I Just Updated My Resume

Now don’t raise your eyebrows! I had a fabulous year which included a stretch assignment overseas that gave me valuable insights. My team accomplished the goals we were set out to achieve in 2014; and these with a cherry on the icing of having been offered with another interesting role within the company – all of which means my bosses must be happy 🙂

It looks like 2015 is set to become yet another year of great promise even before it’s begun. And despite these good tidings, I updated my LinkedIn profile and Resume.

Yes, I know that at this very moment, I might come across as being ungrateful to my organisation but I’m going to ask you to hold on to your seat. I did not update my profile or  resume with the intention of changing my current employer.

On the contrary, I was realistically evaluating if I had actually added something of value to my career in 2014 which was worth including into my profile. I think it’s a fair assessment to make at the end of every year if you are career oriented. Do you agree?

Today’s place of work is a tough place to be. With runways towards success getting shorter and narrower by the day, employers too expect you to be multitasking while being productive at the same time. So as an employee who has put in laborious hours at the workplace, it’s only fair for me to evaluate if I’m receiving similar returns to my career from the efforts I put at the workplace.

And I do this by updating my Resume annually to see if it looks ‘positively’ different from the previous year. If it doesn’t then I know that it’s time to have a courageous conversation with the bosses.

In 2015 and all the years moving forth, make it point to commit on getting you and your supervisor on-board about new and relevant expertise you will acquire year on year. And if you think the response is mere lip service and there is nothing really promising for you, please begin updating your profile and Resume for new career prospects out of your current employer.

Ask yourself, if you are going to continue what you did in 2014 into 2015, would your future skill and financial net worth be better than the previous year? If the answer is yes, then enjoy your 2015. However, if the answer is in the negative, I urge you to bring your LinkedIn profile up-to-date and be mentally ready for a new employer’s call.

Throughout our career journeys there will be a couple of professional moves that become a turning point or in other words, a dream move. Many-a—times, it pops “out of the blue” without signs and warnings. So, why can’t we prepare our Resume in advance hence when opportunity knocks, we are well prepared to grab it and never to look back? In addition, an updated profile serves 2 key purposes:
1. Attracts the right recruiters to your profile; and
2. Allows you to be prepared to take the surprise call. I’m sure that you don’t want to be
fumbling while positioning your profile when a recruiter gets in touch with you!

Now please don’t tell me that you are not looking out and you’re very happy with what you’re doing and where you’re at professionally. There is no job which keeps an employee happy through eternity. The context of your “workplace happiness and satisfaction” will take a turn (for better, most times) as soon as you get that attractive call.

After working in the recruitment Industry for over a decade and more, I can assure you that the least an employee should do every year is to update his/her profile. Otherwise don’t cry over missed opportunities caused by momentary laziness or lack of foresight!!