How to Update Your Resume: A Step-by-Step Checklist

How do you update your resume?

You update a resume by adding your latest work, rewriting the parts that describe an older version of you and cutting what no longer helps. If it’s been years since you touched it, that’s normal, and an update is far quicker than starting from scratch. Work through the checklist below in order.

Resume update checklist

Use this checklist from top to bottom. The first three steps make the biggest difference; the rest are quick.

1. Add your current role. Title, company, dates, and three to six bullets with results.
2. Update any promotions. Show a promotion as two titles under one company, with the dates of each.
3. Rewrite the summary around the work you do now and the job you want next.
4. Refresh your best bullets in older roles with any numbers you can now add.
5. Shorten older jobs. Roles older than about 10 to 15 years drop to one line or come off.
6. Update skills. Add the tools and channels current postings name that you’ve used; remove ones nobody asks for.
7. Add new certifications or training if postings in your field mention them.
8. Check contact details: a current email, phone, city and LinkedIn URL.
9. Remove dated items: an objective statement, “references available upon request”, a full street address.
10. Check the format and length. One page under about ten years of experience, two pages above it. Our guide on how long a resume should be has the detail.
11. Proofread and save a dated version, such as “Resume-2026-10.docx”, so you can always go back.

How do you add a new job to your resume?

Add your new job at the top of your experience section with the title, company, start date and “Present”, then write three to six bullets that lead with results. If you’ve only been there a few months, two or three bullets about what you’ve taken on and any early wins are fine.

[Title], [Company] · [City or Remote] · [Month Year] to Present
- [What you own: scope, budget, channels, team]
- [Early result: action, scope, result]
- [Something you set up or changed: a process, a program, a test]

Write the bullets as if you were telling a friend what you actually did in the job, then tighten them. The plain version is usually more specific than the corporate one. For marketing examples at every level, see our marketing resume guide.

How do you show a promotion on your resume?

Show a promotion by listing the company once with each title underneath, newest first, each with its own dates and bullets. This shows growth at a glance and avoids repeating the company name.

[Company] · [City]
[Senior Title] · [Month Year] to Present
- [Result in the bigger role]
- [Result]

[Earlier Title] · [Month Year] to [Month Year]
- [The result that got you promoted]

How often should you update your resume?

Update your resume at least once a year, and after any promotion, big project or new skill, even if you aren’t looking. The easiest way is a running “wins” document: a few lines each month on what you shipped and what changed. When the time comes, your best bullets are already written.

It also helps in your current job. The same list feeds your self-review and makes a case for a raise or promotion; see our guides on asking for a promotion and asking for a raise.

How do you update your resume while you’re employed?

Updating your resume while you’re employed is routine, and nobody can see a file on your own computer. The visible part is LinkedIn, so update it with care:

• Turn off “Share profile updates with your network" before you edit, so your connections aren’t notified of job changes or work anniversaries. It’s under Settings & Privacy, then Visibility, as LinkedIn’s help article on sharing profile updates explains. Anyone who visits your profile still sees changes once you save them.
• Use your own devices and email for the search, not your work laptop or work account.
• Consider the recruiters-only setting if you want to signal you’re open without telling everyone. Our page on Open to Work on LinkedIn compares the two options.

How do you update your resume after a layoff or a gap?

After a layoff, update your resume the same way: your last role ends with its month and year, and the bullets show what you achieved there. You don’t need to explain the layoff on the resume itself. If the gap grows, a short line covering freelance work, a course, caregiving or a project is enough, and a hybrid format with a short “selected results” section at the top keeps attention on your work.

Our guide on why you’re leaving your current job covers how to talk about a layoff in interviews.

How do you update your resume for a specific job?

Tailor your updated master resume to each posting by rewriting the summary and the first bullet under each recent role around the posting’s top priorities. Our free resume keyword scanner shows which of the posting’s skills and tools your resume doesn’t mention yet. Recon can also tailor it line by line to a posting, leaving a [placeholder] wherever a stronger line needs a fact only you know.

FAQ

How do I update my resume on LinkedIn?

Your LinkedIn profile and your resume are separate. Update the experience, headline and About sections on your profile directly, and replace any resume file you’ve saved for applying through LinkedIn with the new version. Our LinkedIn summary examples help with the About section.

Can I use AI to update my resume?

AI tools can help you rephrase bullets and spot gaps, but check every line: some tools add numbers, tools or responsibilities you never had. Keep only what’s true and what you can talk about in an interview.

Should I update my resume if I’m not looking for a job?

Yes. A short update once a year or after a big project keeps your results fresh and saves you from trying to remember them under pressure when an opportunity comes up.

How far back should my updated resume go?

Usually 10 to 15 years in detail. Older roles can be cut to one line or removed unless they’re directly relevant to the job you want.