How to update your CV

Have you been thinking about refreshing your CV? It’s a good idea to update your CV regularly, especially if you’re planning a career move. With every position you hold, you’ll be acquiring new skills, so it’s important that your CV reflects your skill set as accurately as possible.

Follow our checklist to update your CV:

• Rewrite your summary
• Update your most recent role
• Condense past jobs
• Implement keywords
• Check your contact details
• Adjust the formatting
• Add any new qualifications

Top tips for updating your CV

Rewrite your summary

Your summary is the first thing hiring managers will see when viewing your CV, so you need to make sure this section is up to date highlighting your key skills, and accurately reflecting your career aspirations. You may even want to go a step further and tailor your summary to each job you apply to.

Update your most recent role

Chances are you’ll have gained new skills and received training in your current role. So make sure you update your most recent position to include all the main responsibilities, and include any details of specific projects or achievements.

Condense past jobs

The more time goes on, the less significant your past roles become. If you have job roles from 10-15 years ago, consider removing any entry-level positions from your CV or reducing their description to just one point. Hiring managers are more concerned with your more recent experience, so save the details for those!

Implement keywords

One of the most important parts about updating your CV is making sure you’ve included relevant keywords. Think about the jobs you’re applying for, and what skills they’re looking for. Those are the top skills for your CV. This will help your CV to get found on search engines and, more importantly, get noticed.

Check your contact details

If your CV doesn’t have the right contact details, you won’t get far in your job search. Make sure your address, email and phone number are all up to date!

Adjust the formatting

On average, hiring managers look at your CV for 6 seconds before deciding whether to move on. So your CV needs to look neat and tidy to help keep the hiring manager’s attention. To do this, follow these CV formatting tips:

Use bullet points

Instead of writing paragraph descriptions under each job, use 3-6 bullet points per role. This makes it easier for the hiring manager to read.

Pick the right font

Keep the font clear and easy to read. The best fonts for your CV are Times New Roman or Arial (size 11).

Keep headings uniform

Make sure all your job headings are written in the same way so they look neat and tidy. Structure them like this:

EMPLOYMENT DATES, JOB TITLE, COMPANY NAME, LOCATION

Example:

Feb 2019 – Sept 2020, Admin Assistant, Hemingway Solicitors, London

Add any new qualifications

If you’ve gained any new qualifications, remember to add these to your CV. Whether it’s a course in Excel, First Aid or Management, these are great things to highlight.

Up, up and away!

Although updating your CV might not be the most exciting task in the world, it will have a huge impact on the success of your job search. Remember to keep your CV as relevant and easy to read as possible, tailoring it to the jobs you’re applying for. If you really want to stand out, check out our blog on how to write a cover letter or take a look at more of our CV writing tips.