Love Your Job? Time To Update Your Resume

A resume for a job openingSo, you just received a promotion and a raise at work. Congratulations to you! You love your job, and you are quite sure that you will be staying with your current employer for a long time. Do you know what you should do now? You should go home and update your resume right away.

Most people wait to make changes to their resume until they absolutely have to, but this is a mistake. The best time to work on your resume is when you are happily employed because you are in the best frame of mind possible. When you love what you are doing, you are not desperate to find another position, and negative thoughts will not creep into your mind while you look at your resume. When you receive a promotion, win an award, accomplish something significant at your position, complete a degree or earn additional responsibilities at your current job, you want to make sure that you put that information on your resume right away while it is fresh in your mind.

You can never be truly finished with your resume until your career is over, so make sure that it is current and sharp at all times. Even if you love your job, you need to be prepared for anything because life is unpredictable. Your family situation could change. You might have to consider relocation or finding a position with reduced hours. You might decide to try a completely different career. You might find that you want to go back to school and work only part-time. You might end up being downsized if your company closes a department or moves jobs to another location. You might get contacted by a recruiter who offers you the chance to interview for an opportunity that is even better than your current one.

Loyalty to your current employer is admirable, and loving what you do is a wonderful thing, but looking out for yourself and your career is the most sensible way to approach your future. When something good happens in your career, by all means celebrate your accomplishments and enjoy your current good fortune. Please also remember to prepare yourself for the next phase of your career even if you do not want the current good times to come to an end.

Most people go to the doctor for annual checkups even when they feel fine because they want to stave off any potential medical issues. Take this same approach with your resume and you will feel better about yourself and your career path.

If you have more questions about resumes, contact our Madison area resume expert for details.

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Peter Jenkins is the Office Coordinator at Drake & Company Staffing Solutions, a staffing firm based in Madison, Wisconsin. Drake & Company’s focus is on direct hire, temp-to-hire, and temporary placements in the administrative, clerical and legal fields. In addition to being Drake’s Office Coordinator, Peter is also the principal writer for Drake & Company’s resume service. To send Peter an email, click .