What is this lunatic talking about? All right.. I’ll admit it. Cholesterol and push-ups are not something that your resume has to worry about. However, most folks just don’t keep their resumes in top condition on a regular basis and often have to scramble to put something together last minute and it just doesn’t have to be this way.

Also, see Always have a Current Resume within e-Reach for additional thoughts on resumes.

Actually, most people wait to update their resumes when they find themselves in the situation where they need to quickly find a job – and this is not the best resume fitness plan to have. Instead, look at your resume as a valuable asset that needs to be updated regularly as you take on new tasks at work, get a promotion, finish a training course, etc.

The secret is to update your resume on a regular basis – but most folks are not that disciplined so here is my advice. Go to your electronic calendar (or appointment book) and set a recurring reminder to take a quick look at your resume to make sure it reflects what you are doing these days. I suggest every 3 months (6 months max). In a perfect world, however, update it any time something significant happens.

In the end only you can decide what warrants an update, but your resume will always be more effective if you update it in a timely fashion when things are fresh in your mind – hence more accurate and definitely less stressful.

TAKE AWAY – Just invest some time to create whatever system works for you to keep your resume up to date. If nothing else, a monthly or quarterly reminder to review/tweak/update your resume.