5 Red Flags That You Need to Update Your Resume ASAP
The Thompson Resume Writing Co. team has seen more outdated resumes than we can count.
While keeping your resume current at all times is a best practice for job search and career success, most professionals only touch their resume once in a few years.
By the time they reach out to a resume writer for assistance, something catastrophic has happened such as:
A lay-off
A termination
The company going bankrupt or shutting down
It isn’t until then that updating their resume is number one on their priority list. But it shouldn't take something that drastic to keep your resume top of mind. In fact, there tend to be several signs that it's time to get your resume updated way before something that drastic happens.
Keep reading to find out several red flags that it’s time to update your resume ASAP.
1. Missing Information
The top items that tend to be outdated on a resume include jobs, educational accomplishments, and new skills and specialties.
If you take a look at your resume right now, and realize that:
Your current position is missing
Several jobs are MIA
Your latest promotion or career advancement is not listed
The latest degree or certification you earned is not included
Your most recent “wins” and accomplishments are not mentioned
That’s a sign that you need to get your resume updated ASAP - even if you don’t plan on job searching soon.
Ideally, every single time you make a career move or accomplish something that will boost your value or appeal, you need to add it to your resume as soon as possible.
For tips on how to communicate your value on your resume, watch my YouTube video where I explain how to show recruiters and hiring managers what you bring to the table.
2. It Starts With An Objective Statement
Objective statements are so 1990s and recruiters do not want to see them on your resume anymore.
They could care less about how you want to join a thriving successful company, use your skills to advance, and yada, yada, yada. You don’t want to start your resume with those cliche and outdated sentences in 2021.
These days, it's all about powerful and targeted summaries that pack a punch. Targeted summaries and qualifications summaries talk about the years of experience you have, and the value you've brought to your previous roles.
They can even highlight key skills listed in the job description or talk about key wins you've had in your previous position(s) that make you a well-qualified candidate for the role(s) that you are applying to.
3. It Has a Boring Design
If your resume is:
In all black and white
Has no color
Has no shading
Has no borders
Doesn’t include graphics
You’re overdue for a much-needed resume refresh.
Back in the day, black and white resumes were considered professional, and adding color to your resume was considered unprofessional. But today, having color on your resume is fine.
In fact, it's expected and can play a major part in making you stand out from competing applicants. But don’t overdo it. You can use a subtle color or a bold color, but make sure it isn’t overwhelming and that it doesn't take away from the content and value of the document.
To learn more about how resumes now are different from resumes back then, check out my YouTube video where I give several examples of how the resume has changed over the past 60 years plus tips on modernizing your resume for the 2020s decade.
4. The Information Listed No Longer Reflects Where You Are Or Is Not Targeted For Where You Are Going Next in Your Career
Did you switch from HR to Project Management?
Did you transition from Customer Service to Nursing?
Are you now in Marketing but your career started in Engineering?
….But you never updated your resume?
Once you make a pivot, jump, or transition into a new field or industry, you need to make sure to add those new experiences to your resume. You also need to make sure to re-target it to reflect where you are currently in your career.
To learn how to exclusively target your resume to your field, industry, or specialty, watch the video above or click here.
5. You’re Not Getting Call-backs or Interviews
Applying to dozens of jobs daily?
Hitting submit all day and night?
Sending your resume to everyone in your network?
….and hearing crickets or getting immediate rejection from the ATS?
That means your resume needs the help of an expert.
When recruiters come across someone who they feel will be a great fit for the role they are looking to fill, they will not hesitate to call, email, text, or InMail ASAP.
So if you're applying to jobs day and night, night and day, and you're not getting any interview requests or you're not getting any phone calls - nothing at all, you need to make some immediate changes to your resume.
For tips on getting past the Applicant Tracking System to land more interviews, read this blog post.
DON’T PUT YOUR RESUME ON THE BACKBURNER
Waiting until you need your resume after losing your job can have consequences including wasting precious time at the start of your job search. Keeping your resume updated at all times should be a top priority to keep you prepared for anything, good or bad, that happens in your career.
Not only is having an outdated resume unprofessional, but it’s also very risky. If your resume is showing any of the signs listed in this article, reach out to the Thompson Resume Writing Co. team to get it in shape today. After all, it’s better to have a resume and not need it than to need it and not have it.