?
- Is your IT skills list still current?
- Have you reviewed for spelling, grammar, consistency in formatting?
- Are your referees still the best referees to use, are their contact details still current?
When your resume is serviced regularly, you will be ready to:
- Apply for your dream job when it’s advertised
- Respond to a headhunting requests in short time
- Apply for an unexpected unadvertised opportunity
- Apply for a promotion
- Deal with changes in the workplace and restructures
- Apply for jobs after a redundancy
Don’t leave your tune up until the end of the year, when you are tired and fed up with your current job, or first thing in the New Year when you don’t want to return to work after your holiday break. Consider getting your resume tuned up now, before the end of the year festivities and holidays, so that if the right opportunity arises, you are ready to go. It’s also a great way to review what you have achieved during the year and to take satisfaction from your own review if you work in an organisation where feedback is limited.
Contact Adrianne today to arrange your resume tune up.
Very good advice