Updating your resume is sort of like flossing. We all know we should floss daily, but only some of us do. Most of us wait until we have a dentist appointment scheduled. Similarly, we know that we should update our resume (or C.V., for those of us in academia) on a regular basis, but how many of us that aren’t actively job-hunting actually do it? I know that I didn’t. That is, I didn’t until my first performance review in my current position. I was asked to think about everything I had done since I joined the office. I was coming off of an extremely hectic semester and realized that I would have to think about that question a lot harder than was probably necessary.
I decided to start a list of the tasks that I do day in and day out, as well as accomplishments, so that I would have a better idea of everything I was doing. I thought back to my first weeks on the job, and methodically worked my way forward. When I was done, I checked my job description to make sure that everything there was on my list.
Turns out that my list of things that I do at work was longer and far more detailed than my job description.
My job description has the lovely phrase, “and other duties as assigned,” phrase in it. This phrase can really work in your favor by giving you and your supervisors the opportunity to create stretch assignments and opportunities, as it had in my case.
Or, sometimes, it ends up allowing you to be pulled in too many directions, too far from your core duties. Making a list of everything that you are doing can help you take stock of the situation. If it turns out that you are doing too much work that is unrelated to your responsibilities, the list you create becomes a part of the paper trail that you can take with you when you talk to your supervisor.
Your list will also come in clutch the next time you apply for a job, or professional development opportunity. Resumes are not designed to list every single thing that you do at work. Some responsibilities may be more applicable to certain opportunities than others. As you update your resume for a new opportunity, you can ‘plug and chug’ from your running list of job duties and responsibilities.
How often should you update this list? I take a look at mine about every 3 months to see if anything is missing, but it was my first year on the job – so everything is new. If you’ve been on the job for a little longer, you may not need to update your list so frequently.
Happy listing!
According to Aubs 