Get Off Your Butt & Update Your Resume

I know–it’s painful.  Why would you bother to update your resume when you have a job already?

Here are 3 reasons to stay on top of updating your resume, even when you have a job:

1.  You may have a sudden change in job situation.  Something personal or family-related may come up and you need to move, or reduce your work hours/responsibility.

2.  You may be downsized unexpectedly from your pharmacy or pharmaceutical industry job, especially in this economy.

3.  When you are ready to make a career move, you don’t remember key responsibilities, pharmacy practice projects, awards/recognition.  It may very well be that you’ll be staying in your current pharmacist position for a long time.  What you remember about what you did 2 years ago will not be as clear and detail-oriented as what you remember today about what you are currently doing.

How to keep an updated resume:

Anytime you are given a new responsibility, initiated a new project/role, managed other pharmacists, taught pharmacy residents & students, or wrote a publication, write it down.

Be as detailed as possible.  Don’t worry if you are verbose in your initial draft; it can always be edited to select relevant skills & experience for what you apply for down the road.  For example,  if you created a discharge program for a hospital where pharmacists review medications & provide discharge counseling for every patients, write “Developed a patient discharge program involving pharmacy medication review & discharge counseling”.  If you manage other pharmacists & techs, start with writing “Managed 4 pharmacists & 3 technicians, filling 700 Rxs/day”.

If you know you are ready for a job change, learn more about secrets you can tap into to get the edge in their job search by updating your resume to stand out from your competition.