It’s easy to minimize the importance of keeping your career profile updated, but that approach can interfere with opportunities that can propel your career in the long term. Here’s how to avoid a gap in your career story.

Update your LinkedIn regularly.
Most people think that this is only necessary if you’re looking for opportunities, but your activity helps build a network and keeps your colleagues informed about the great work you’re doing. Remember, LinkedIn is a social platform, not an online resume. You’ll need to be socially active to engage industry leaders while sharing your career journey with your network. Also, think of LinkedIn as a place to document your career. This is a great way to help you recall all the things you did while working for a particular company. It is human nature to categorize the things you do in excess at work as “just work,” but it is so much more than that. Your excess work, volunteerism, employee network functions, speaking engagements, etc. are all part of your career story. Let LinkedIn be the place where you can store your memories in case you need to leverage them as you move forward.

Update your resume regularly.
As a career strategist and resume writer, I’m always asked, “How often should I update my resume?” My response is that it depends, but at least every six months. When the thought of moving around, pivoting, or positioning for a promotion comes to mind, use that opportunity to make sure your resume accurately reflects the current message about your work experience. Even if you’re not looking for opportunities, you should document your progress at least every six months. Use your mid-year review as a reminder to make sure your resume captures the goals you’ve achieved. Sticking to this routine will help you overcome any challenges recalling your successes in the long run, especially if you need those success stories to negotiate your salary.

Maintain key relationships.
When on the hunt for better opportunities, we tend to tap our network, look for mentors, and talk more often to those we believe can help us with our next role. Once you get the role, you’ll need to maintain those valuable relationships. Why? Because those people were part of helping you get to where you are. Business is about developing and maintaining strong relationships. Your brand representation should not be limited to self-serving agendas. Create a schedule to check in once per quarter with valuable connections. A simple email to update them on your career progress is a great way to continue the connection. Pay it forward. Ask if you can help them with anything as well. People who share their time serving as mentors are usually serving because it is meaningful to them. They will greatly appreciate you sharing updates about your career because it lets them know their time was not in vain.

Mary V. Davids is an executive career and leadership development strategist and owner of D&M Consulting Services, LLC. For more career tips and advice visit www.slaytheworkplace.com and follow /CoachMaryD on Facebook, @MVDavids on Instagram, and @careerchic on TikTok.