Writing a new resume or revamping an old one entails more than just writing down your skills, hobbies, interests and experience. Most often the chances of you getting the job does not come down to how much experience you may have had but more so how good your resume is, as a resume is a visual/written representation of the professional version of yourself. Your resume needs to show off everything about you that is relevant, and it needs to be done in the right way. This is where it is important to avoid information that is either irrelevant or unprofessional. Don’t put down that you went and visited a flying fox park over the weekend and participated in a tree top zipline with your friends. As much as this information may make you seem cool and trendy, it is probably highly irrelevant to the position you are applying for, unless that is of course a job that requires you to work in a theme park or adrenaline related sports.
A resume is often your first point of contact between you and the potential employer. It is the first impression that you make with a professional resume and if you aren’t successful in one job you need your resume for more applications to come. Each failed application is a step towards adjusting your resume to make it the perfect fit for that perfect opening. Of course, not all employers will be looking for the same resume so it may take some adjustments and honing to make it perfect.
You need to ensure you take out the objective. It you are applying for the job it is obvious that you want to work at that place. Cover the desire for that role briefly in the cover letter it isn’t important to add it to the actual resume itself. Speak on the core values that are represented through the company you are applying to work for, look at their website or their social media pages and see the type of people that seem to work there. You may be applying for work within the digital marketing fitness industry and seen some familiar faces through Facebook ads for gyms, this is the first step to familiarising yourself with a company.
Be brief
Don’t clutter up your resume. Don’t include information about your previous job as a milkshake maker if you are applying to be a nurse, this is completely irrelevant and they don’t care to read it so don’t include it. You also don’t need to include your high school jobs or experience if you are in your 30’s, this can be considered to be too long ago so you should clear it out and only include relevant information, skills and experience. Include all the skills that are relevant to that particular job. You need to pass on the unnecessary information. The employer doesn’t care to know about your marital status and your religion or your hobbies. This information is actually illegal for employers or staff to ask you so there is no need to include it in the resume.
Being straightforward
Try and use simple text like a standard font that is easy to read and that everyone can clearly read, even if they have issues with sight. Try not to write in the first or third person as everything in your resume is about you and your experience. Don’t use complicated and cluttered layouts with tables, headers and footers as when these are used on different computers with a different software version that you have it will look all encrypted and won’t be readable. Always ensure that you do a spell check and review the writing before sending it off. Proof reading is important should be a top priority for anytime you are submitting your resume for a new job application. One spelling error or grammatical mistake can cost you quite a bit of opportunities.
Be discreet and professional
It pays to set up an email address that looks professional and not the same email that you used back in high school. Don’t just use random letters and number or emails with different symbols something just so simple that includes your name. Consider something similar to; John.Smith1980@genericaemailadress.com
Read the submission requirements
A good way to get noticed is to follow all the requirements that were in the job description. They may have requested your resume to be in a certain format or you may need to set it out differently. If you are applying for a writing job, they may ask you to send two samples of your writing and if you don’t send the samples your application will most likely go in the trash. This just proves you either didn’t read the requirements or didn’t follow them and employers will not hire someone who cannot follow the correct requirements for something simple like sending in a resume. Submission requirements, guidelines or key selection criteria are all things that are representations of your employability skills. Being able to complete a simple set of tasks will show your potential employer that you are capable of following instructions, no matter how complex or easy they may seem.
How long should a resume be?
There isn’t a set limit for how long a resume needs to be and it will vary depending on how much experience and job history you list. Generally, they are not longer than 3 pages. If your resume is only one page this can work better as it is simple and easy to read and not loaded with unnecessary information. Some applications or job advertisements will require a specific number of pages for a resume as well as a cover letter (CV). You may be instructed to submit everything including your key selection criteria as a part of one PDF document.
What to include on my resume?
- Your contact details
- Key skills
- Personal attributes and your career overview
- Education qualifications
- Employment history/work placements/volunteering
- References
- Certificates acquire, this may include; certificate 3 in hospitality or maybe a first aid training course certificate
As you can see there are various steps that go into writing the perfect resume. Next time you see that dream job opening make sure your resume is up to date and that you are happy and proud of what you have written down. Put yourself in the employers shoes and see if you would hire someone with a resume similar to yours.
