Spring has finally arrived! Which means there’s no better time to de-clutter and spring clean all aspects of your life.  Closets are probably the first thing that comes to mind at this time of year, but how about your resume as well? A lot can change during the course of a year, and your resume should clearly reflect your personal and professional growth during this time. Whether you’re looking for a new position or you’re just in need of a little resume refresh, here are my top five tips to spring clean your resume.

1. Remove Unnecessary Information

A resume that’s 1 to 2 pages long is ideal, but if you are going over a page, you want to make sure that all the information you’re including is important and relevant. For example, if you’re more than a few years out of high school, things like your grades, achievements, and graduation probably don’t need to be on your resume anymore. The same thing goes for any part-time, short-term, or unrelated work experience that doesn’t showcase your current skill set and accomplishments. A resume that’s brief and concise will be the most likely to get a potential employer’s attention.

2. Rework Your Resume’s Design

Speaking of attention, in today’s competitive job market, a resume that stands out from the rest can make a real difference. Sites like Canva or Kick Resume can help you easily create a stunning visual resume with the help of pre-set templates. Depending on your field, you can play with the level of creativity in your resume and really help your resume shine. Just make sure that you don’t go overboard with graphics and images since you still want your resume to be taken seriously in a professional setting.

3. Update Your Job Description

For those of you who have been with the same company for an extended period of time, your current day to day tasks are probably quite different from when you started out. Take a look at the job description included on your resume and make sure that it still accurately describes your role. Have you taken on new responsibilities? Learned a new program or skill? These are the things to add to your resume now, rather than waiting until it comes time to apply for your next job.

4. Create a Portfolio

Hear me out, a portfolio isn’t just needed for creative or artistic fields anymore. If you’ve been working on projects, important presentations, or manuals, then why not showcase your work? Double check with your company to see if there are any confidentiality issues, but if there are no problems, then you should definitely consider building a portfolio that showcases your strengths as an employee. If you’re looking to switch fields, a portfolio can also be used as a platform for your hobbies or side-projects as a way to further your career. A portfolio is really just a great way to provide concrete examples of your work, no matter where your expertise lies.

5. Show Off Your Personal Brand

If your resume has all of the aspects mentioned already, then go you! You’re a resume superstar that’s well on your way to a dream career. In that case, I recommend that you work on your personal branding, and making sure that all aspects of your professional life portray a cohesive and clear vision. Show off what makes you unique, share the links to your website or portfolio, and let your resume highlight the best version of you possible.

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Image courtesy of Glitter Guide  

By Kate Mendonca, Toronto, @kate.mendonca