5 WAYS TO UPDATE YOUR RESUME AT THE END OF THE YEAR

The end of any year is typically a time for reflection, and not just personal reflection, either, but professional reflection.
​
Specifically, you should take time to reflect upon what you’ve accomplished during 2014, and more importantly, why you should allow yourself to enjoy it.

If you fail to make a concerted effort to recognize your achievements, you might become too immersed in what you’re currently doing to properly reflect on what you’ve already done. Not only will reflection make you proud of what you’ve accomplished, but it will also help inspire you to do great things in the coming year.

There’s also an added benefit to doing this, a more practical one. As you’re looking back on the year and all that you’ve accomplished, this is the perfect time to update your resume to properly reflect those accomplishments. In this way, you can prepare yourself, so that if a new employment opportunity should knock on your door in 2015, you’ll be ready.

While you’re engaging in reflection, below are five ways you should be updating your resume at the end of this year:
#1—Things you achieved in your job capacity (defined in quantifiable terms)
#2—Any training or continuing education classes that you took
#3—Certifications you earned as a result of that training
#4—Additional responsibilities you have been given
#5—Awards or recognition for performance

Of course, you don’t have to wait until the end of any given year to reflect and update your resume. You can do both on a monthly basis, and once you get into the habit of doing so, it can take relatively little time and effort.

The key is to use the same criteria for your monthly reflection as you used for your yearly reflection. (This would include the same five points listed above, as well as any others that you’d like to add.)

If possible, on the last day of each month, keep a log of your achievements during that month. You probably won’t have something for each category every month, and sometimes you won’t have anything, but in the case of the latter, you can use that as motivation to achieve more in the weeks ahead.

Here’s to a great 2015!