It’s common for individuals to wait until applying for a new job to prepare a resume. This often happens once they realize their old resume hasn’t been updated since their last job hunt — often months or even years in the past.
Whether or not you have done this before, you should stop doing it right now. This is a very bad habit to get into. Your resume should be ready prior to needing a new job, and always kept as current as possible. There are plenty of reasons for this, all of which we will discuss in this post.
Losing Precious Time
If you wait until the last minute to prepare your resume, you are losing precious time. As you spend a week, or possibly two, getting your resume in working order, someone else is submitting their resume to the company. This will automatically put your resume at the bottom of the pile.
As you prepare your resume in advance, create two versions; a long-form version and a shorter version. The long-form version is more like a CV and it allows you to take bits and pieces from it when you tailor a shorter resume for specific jobs.
You should even add a reminder to your calendar to check and update your resume once per quarter each year. This will ensure that the resume is always updated, and you are not waiting until you need a job to hastily compile a new version.
More Time to Fix Mistakes or Omissions
The more often you update your resume, the more time you have to fix mistakes on it or to realize you omitted important pieces of information. You do not want to wait until the last minute and then come across a plethora of mistakes that include punctuation, spelling or grammar, or forget to add newly acquired skills or certifications.
The time you will spend to fix all of these issues will prevent you from sending the resume to the employer as soon as you come across the job posting. This, again, will cause someone else to submit their resume before you, getting noticed much quicker than you.
Refresh Your References
Another good reason why you should never wait to prepare your resume until you need a job is because your references might need to be refreshed. A reference might not be working at the same company that you have listed under their name. Their phone number or email address could be different. Or, they might even be retired now. This is a very important piece of the puzzle that should be updated often. As you update your references, make sure you contact them, letting them know they are still on your resume.
If you go through and update your Jackson, MS resume on a regular basis, at least once per quarter, you should not come across any surprises when submitting it for a job opening. Contact our team of staffing experts today to learn more about proper resume tips.
