Now that you're officially living in Corona, California, it's time to find a new job. If you've been an architect with the OAA for the last twenty years, your resume is probably a little out of date. Even if the last time you went looking for a job was only a few months ago, you should still review your resume to make sure it accurately reflects your skills and work history. We'll break the resume down by sections and tell you what probably needs updating.

Contact Info

Don't forget that you just moved. Your resume will still have your name, phone number, address, and email from your last residence on it. Your first order of business when you get into town should be to get a cell phone and a mailing address (if you don't have an apartment, rent a P.O. Box) so potential employers can contact you.

Skills

This section should be different for each job you're applying for. If you're applying to drive a septic tank truck, you might put in that you have the appropriate driver's license level and are able to work with minimal supervision. If you have a first aid certificate or are certified to handle hazardous chemicals, put that here. If you're not sure what to put, look at the job ad and list the qualities they want under "skills."

Work History

The last time you used your resume was when you went looking for your previous job. Therefore you need to add the work experience from your last job to your resume. Make sure to give the name of the company, your position, the dates you worked for them, and a short outline of your responsibilities.

Education

If you've just gotten out of college this section will need some major updating, but even if you haven't, there might be something new you can add. For instance, if you took an English as a second language class you can add that under education, or if you attended a professional development workshop on marketing, that would be another useful tidbit for an employer to know.

Volunteer Work

If you don't have much work experience, you can fill in the gaps with volunteer work. So mention if you volunteered to check the fire sleeves at the high school or helped build homes for charity. Even if the work is unrelated, it still speaks to your character.

References

Most people just put "references available upon request." Go ahead and do this, but make sure you actually have references available in case they ask. Contact anyone you want to use as a reference, like your boss at the woodworking machinery supplier, to make sure they're okay with it. Also contact your old references if you're using them again to let them know to expect calls about you.