How to keep your resumé fresh
When did you last update your resumé? If you’ve been in a role for a while, its easy to forget about – until the next time you start job-searching and realise it’s years out of date.
This can lead to making rushed updates, forgetting achievements, and missing important information.
Taking the time to regularly refresh your resumé throughout your career, even when you’re not job hunting, means it’ll be ready to go, and relevant to your latest experience, whenever you need it.
Why should you keep your resumé up to date?
Keeping your resumé fresh is important for a few reasons, even if you’re not actively job hunting, says Leah Lambart, Career Coach and Director of Relaunch Me.
The first is because you don’t know when you’ll need it next. “You should always be ready to apply for a new job just in case something good or bad happens,” she says.
“You might hit an unexpected career bump or redundancy, or have an opportunity come out of nowhere when you're not looking, such as being head-hunted.”
The second reason is that it’s much harder to remember what you did a year or even a few months in the past. “When you’re in a job, you usually have better access to information and a better memory of what actually happened in the role,” says Lambart.
“It's always great to say you've exceeded KPIs or grown revenue by a certain percentage.”
Quick updates you can make to your resumé that make a big impact
Updating your resumé doesn’t have to be a huge task – small tweaks can have a big impact, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Remember, your resumé isn’t a static document – it’ll evolve as your career does, so make it easier for yourself by making changes as you go.
- Add new qualifications, skills and experience. People often overlook adding skills using tech tools, says Lambart, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Suite, and project management tools like Monday and Trello.
- Focus on what you achieved, not just what you did. Whether you’re in retail, healthcare, hospitality or work in an office, it’s critical to show that you did more than just the basic requirements of a role. Did you meet or exceed KPIs, receive an award, or get put on extra projects?
- Move the main content up front. The first page of your resumé is the most important, says Chad Lawson, General Manager at u&u Recruitment. Put recent experience front and centre, while skills and other personal details can come later. Add a ‘key highlights’ section if your most relevant experience is from several years ago.
- Keep it simple. Sometimes, it helps to simplify or strip back what you already have. “Don’t be too creative,” says Lawson. “Just keep it very simple in terms of the information that’s in there and get to the point quickly.”
Ask someone in your industry to look at your resumé if it hasn’t been updated in a long time and you need a second opinion. Lambart suggests checking in with someone who sees job applications regularly to make sure the format is still best practice, such as a manager involved in hiring, a friend in recruitment or HR, a resumé writer or career coach.
Three ways to keep your resumé fresh
If you struggle to remember to update your resumé regularly, here’s what to do:
1. Set a reminder for every six months
Put a note in your calendar to review and refresh your resumé every six months – and stick to it. Blocking out the time will make it easier to actually do, even if it’s just 30 minutes. Take the time to review it, add any new experience, skills or achievements, and reread to double-check for errors, says Lawson.
2. Refresh it after each performance review
If you’re pulling together information on your performance and KPIs for a performance review, update your resumé at the same time too – much of it is the same information. “It’s a really good time of the year to reflect on what you’ve achieved and how you’ve added value,” says Lambart.
3. Keep a log of what you’ve done
Keep a master document of what you’ve worked on and the outcomes of each project, including links or examples of work – especially if you work in a creative field and need an up-to-date portfolio. Be sure to note down KPIs and any other useful data so it’s easy to find later.
This is just for your personal use, so it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s better to have messy notes to refer to than nothing at all.
EXTRA TIP: Keep your SEEK profile fresh, too
Once you've updated your resume, make sure you add it to your SEEK profile.
Did you know, you're over 3x more likely to be seen by employers searching for people like you if you've updated your SEEK profile and resume in the last 6 months?
“If you keep it refreshed on SEEK, recruiters (like me) will be able to find you,” says Lawson. “Even if you’re not really looking and just sensing what’s out there in the market, you want to be discoverable based on what you’re doing.”
A little bit of effort to regularly review and refresh your resumé will mean you’re ready for any unexpected jobs or changes. Schedule time in your diary, take notes in a master document, and keep track of finished projects and outcomes to save yourself more time in the long run.
Source: SEEK, NZ data, May 2024-May 2025.
