How To Update Your Resume
Whether you’re actively job hunting or just open to opportunities, updating your resume ensures you can present the best version of yourself. Follow the tips below to make effective updates to each main resume section.
Resume Update Checklist
Add your latest activities
Brainstorm your recent roles and accomplishments on a separate document or sheet of paper, then identify the ones most relevant to your current goals. Present these highlights as detailed bullet points on your resume. Use action verbs to help tell your story: Did you increase sales, reduce costs, streamline processes, or motivate a team? Quantify each improvement if you can.
Check formatting and style – any new text you add should match the design and layout of your existing resume. To quickly carry over format settings, try Microsoft Word’s Format Painter tool.
Update the skills section
Technology and tools change fast. Make sure your listed skills reflect what employers are looking for today. Drop anything outdated, and add any job-relevant proficiencies you’ve gained.
Revisit your summary
This section should be a short paragraph that gives three to five key reasons you’ll succeed in your target job. If these reasons have changed since your last search, edit the text accordingly. You’ll likely need to update your summary if you’re making a career change, or if you recently achieved something that eclipses one of the highlights you previously had in this section.
Double-check contact information
Last but not least, check your contact header to ensure your location, email address, and phone number are all current and accurate.
Resume Update Example
The first example below was written by the job seeker in late 2021. Since then, John has advanced to a senior project management role at a different company. He’s also moved to a new city, and recently became a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
See how John has captured all these changes well on his updated resume. While giving the requisite details in each section, he’s also made impressive additions to his summary paragraph and skill list. The new resume gives an up-to-date account of what he’ll bring to his next project management job.
Before
John Bergsen
Denver, CO | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | | LinkedIn | Portfolio
Project manager with over three years of experience leading IT change initiatives. Proficient in strategic planning and risk mitigation, having delivered projects consistently on time and under budget. Known for building high-performing teams and driving continuous process improvements.
Key Skills
- Process streamlining
- Risk management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Team leadership
Professional Experience
Project Manager, Metro Tech Solutions, Denver, CO | Jun 2018 – present
- Managed 15 IT infrastructure rollouts worth up to $1M, maintaining a 95% stakeholder satisfaction rate
- Implemented a risk-tracking framework that reduced project delays by 20%
Education
Master of Science in Project Management, University of Colorado Denver
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Certification
Project Management Professional (PMP)
After
John Bergsen
San Diego, CA | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | | LinkedIn | Portfolio
Senior project manager with 6+ years of advancement and experience leading multimillion-dollar infrastructure and IT change initiatives. Proficient in strategic planning, contract negotiation, and risk mitigation, having delivered projects up to $25M on time and under budget. Known for building high-performing teams and driving continuous process improvements. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Key Skills
- Contract negotiation
- Process streamlining
- Risk management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Strategic planning
- Team leadership
Professional Experience
Senior Project Manager, Apex Infrastructure Group, San Diego, CA | Jan 2022 – present
- Directed a $25M highway expansion, completing construction two months ahead of schedule
- Negotiated vendor contracts, generating $400K in savings through competitive sourcing
Project Manager, Metro Tech Solutions, Denver, CO | Jun 2018 to Dec 2021
- Managed 15 IT infrastructure rollouts worth up to $1M, maintaining a 95% stakeholder satisfaction rate
- Implemented a risk-tracking framework that reduced project delays by 20%
Education
Master of Science in Project Management, University of Colorado Denver
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Certifications
Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Frequently Asked Questions: Updating Your Resume
At least once or twice a year, even if you're not job hunting. It's easier to remember achievements when they're fresh.
If you haven’t changed jobs, you can still update your achievements, skills, certifications, or any side projects. Continuous learning counts, too.
Your resume should go back at least as many years as your target job calls for in applicants. For example, if a job posting calls for six to eight years of professional experience, take your work history back to about 2018.
You can condense any relevant previous jobs into a separate “Prior Experience” or “Prior Experience Highlights” section. This option is useful if you’re struggling to achieve the right resume length.
Resume.org offers free, HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.