How to Update Your CV — A Complete Refresh Guide

Most people only think about updating their CV when they desperately need a new job — which is exactly the wrong time to do it. Updating your CV under pressure means rushing important decisions, forgetting achievements that are now months or years in the past, and submitting a document that does not fully represent where you are in your career.

Keeping your CV updated regularly — even when you are not actively job searching — means you are always ready for an unexpected opportunity, a recruiter approach, or a promotion application. This guide covers exactly how to update your CV effectively — what to add, what to remove, how to modernise your format, and when to do it. Build the updated version using our free CV builder.

When Should You Update Your CV?

Update your CV immediately after any of these events:

• Starting a new role — add the position before the details fade from memory
• Receiving a promotion — update your title and add new responsibilities read our guide on how to show promotions on a CV
• Completing a significant project — capture the outcome while the numbers are fresh
• Gaining a new certification or completing a course
• Taking on a significant new responsibility or managing a larger team
• Being approached by a recruiter — even if you are not actively looking

Step 1 — Update Your Work Experience

Your work experience section needs to reflect your current role and your most recent achievements. This is where most outdated CVs fall shortest — candidates leave their old job description from when they joined a role rather than updating it to reflect what they actually deliver now.

For Your Current Role:

• Update your job title if it has changed
• Add new responsibilities that were not in your original role
• Add significant achievements from the past six to twelve months with specific numbers
• Update your team size and budget responsibility if these have grown
• Remove bullet points that are no longer relevant to your target roles

For Previous Roles:

• Condense roles older than ten years to job title, company, and dates only
• Remove roles older than fifteen to twenty years unless particularly relevant
• Update any bullet points that still use duties language rather than achievement language

For full guidance on writing strong work experience bullet points, read our guide on how to list work experience on a CV.

Step 2 — Update Your Professional Summary

Your professional summary should reflect where you are now — not where you were when you last updated your CV. A summary written three years ago may reference outdated experience levels, old achievements, or a target role that no longer matches your current ambitions.

Update your summary to reflect:

• Your current seniority level and title
• Your most recent and most impressive achievement
• The type of role you are now targeting
• Any new sector experience or specialisation you have developed

Read our complete guide on how to write a CV summary for examples at every career level.

Step 3 — Update Your Skills Section

Your skills section is likely to need the most frequent updating — because skills evolve faster than most other sections of a CV. New tools are released, industry terminology changes, and the skills that employers prioritise shift over time.

When updating your skills:

• Add any new software, tools, or platforms you have learned or used professionally
• Add any new certifications or qualifications — with the issuing body and date
• Remove tools you no longer use or that are now outdated in your field
• Update any skills whose terminology has changed in your industry
• Check that your skills section matches the language used in current job postings for your target roles

Step 4 — Update Your Education and Certifications

Education rarely changes after your degree is complete — but certifications need regular updating:

• Add any new professional qualifications with issuing body and completion date
• Add online courses from Google, HubSpot, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, and similar platforms that are relevant to your target role
• Remove certifications that have expired or are now irrelevant to your field
• Update any certifications that have been renewed or upgraded

Step 5 — Check and Update Your Contact Details

Contact detail errors are among the most damaging — and most avoidable — problems on any CV. A recruiter who cannot reach you after reading an impressive CV is a missed opportunity that could have been completely prevented.

Step 6 — Modernise Your CV Format

CV design conventions evolve — a format that looked professional five years ago may now appear dated. When updating your CV, take the opportunity to check that your layout still meets current standards.

Signs your CV format needs modernising:

• Objective statement at the top rather than a professional summary
• References listed in full on the CV — now considered outdated
• Tables or text boxes used for layout — these break ATS parsing
• Skill bars or progress circles displaying competency levels
• Very small font size — below 10pt — to fit everything onto fewer pages
• Decorative elements, borders, or non-standard fonts
• Photograph included for UK or North American applications where it is no longer standard

Step 7 — Check Length and Cut Where Needed

As your career progresses, your CV can grow longer than it should — with early career roles and outdated information gradually accumulating over years of piecemeal updates. Every update is an opportunity to check that your CV is the right length for your current experience level.

Length rules by experience level:

• Freshers and students — one page
• Early career, one to five years — one to two pages
• Mid career, five to fifteen years — two pages
• Senior and executive — two pages, occasionally three

When cutting to reach the right length — condense roles older than ten years first, remove irrelevant content second, and tighten bullet points third. Read our complete guide on CV length for full guidance.

Step 8 — Proofread Everything

Every update to your CV introduces the possibility of new errors — typos, inconsistent dates, formatting changes that affect spacing, or bullet points that no longer read smoothly after editing. Always proofread your full CV from start to finish after any update — however minor.

• Read the full document out loud — you catch errors reading aloud that eyes skip over silently
• Check all dates are consistent and correct — month and year format throughout
• Confirm all links work — LinkedIn, portfolio, email
• Ask someone else to read it — a second pair of eyes always catches something
• Run it through a grammar checker as a final pass

Updating Your CV for Specific Opportunities

Beyond regular updates, always tailor your CV specifically for each application — adjusting your summary, reordering bullet points, and matching your skills language to the job description. A well-maintained master CV makes tailoring fast — you select and adjust from comprehensive source material rather than trying to remember everything from scratch.

Read our complete guide on how to tailor your CV for a job for the full process.

Build Your Updated CV Free

Use our free CV builder to rebuild your updated CV in a modern, ATS-friendly template — with guided sections, clean formatting, and instant PDF download. Browse our professional templates and choose the layout that suits your current career level. No sign-up required.

Update Your CV Free →

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I update my CV?

At minimum every six months — and immediately after any significant career event such as a new role, promotion, completed project, or new certification. Regular small updates are far more effective than an infrequent full rebuild from memory. Set a calendar reminder every six months to review and refresh your CV even when you are not actively job searching.

What should I update on my CV?

Update your current role bullet points with recent achievements and numbers. Update your professional summary to reflect your current level and target. Add new skills, tools, and certifications to your skills section. Check all contact details are current and working. Remove outdated content — old roles, expired certifications, and irrelevant information. Check that your format is still ATS-compatible and modern.

How do I update my CV after a promotion?

Update your job title immediately. Add new responsibilities and any early achievements in the promoted role. Consider restructuring your work experience entries using the nested format to show your progression clearly. Update your professional summary to reflect your new seniority level. Read our guide on how to show promotions on a CV for full formatting guidance.

How do I modernise an old CV format?

Replace an outdated format with a clean, ATS-compatible layout — no tables, text boxes, or graphics. Replace an objective statement with a professional summary. Remove references from the document itself. Use a standard font at 10 to 11pt. Check that section headings use standard labels ATS systems recognise. Browse our free CV templates for modern, ATS-tested layouts.

How long should my updated CV be?

The same rules apply as always — one page for freshers, one to two pages for early career, two pages for mid-career, two to three pages maximum for senior executives. Every update is an opportunity to cut outdated content and ensure your CV is the right length for your current experience level. Read our CV length guide for full guidance by experience level.