How Often Should You Update Your CV?

If you are applying for jobs and your CV is not updated, it can look unprofessional and that you haven’t invested time in presenting your CV clearly before applying for a job. An outdated CV could result in you being overlooked and can reduce your chances of being headhunted. There is no specific time frame for updating your CV, but these are some triggers.

New Job

It is worth getting your CV updated when you secure a new role and have been employed for at least a few months as this gives you time to get a grasp of what you will be doing day to day. If you have been promoted in your role, it is also worth adding this to your CV. If you have been on a career break, you should also add this to your CV - including what you have done during the break, i.e. travel, education, caring for a family member etc.

Training or Qualifications

If you don’t update your training or qualifications as you go, you are likely to forget them - especially training courses completed in the workplace. If you attend a lot of courses, keep a note of them and add the relevant courses to your CV. The last thing you want is to take up a full page of training courses - so only use the most relevant to the jobs you would be applying for.

Significant Achievement

You should update your CV with any significant achievements, as a few months down the line, you may completely forget. For instance, if you receive an ‘employee of the month’ award or you get a glowing testimonial. It is even better if you can quantify any achievements, for instance, ‘saved the department 60% on marketing fees’.’

Different Roles

If you are applying for different types of roles, then you may need to update your CV with small tweaks. For instance, it might be applicable to change the direction of the CV based on the job spec or to update it with specific keywords.

If you are looking to update your CV, we can help at Inspired CVs. You can order a new CV here or contact us to find out more about our professional CV writing service.