Most people operate under the theory that as long as they are working they have no need for a resume. This is simply wrong thinking. Your resume should always remain updated, should always have new information added to it, and should always be ready for use at a moment’s notice. You might be wondering why – so here are just a few good reasons:

Layoffs happen You could walk into your great job tomorrow morning and be advised that you will be done at the end of the day. What happens if while you are in the stress overload mode if you need to start working on your resume from scratch? Chances are things will get overlooked or ignored and you could be your own worst enemy in landing a new job;

Head hunters are always looking The further up you are in the food chain in any business, the more likely you are to be pursued by a head hunter. You never know when they might present you with an opportunity that you simply cannot refuse. If you have a current resume ready to send out, you won’t have to wait two, three or more days while you create one and check it for errors;

Reorganizations If you are working in an industry that is subjected to reorganization (such as the financial industry) you might find yourself at the mercy of a reorganization after a buy-out. In these instances, you have very little time to plan for what you will do next and if you’re considering looking elsewhere for gainful employment, you don’t want to wait until the rest of your co-workers have already started sending out their resumes.

Valuable information

Your resume should not only have a list of your past (and current) employers, it should also be a “hit list” of your accomplishments. Even if you are not going to send your entire resume out as is, it is very helpful to always keep it updated. There are certain things that people fail to add to their resume which can have great meaning in their job hunt including:

Special projects that you undertake
Additional training courses you took on the job
Leadership positions in non-profit groups
Associations you have joined
Local civic organizations you have join
Additional continuing education units you have earned

Remember, you don’t want to lose vital information just because you have forgotten about something that you have accomplished. It’s a good idea to make one resume as a “working document” where you can add information regularly. From this working document you can (and should) create one or two separate resume’s (updating them as needed) for immediate use if they are needed.

Summary

Waiting until you are out of work to prepare a resume is not a good idea. It will put you behind many of your co-workers if you are part of a company-wide layoff or reorganization. Having a resume ready to mail, fax or email at a moment’s notice will help get your information in front of potential employers quicker than your competition can.