If we've learned anything from the pandemic it's that things change fast - very fast!
One day you have a seemingly stable job, and the next you're stood down, or made redundant, or your business income drops to nearly zero.
Or maybe you still have a job but are concerned about the future, given the economic climate.
No matter what your current employment situation is, it's so important to have your resume and LinkedIn profile up-to-date and ready to go for when a job opportunity arises.
And opportunities can arise at the most surprising times; even at the moment many organisations are hiring. (Did you know the Australian Government now has a job search site a bit like Seek? Check out https://jobsearch.gov.au/.)
In the past I've had many clients approached by recruiters through LinkedIn, and they only had one day to update and submit their resume.
Could you meet that deadline if it happened to you?
Be prepared
It's a great idea to regularly update your resume, as you never know when your dream job is going to be advertised, or when a recruiter is going to contact you about a role, or when you may be made redundant.
Turnaround times are often tight and so you need to be prepared.
Writing, updating and tailoring your resume (and completing job applications in general) is enormously time consuming. I write resumes professionally and it still takes a long time!
So get your resume and LinkedIn up-to-date and keep them up-to-date to avoid the need for an all-nighter to meet an application deadline!
Make sure your resume is up to 2020 standards
If you're one of the many people who haven't updated the format of their resume for years (if you still have a 'Career Objective' or 'Personal Details' section, I'm talking to you), then it's time for a total refresh.
Download my free 5 day Resume Makeover Challenge and read the other blog entries on this site for lots of other job application tips.
Set reminders
It's a good idea to regularly review and update your resume and LinkedIn profile. Even if you haven't changed roles in this time, your responsibilities, projects or focus might have changed and you can add this in.
Remind yourself to do this by adding 3 or 6 monthly reminders into your calendar.
You might also want to change the focus of your resume and LinkedIn profile if you are planning a career move in the near future. A tweak of your LinkedIn headline could send recruiters your way.
Allow time for tailoring
By having the bones of your resume and LinkedIn profile up-to-date means that when you do have to complete a job application you can focus on tailoring it for the position.
This will allow you to submit a quality application in a short time-frame that wins you an interview - and hopefully the job!