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Your resume is one of the most important tools in your job search. It’s your chance to make a strong first impression on potential employers and show them why you’re the perfect candidate for the job.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through essential tips on how to update your resume, from removing outdated information to optimizing it for applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Whether you need a quick refresh or a complete overhaul, these steps will help you keep your resume current and competitive, so you get noticed by recruiters and secure more interviews.
Why Updating Your Resume Is Important
In today’s dynamic and competitive job market, writing a strong resume and keeping it up to date is essential for standing out to employers and staying ready for new opportunities.
Even if you’re not actively applying for new roles, a current resume allows you to monitor your career progression and keep your professional accomplishments organized.
You can upload your resume to our Resume Builder to easily improve the layout and content. Here are a few key reasons why regular resume updates are important:
- Prepare for unexpected opportunities. You never know when a recruiter might reach out with a great job offer or when an internal promotion could arise. A well-maintained resume ensures you’re always prepared.
- Adapt to industry trends and ATS requirements. As resume trends change and applicant tracking systems (ATS) evolve, optimizing your resume ensures it remains competitive and up to date.
- Showcase your latest accomplishments. Adding your latest experience, certifications, and projects to your resume helps you accurately capture your career progress while it is fresh on your mind.
- Make the process less overwhelming. Waiting years to improve your resume can make the process daunting. Regular resume updates make it easier to manage and keep your information relevant.
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How to Update Your Resume
A clear, concise, and well-organized resume shows you are proactive, professional, and attentive to details—qualities all employers look for. Learn how to edit your resume step by step below.
Step 1: Improve Your Resume Header
A well-structured resume header makes it easy for hiring managers to find your contact details and reach out to schedule an interview.
When reviewing and updating your resume header, consider these simple improvements:
- Use a streamlined location. Listing your city and state (or country for international roles) provides enough context without taking up unnecessary space.
- Keep formatting clean and readable. Make your name slightly larger (around 14 to 16 points) and use a simple font style to maintain a polished, professional look.
- Limit contact details. Include one phone number and one email address to keep your header uncluttered and easy to scan.
- Add only relevant links. Include career-focused links such as LinkedIn or an online portfolio that support your experience and goals.
Step 2: Tailor Your Professional Summary
A strong resume summary is essential for quickly highlighting your key qualifications, career achievements, and the value you bring to potential employers.
Your summary should be three to five sentences long—enough to grab attention without overwhelming the reader. Avoid long paragraphs and unnecessary details.
Recruiters review resumes quickly, so make sure your summary includes job-relevant skills and expertise. Integrate keywords from the job description to improve your chances of passing ATS.
Hardworking and detail-oriented professional seeking a position in marketing. Passionate about social media, content creation, and working with teams. Looking for an opportunity to grow and contribute to a company’s success.
Results-driven marketing professional with 5+ years of experience in digital strategy, brand management, and content marketing. Proven ability to increase engagement and drive revenue through data-driven campaigns. Adept at SEO optimization, social media strategy, and project management to enhance brand visibility and customer retention.
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Generate my summaryStep 3: Add New Work Experience
Your resume’s work history section must showcase your most recent and relevant jobs so that potential employers can see how your experience aligns with the role.
You can improve the work experience section by adding your most recent positions and removing jobs that aren’t relevant to the role you’re applying for. Here are a few key tips:
- Remove outdated roles. Employers typically focus on recent experience. Consider removing jobs older than 10 to 15 years unless they are highly relevant. Alternatively, you can create a "Previous Experience" section with only job titles and company names.
- Use action-oriented language. Use action verbs to demonstrate your impact. For example, instead of “Responsible for handling customer complaints,” say, “Resolved 95% of customer complaints on first contact, improving satisfaction scores by 30%.”
- Tailor to the job you are applying for. Reword responsibilities to align with the job description and include industry-relevant keywords that match the job posting. Prioritize the accomplishments that are most relevant to the job you are applying for.
- Quantify your accomplishments. Whenever possible, add numbers to illustrate the impact of your work. For example, instead of “Managed a team of employees,” you can say, "Managed a team of 10, resulting in a 15% increase in sales."
Step 4: Refresh Your Education Credentials
Update your resume education section to accurately reflect your academic credentials and achievements, highlighting projects or research experience relevant to your industry.
Start by reviewing your educational background and identifying new degrees or courses you’ve completed since your last resume update. Here are some tips to get started:
- List your educational credentials in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent degree or certification.
- Include the institution's name, the degree you earned, the major or field of study, graduation date, and any academic honors or awards you received.
- Be concise and clear in your descriptions to present your educational background with focused, easy-to-scan details.
- Tailor your education section by emphasizing any specialized skills or knowledge gained through your education that demonstrate your qualifications.
Step 5: Improve Your Skills Section
Updating your resume skills section regularly is vital. Keep track of the skills you acquire in your current job, volunteer roles, or freelance gigs, and add them to your resume.
In addition to the required skills noted in the job description, pay attention to the nice-to-have skills and add any that match your skill set to stand out from other applicants.
Consider separating your skills into categories, such as technical skills and interpersonal skills, to ensure your skills section is easy to scan.
Where possible, include specific examples or achievements demonstrating your proficiency in each skill under the relevant role.
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Step 6: Add New Certifications & Awards
Adding recent awards, honors, certifications, or publications to your resume can make you stand out by showcasing your achievements and qualifications.
Prioritize industry-recognized credentials and tweak your resume to highlight the most job-relevant certifications and awards.
Here’s a strong example of a certifications section on a resume:
Certifications & Licenses
AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
- Amazon Web Services | Expires: May 2027
Project Management Professional (PMP)
- Project Management Institute | Expires: Dec 2026
Google Data Analytics Certificate
- Google | Earned: July 2023
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- Scrum Alliance | Earned: Sept 2022
Step 7: Review Your Resume Format
Choosing a resume format that aligns with your experience level and effectively showcases your most relevant skills and qualifications is essential for making a strong first impression.
Review your resume's format and use the layout that best suits your experience and career goals. Explore the three most popular resume formats below.
Step 8: Improve the Layout & Design
A well-structured, visually appealing resume improves readability and ensures that applicant tracking systems (ATS) can easily parse your resume.
You can print a copy of your resume or view it on different devices to check for formatting issues. Here are a few key design-related resume updates you can make:
- Optimize margins and white space. Ensure margins are between 1 and 1.5 inches and use white space and line breaks between sections for readability.
- Choose professional fonts. Use professional resume fonts like Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri in 10 to 12 pt. sizes to ensure consistency throughout your document.
- Use bullet points. List your accomplishments and responsibilities under each job using bullet points for clarity. Keep bullet points short and impactful (one to two lines each).
- Simplify design elements. To ensure an ATS-friendly resume, avoid graphics, images, and excessive formatting, which may confuse applicant tracking systems.
- Use a professional file name. When saving your resume, use a clear and easily identifiable file name, such as “First Name_Last Name_Job Title_Resume.pdf.”
Step 9: Consider a Professional Resume Template
We have a library of professional resume templates designed to organize and present your information clearly and effectively.
You can choose a template that aligns with your industry, experience level, and design preferences. For example, bright colors work for some creative professions, but consider a more toned-down look if you’re in a field like law or medicine.
We also recommend exploring professional resume examples for your industry or target role to gain insights and ideas for updating your resume.
Resume samples visually represent a well-structured and professional resume, which can help you update your resume to stand out to recruiters in your industry. For example:
Step 10: Proofread for Errors
Proofreading can help you identify areas where you can fix or improve your resume, such as adding or removing certain information or fixing spelling and grammatical errors.
Here are some tips for proofreading and editing your resume:
- Verify contact information. Make sure your phone number, email, Bold.pro profile, and other contact details are accurate.
- Watch out for common mistakes. Double-check for typos, homophones (e.g., “there” vs. “their”), and incorrect verb tenses.
- Check for consistent formatting. Ensure your font styles, bullet points, spacing, and bold or italicized text are uniform throughout the document.
- Eliminate redundant words. Keep your resume concise by avoiding repetitive words and passive language. Use strong action verbs for maximum impact.
- Read it out loud. This helps you catch awkward phrasing, missing words, and run-on sentences that might not stand out when reading silently.
Use our free ATS Resume Checker to scan your resume for over 30 common errors and get instant suggestions to improve your resume score.
Generate a Matching Cover Letter for Your Resume
Create a cover letter that complements your updated resume. Our Cover Letter Generator offers expert content suggestions based on your resume and target role.
Key Takeaways
- Regularly adding new skills, accomplishments, and experiences to your resume ensures you’re always prepared for opportunities.
- Remove outdated roles, redundant details, and unnecessary filler words. Focus on clear, concise bullet points that highlight achievements with measurable results.
- Use a clean, professional layout with consistent fonts, headings, and bullet points. Avoid excessive graphics or formatting to ensure your resume is ATS-friendly.
- Customize your resume by incorporating keywords from the job description and emphasizing the most relevant skills and experiences for each application.
- Carefully review your resume for typos, inconsistencies, and formatting errors. Consider using a resume builder to access professional templates and content suggestions.
FAQ
How often should you update your resume?
We recommend updating your resume every 6 to 12 months or whenever you experience a significant career change. Here are some key times to refresh your resume:
- After a major career or industry change
- When you gain new skills or certifications
- After completing a project or achieving a milestone
- When your contact information changes
- Before applying for a new job
- At least once a year for freshness
You can use a resume outline to gather your information and update your resume regularly.
What is the best time to update your resume?
As a general rule, it’s a good idea to update your resume at the end of each work quarter, but you should also fix your resume whenever you have a big win at work, learn a new skill, get a new certification, obtain a new degree, or win an award.
Can AI update my resume?
AI can help update your resume, but it works best as a support tool rather than a full replacement. It can refresh wording and structure, rewriting bullet points to make them more concise and results-focused, or improve alignment with a specific job description.
But keep in mind that it still requires accurate input from you. AI can’t know your exact responsibilities, achievements, or career goals without guidance.
Explore our guide on using ChatGPT to improve your resume to learn how to use AI effectively for optimizing your resume.
How do I update my existing resume?
Updating your existing resume can be simple and cost-free with a few strategic steps. Start by reviewing and revising your content. Make sure your resume is well-organized, concise, and tailored to the job you are targeting, removing any outdated or irrelevant information.
You can also use free online resume builders, which offer templates and formatting guidance to help your resume look professional and polished. Seeking feedback from friends, family, or colleagues can provide fresh perspectives and suggestions for improvement.
Proofread carefully to catch any spelling, grammar, or formatting errors, ensuring your resume is error-free and makes a strong impression. For additional guidance, explore resume tips and reference examples as you update your resume.
How do I address employment gaps on my resume?
You can downplay your resume employment gaps by using a functional resume format that focuses on skills and achievements rather than chronological work history.
Additionally, consider including any volunteer work, freelance projects, or relevant coursework during those gaps to showcase ongoing engagement and skill development.
Transitioning from a federal government job to the private sector? Explore our government-to-private-sector resume guide for tips and tricks to support your transition.
How far back should your resume go?
Your resume should generally focus on the most recent and relevant experience, usually covering the past 10 to 15 years of your career. Older roles can be summarized briefly or omitted if they don’t add value to the position you’re applying for.
For early-career professionals, including internships, volunteer work, or academic projects, may be appropriate, while seasoned professionals can emphasize recent accomplishments and leadership experience.
The goal when deciding how far back your resume should go is to highlight experience that demonstrates your qualifications, skills, and achievements without overwhelming the reader with outdated or irrelevant information.
How can I tailor my resume to a specific job?
Tailoring your resume involves carefully analyzing the job description and aligning your qualifications and experiences with the position’s requirements.
Focus on highlighting relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments directly related to the job you’re applying for. This could involve rearranging sections, emphasizing certain achievements, or using industry-specific keywords.
Explore our guide on how to write a targeted resume for expert tips and insights.
Should I fix my resume summary or objective?
Updating your resume summary or objective statement can be beneficial, especially if you’re changing careers or have a unique skill set to highlight.
A summary provides a brief overview of your professional background and key qualifications, while a resume objective outlines your career goals and how they align with the position. Here’s how to fix a resume summary that’s outdated or generic:
- Be specific and results-focused. Highlight achievements with measurable outcomes rather than vague responsibilities.
- Include relevant skills. Emphasize skills and qualifications that match the job description and demonstrate your expertise.
- Showcase your unique value. Include what sets you apart, such as specialized experience, certifications, or standout accomplishments.
If your resume has an objective but you have work experience, consider switching to a summary for a stronger impact.
What should a strong resume look like?
A strong resume design uses consistent formatting, readable fonts, and plenty of white space to make it visually appealing. It should be clean, organized, and easy to read, quickly showing employers why you’re a good fit for the role.
Include a clear header with your name and contact information, a concise summary, and well-structured sections for work experience, education, and skills.
Additionally, consider incorporating visual elements such as resume icons to showcase your skills and accomplishments in a visually appealing way.
How we reviewed this article
Since 2012, we have helped more than 11 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process.
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How to Update Your Resume in 2026
Marla is a professional resume writer. She is committed to helping job seekers navigate the job market and succeed in their careers.
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