Update your CV when you don’t need a new job

Updating your CV is time-consuming at best. If you do it properly. However most people don’t update, or in fact even look at, their CV until they are forced to. Often a change at work has forced their hand and then decision is made to leave. At this time you are likely stressed by your current circumstance, as well as looking to get things done quickly. The end result is rushing what is an extremely important document.

I see so many CVs where a candidate has taken the bolt-on approach and just added their most recent role without editing any past roles. It often looks disjointed as there is disproportionate detail about past roles and usually less detail about the current role as it has been rushed. Tenses change, details are limited and the CV lacks a consistent narrative. Nobody wants to see half a page describing your first job in the school holidays stacking shelves at Tesco (yes, this was me)

Your CV should tell a story. A natural progression through roles, skillsets, experiences and achievements. This only happens if you update the growth in each of these areas as they occur. When the time comes you will have a ready-made refresher in you, building confidence levels at a time when self-doubt can creep in.

The net effect of updating your CV regularly, is that it becomes very apparent when you are not moving forward. You can see the slow down for yourself. It helps you question when you should be thinking about next steps. It can be challenging to remember to do this, or in fact difficult to know what to include or exclude at each stage.

I recommend you speak to a recruitment expert on your sector who understands the market and has access to a wide-ranging selection of the most desirable businesses to work with. And of course, I would hope that expert would be me or one of the team at Austin Recruitment if Design & Build is you specialism. But whoever you are and whichever sector you work within, the advice is still the same. Don’t dust off your CV when you urgently need it. Keep it alive and use it as a living document of your progress and experience.