Let’s be honest about something first: most students hate updating their resume.
You know you’re supposed to do it. You know it matters. And yet, pulling out that document feels like homework nobody assigned, something you’ll “get to eventually,” which usually means right before you desperately need it, scrambling to remember what you actually did six months ago.
I want to reframe that for you, because I think the dread is the real problem here, not the resume itself.
What If Your Resume Wasn’t a Task, But a Record?
Think about your resume differently for a second. It’s not a form you fill out under pressure. It’s a running record of everything you’ve built, learned, and accomplished, a living stream, updated as things happen, not reconstructed from memory months later.
When you think about it that way, the goal isn’t to “write a resume.” The goal is to not lose what you’ve already done.
So here’s a question worth sitting with: if you dread updating your resume, why is that? Is it because it feels like proof you have to produce? Because you’re not sure what “counts”? Because it feels like a chore with no clear finish line? Whatever the reason, naming it is the first step to getting past it, because the fix is usually smaller than it feels.
Why Fall Is the Perfect Time to Do This
You just came off a summer. Maybe you had an internship. Maybe you worked a job that taught you more than you expected. Maybe you ran a project, volunteered, led something, built something, fixed something.
Whatever it was, right now, in these first few weeks of fall, is the best possible time to capture it. Not in December when the semester’s a blur. Not next spring when you’re job searching and trying to remember details that have long since faded. Now, while it’s still fresh.
So here’s your first small, actionable step: open your resume this week and add one thing from this summer. Just one. You don’t need to overhaul the whole document. You just need to not let it disappear.
Don’t Stop at the Resume, Your LinkedIn Deserves the Same Update
Everything I just said about your resume applies to LinkedIn too, and honestly, LinkedIn is often even easier to build momentum with:
- Post about what you did. A short reflection on your summer experience is a completely normal, professional thing to share, and it keeps your profile active and current.
- Add the experience to your profile. Just like your resume, don’t let it sit undocumented.
- Reconnect with people from your internship or job. If you haven’t connected with your supervisor or coworkers yet, do it now. Connections fade fast once the semester takes over a quick “great working with you this summer” message goes a long way toward keeping that relationship alive.
This is your professional brand we’re talking about. Not someday. Not once you “have more experience.” Now, built one honest update at a time, so it’s something you’re proud to show, not something you’re embarrassed to open.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Wherever you’re at in this process, whether you haven’t opened your resume in a year, or you update it religiously and just want a second set of eyes, the Career Center is here for exactly this.
- Drop by the Career Lab, Monday through Friday, 10–3, in GSB 119A, to meet with a Career Communications Assistant for a quick, no-appointment resume review.
- Prefer virtual? Send your resume to resumes@g.rwu.edu for a review.
There’s no “right stage” to ask for help. Whether you’re starting from scratch or fine-tuning something you’re already proud of, we’re here for it.
This Week’s Actionable Step
Don’t rewrite your whole resume. Don’t aim for perfect. Just open the document, add one thing from this summer, and update one line on LinkedIn. That’s it. That’s the whole assignment.
Small, consistent updates beat last-minute scrambling every time, and future-you, sitting down to apply for internships or jobs next semester, will be very glad you didn’t wait.
Have a resume or LinkedIn question you’d like covered in a future post? Reach out to the Career Center and Professional Development team, we’d love to help.
