How Often Should You Update Your CV? A Practical Guide

Your career evolves, your skills and competencies change, and so do your responsibilities and achievements. Your CV needs to reflect that professional growth. Just like your car, if you don't check it regularly, it won't perform when you need it most.

Even if you've been in the same role for years and haven't yet decided to apply for another job, you are almost certainly gaining new skills, experience and successes that should be reflected in your CV and online profiles. Updating your CV and online profiles regularly also brings other benefits, such as:

• Being able to apply quickly when you hear about an interesting job opening
• Building and maintaining an up-to-date online picture of your skills, competencies and professional achievements, which makes you more visible to potential employers
• Keeping relevant details fresh in your mind, so they're easy to recall whenever you rewrite your CV

The process of updating your CV is in itself a very useful exercise for identifying your strengths and the areas you still need to improve.

Whenever you update your CV, it's a good idea to ask yourself a few questions:

• What new technology have you learned?
• What digital or technical skills have you recently acquired?
• Is there a project you've worked on that you're proud of? Is it a better showcase of your skills than an older project currently featured on your CV and social media? If so, swap it in.
• Have you completed courses, won awards or been recognised for a job well done? If so, add these details.
• Can you quantify your achievements in a SMART format? Employers like to see clear evidence of your success, such as the percentage by which you exceeded a recent target.
• Have your duties and responsibilities grown? If so, summarise these responsibilities and the results you achieved.