The most effective ways to keep your CV up-to-date

Make your CV blossom with these Spring cleaning tips

September is the beginning of Spring in South Africa. That means it's time to get your broom, mop and vacuum out - and clear up the cobwebs on your CV! Here's how.

It’s that time of the year again, where flowers are blossoming, cartoon characters are falling in love, and mom’s (and dad’s, kids and domestic workers) all over the country are moving furniture around, cleaning out the dust, and washing walls for the annual Spring Clean.

Don’t make your career jealous of your home, give it some love too. How, you ask? By Spring cleaning your CV, of course!

Now before you panic, it’s not as bad or as labour intensive as it sounds...

spring clean multitasking spongebob

Rather, think of your CV as the storage room:

  • There are things you don’t need anymore
  • Things that are broken, dilapidated and run-down
  • Things you forgot you had
  • And you start realising what you need to get
  • If you don’t do this now, you’re only making the job worse for when you have to do it later, when it’s become even more of a monster.

    ‘Cos this ain’t foolin’ no one:

    Spring clean your cv

    So, let’s rather do this right. Also, you’ll be armed and prepared for ‘unexpected guests’ or new job opportunities that arise.

    Trash the things you don’t need

    Remember, your CV should be a reflection of where you are and where you want to be. This means you need to remove all your old and irrelevant accomplishments, skills and jobs.

    Yeah okay, so working as a casual every holiday made you look hard-working and resulted in a great reference when you graduated, but it does nothing more than take up space now. And sure, that Computer Course you did in 1996 was amazing back when computers were new and foreign and unaffordably expensive (superfluous intended). Trash it.

    Reduce your old skills to one sentence in the additional experience section or in the background paragraph. Stick only to what’s new and relevant. 

    If you’re eyeing a specific job title or position (even if you’re not applying for it immediately), start cultivating your CV for that - this Spring!

    Discover what’s missing

    Okay, items of sentimental value and all the atrocious bits and pieces are gone. Mmmm… let’s look at what’s left. Surely you've done a lot more since last Spring (or whenever you last updated your CV).

    You’re going to need to add the most recent Skills, Courses and Milestones (or SCM) you’ve acquired, completed, and reached. Add them.

    A great rule of thumb is to read through the specs of your dream job, see which of the SCM you already have, and add them so long. The other SCMs that you’re lacking, well, you can work on them before next Spring so you can add that too. Sign up for an affordable and useful Educate24 or Udemy online short course - hey, look there, you already have a New Years’ Resolution.

    Use strong keywords, a positive vocabulary and avoid clichés. Don't just say you’re detail-orientated, innovative and a hard-worker; you must prove it. Everyone just says they are. Rather, stand out and describe how by showing real life examples of your impact on your company and its departments.

    Make it pretty

  • Bullet points are great

  • Stats and pie charts are easy to read

  • Short sentences get the point across easier

  • Recruiters only want the most important info anyway

  • See what I did there? The layout and presentation of your CV is of utmost importance. You need to focus on gaining the attention of the hiring manager. Can you imagine how many CVs they’ve read in their lifetime?

    If you are head-hunted, you won’t have to run around like a headless chicken trying to get your CV together. So it's best to take time to Spring Clean your CV and be prepared for your future.