Like many of you this time of year, we at YES! Your Human Resources Solution are wrapped up in the holiday cheer and well wishes! But it’s important to remember that a new year—and new opportunities—are just around the corner. And with that promise comes your annual reminder to update your resume with the experience and achievements gained this year.

Here are five tips to make over your resume for 2015:

1. Keep your resume current. You never know when the perfect career opportunity may open up—or when that opening might be scheduled to close at the end of the day! So your resume should always be in a state of readiness, with information and achievements current through your most recent job. Try not to wait to add experience to your resume, as you may forget some key duties or achievements along the way, especially if you are forced to update in a hurry.
2. Tailor your resume to each position. A “one size fits all” approach to skills and experience doesn’t apply to the resume world any more than it does to the career world. The experience and achievements that are critical to one job opportunity may not be all that impressive to another. (A chemical manufacturer may be interested in your military HAZMAT certifications; the local elementary school, perhaps not so much.) Maximize your relevance by presenting only the best-fitting items for each position.
3. Be truthful about your experience. Nobody wants to pretend to be someone they’re not! Exaggerating your experience or education will only set you and your employer up for disappointment—and depending on how egregious an embellishment, may also set you up for termination. So be honest about your qualifications. Keep in mind that the posted job requirements are usually a wish list. Even if your skills don’t hit all the requirements, they may be hitting the most important ones, and you may find yourself better qualified than the other applicants.
4. Mind the length, but not too much. Gone are the days of the one-page resume requirement. Sure, it’s OK to use a single page if you are a student or a new worker. But most professionals will be comfortable using two pages to show their career growth, with executives sometimes needing three pages. Even for executives, anything longer than three pages could be tightened to provide the most concise, relevant read. You don’t want to risk losing your reader in a rambling resume.
5. Consult a professional resume writer. A professional writer skilled with resume preparation can help you present your journey in the best light. We all know about misspellings and formatting inconsistencies, but what about parallel structure or proper semicolon use? Would your experience shine brightest in a chronological resume, a functional resume, or a combination of both? A writer will strategically craft and place your content to make it stand out against the competition, with the added bonus of eliminating embarrassing typos or grammatical errors. Make sure your resume says what you mean it to in the context of your professional goals.

What better way to start the new year than by polishing the most important piece of your professional portfolio? By following these five tips, your resume will burst into 2015 like a New Year’s Eve popper!