Your resume is a document that should always be changing and evolving. It is not something that you should consider “once-and-done.” Previously, you may have been filling your resume with everything you could think of to make yourself a more attractive job candidate. Now that you have several years of experience under your belt, it’s time to take your resume to the next level.
There are a few key areas you’ll want to focus on when updating your resume to present yourself as a mid-level professional:
Refine Your Summary and Core Competencies
These two sections go hand-in-hand at the top of your resume. When you first started your career, your summary was likely fairly generic because you didn’t have much experience. Now that you have spent a few years carving out your career path and have a better idea of where you’re headed, your summary should reflect that. Dig into the skills that you have honed and what you bring to the table, especially in terms of leadership or management ability.
Update your core competencies to incorporate technical skills that you have acquired. Scope out job openings to find keywords specific to the roles you want to pursue and that require experience or training to build.
Emphasize Accomplishments
Your job experience should not be a laundry list of tasks you are responsible for doing. Highlight major projects or initiatives you have led or been part of. Include metrics to show quantifiable results, whether monetary, percentages, or other numerical figures. For instance, the size of the team you have led or branches you oversee, how much time you have saved through process improvements, or the amount of revenue you have generated.
The largest section of your resume should ideally be your current role. Pare down previous positions to only focus on those bullet points that really stand out and show your abilities. You don’t want to be redundant between every position saying the same thing over and over again. If you have moved up within the same organization, it can be valuable to note that you were promoted to X position and then to mention what sparked that promotion, whether it was a project you led or exceptional leadership or performance.
Remove Irrelevant Information
Your resume does not need to list every job you have ever held. By the time you reach mid-level career status, the internships you completed in college are probably not as impressive as jobs you have held since then. Same with the summer jobs you worked prior to getting your degree. Highlight those positions that show your career progression and have helped shaped you into the experienced professional you are today.
You can also remove clubs you were part of in college, course projects, your GPA, and the year you graduated. The emphasis should be on your more recent work and what you can do now.
Move Your Education
Speaking of college, now that you have several years of job experience and are no longer a recent graduate, you can move your education to the bottom of your resume rather than having it take up valuable real estate at the top. The exception would be if you are currently pursuing another degree that is relevant to the position you are seeking. Don’t forget to add any certifications or licenses that you have earned since you last updated your resume as well.
Optimize Your Resume
If you haven’t touched your resume since you landed your first job with a company or if you’re ready to advance your career, now is the time to give your resume a refresh. Make sure your resume matches where you are at in your career and where you are heading. Contact Grammar Chic today for a resume review and to learn more about our resume writing services. Email resumewriting@grammarchic.net or call (803) 831-7444.
