How to Fix Your Outdated Resume

The following is a guest post from Pongo Resume, a full-service web site for active job seekers and career-minded individuals at every level. You can find more information about Pongo Resume following the article.

The rules of resume writing change a little bit every few years, and they’ve changed dramatically in the past couple decades. If it's been awhile since your last job hunt, chances are your career documents are outdated and need to be fixed. If you're ready to rejuvenate your resume, here are some tips:

Fix #1) Repair Your E-Mail Address

Include your e-mail address at the top of the resume, along with your name, address, and phone number. And if that address is risqué, goofy, cute, or inappropriate, get a new one based on just your name. Don't ask your prospective employer to send business correspondence to TomandTami, NanaSue, or BeerGuzzler44.

Fix #2) Kill Your Objective

Start with a Summary of Qualifications instead. (This is the section you'll tweak to match each job's priorities.) Do you think anyone cares if you want a challenging position in a growth-oriented company? Nope. They want to know what's in it for them. Summarize your juiciest qualifications right below your name and contact information.

Fix #3) Don't be Generic

An electronic resume is quick and easy to edit for each job opportunity. You don't have to reinvent the wheel every time. Write one master resume, then tweak the phrasing and order to align with the priorities for each position.

Fix #4) Neglect Your Duties

A list of your former duties or responsibilities reveals nothing about your value to a new employer. Hiring managers don't want to read your old job descriptions; they want to know what you what you might accomplish for them. "Machine maintenance" is duty. "Cut downtime 30% by enforcing machine maintenance protocols" is an impressive accomplishment.

Fix #5) Don't Get All Personal

Resumes used to include information such as your age, health, and marital status, and maybe a few more fun facts about where you worship, how many kids or Basset Hounds you have, and that you're a voracious reader of murder mysteries. Well, forget all that. Employers don't want to know anything about you that might be grounds for a claim of discrimination.

A few more quick tips:

It's fine to go over one page if you need to (just don't go over two).
Don't bother listing the jobs you held more than 10 or 15 years ago, unless they're extremely relevant to your desired position.
Leave out your graduation date and your grade point average, unless they were acquired within the past five-ish years (and the GPA was at least 3.0).

Remember, your resume is not supposed to get you hired; it's supposed to get you an interview. So every word should describe or support your qualifications for the job and the value you can offer the employer.

For more information:

Good and Bad Resumes: Want to See the Difference?

Julie O'Malley, CPRW While navigating a variety of professional writing and editing roles over the course of two decades, Julie followed an unorthodox career path that included the traditional corporate ladder, a detour along the parent track, freelance and entrepreneurial stints, and a transition back into the workforce, with a career shift from technical to marketing communications. Also certified as a professional resume writer, Julie offers guidance to job seekers managing their own career transitions at The Pongo Blog

Julie O'Malley, CPRW
Content Writer Pongo Resume
44 Bearfoot Road, Northborough, MA 01532 USA
office: 508.393.4528 ext 105
fax 508.393.4628
e-mail: jomalley@pongoresume.com
web: www.pongoresume.com

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