Understanding how employers use resumes and the basic
structure and contents of a resume can help you write
a winning document. When putting together a resume it
is important to put yourself in the employer’s
shoes. What would make an employer read one resume over
another?
Employers in essence want to know how hiring you will
benefit their business now and in the future. It is
therefore very important to research and understand
the position for which you are applying. Decide what
skills, abilities and knowledge are needed to be successful
in the position within the organisation.
The information contained in your resume should represent
a succinct time line of employment (paid and unpaid),
education, training, skills, and personal attributes
that you have been developing. Always draw attention
to your abilities, knowledge and your skills that relate
directly to the position or are transferable to the
position.
A standard resume should be approximately 2-3 pages
in length. This will vary of course given the amount
of work experience (paid or unpaid), community work,
achievements and education you have. If your resume
is longer than this, you may want to look at ways to
re-group the information or check that everything you
have listed is relevant. If your resume is only 1 page,
consider whether there is any information you may have
forgotten.
Below are some general points about resumes and how
to make them effective. Try to avoid using long paragraphs
of text. Bullet points or short statements are best.
Space your resume out with clear bold headings for each
new section.
Avoid typing everything in capitals, this makes blocks
of text difficult to read.
(For a heading it can be useful).
Place relevant career/job information first in each
section.
There are also general steps you can follow in preparing
a resume.
Step 1: Get to know yourself and your abilities.
What are your skills? These may be developed through
your university studies, work experience or outside
interests. What are your qualities, strengths, and weaknesses?
Think of examples or times when you have been able to
demonstrate your knowledge, skills and abilities. What
are your goals? Consider what your aims are both in
the short term and the long term.
Step 2: Learn the language of resumes.
Research the position you are interested in! Search
the Internet for a web site; telephone the organisation
to request a position description and selection criteria
to be sent to you (if relevant) and identify the key
terms and professional language that is used to describe
the position you are applying for and duties involved.
Once you have identified some of these common terms,
use them in your own resume and application letters.
This will demonstrate to potential employers that you
have an understanding of what is required of the position.
Step 3: Referees.
Referees are different to references. A referee is a
person who will make a verbal reference regarding your
application for a position and this is usually conducted
over the telephone. A reference is a written letter
or document regarding your character, academic abilities
or employment performance and is usually provided with
your resume. Referees are best sought from past or current
employers,
academic staff such as lecturers or tutors, and organisations
for which you have volunteered your time. Mixes of personal,
professional and academic referees are a stable selection
for an application. You need at least 3 referees in
your resume. Always seek the consent of a referee before
using their name on your application.
Step 4: Draft and revise.
Resumes will almost always need to be refined and revised
after your first attempt. They are a very important
document for your career. Keeping your resume up-to-date
is important. Little things may change and you will
need to add new positions to employment history, education
and achievements.
Resume Content
Below is a suggested list of content for your resume.
You do not have to follow this, as you should design
your resume to suit your individuality and aim to stand
out from the rest.
Personal Details
Obviously every resume will have this section to start
it off. Remember however to keep these details to a
minimum. Your name, contact address, phone number and
email address are all that is required. You may want
to include a reference to your citizenship status if
you are applying for government positions. You do not
need to indicate your date of birth, marital status,
number of children, health status, or supply a personal
photo. Other details should only be included if they
are required. Otherwise you can address specific criteria
in a covering letter.
Career Goals
If you are applying for graduate positions this just
needs to be a short statement that broadly outlines
both your short and long-term goals. It demonstrates
that you have started to think about the directions
in which you would like to go and is not something that
potential employers are going to hold you to for the
next 10 years.
Education
Start with the most recent qualification and work backward
in a chronological order. For most students the undergraduate
or postgraduate degree(s) you are completing at present
will be the most important qualification you have to
offer an employer. List the title of the degree(s),
name of the institution and date of completion. You
may also want to include your GPA (Grade Point Average)
or current GPA. Be sure to explain the scale of 1 to
7 eg GPA of 6.5 on a scale of 1- 7, 7 being the highest.
You may also include your major(s) so that the employer
is more familiar with your qualifications. Do not list
all of the subjects you have studied and the grades
gained at this point in your resume. Include any TAFE
courses you have completed and make the earliest entry
your Secondary qualifications or equivalent study.
Other Courses, Skills and Workplace training
Any other courses or skills that are not already included
in your resume but are relevant to the position, eg
typing, computing, languages, should be included at
this point.
If you have been awarded certificates for training such
as word processing, first aid, occupational health and
safety, computing packages, include these details in
this section. Remember to check the relevance of the
certificates with the requirements of the positions
you are applying for.
Employment History
Information under this heading can be organised in a
number of ways depending on what you wish to highlight.
Many start with their most recent position and work
backwards throughout the years. You may have taken a
position some time ago that is relevant to your current
interests, therefore place it on top of the list to
ensure its prominence.
Regardless of order, be sure to include information
such as your position, the name of the rganisation,
the time you were employed with them, the classification
of the work ie. casual, part-time, temporary, vacation
work, full-time etc, and a brief outline of the duties
you performed and the skills, abilities and knowledge
you developed as a result of the work (give the most
detail to jobs which are professionally relevant or
have transferable skills). Do not underestimate the
value your part-time/casual positions have to future
employers. Even if they are unrelated to the position
you are applying for, they still demonstrate your exposure
to a work environment and the demands involved.
Specialist Skills
This section can be in point form, to highlight how
your studies are relevant to the position you are applying
for. Include any relevant projects, thesis or assignments
you have completed and any skills that you have obtained
throughout your degree that will make the potential
employer interested in your application. For example
they may be degree specific skills, general skills such
as communication, research abilities, computer knowledge
(say what packages etc), and familiarity with statistics.
Looking at a range of job advertisements will help you
to identify what to include in this section.
Membership of Associations
If you are a member of certain (usually professional)
associations that will be relevant to the position you
are applying for, include them.
Awards
You can include any academic awards achieved where relevant.
List these in point form and make sure to identify those
that were tertiary or secondary.
Achievements
This section is used by employers to identify that you
have set various goals for yourself and worked to achieve
them. Achievements may be academic, sporting, personal
or community based. In essence, an achievement is anything
that was a milestone for you or demonstrated leadership
and initiative.
Referees
It is vital that you include the names of referees in
your resume. Three referees are becoming the standard
numbers required for most applications. Referees can
be past employers, academic staff, internship supervisors,
clients, or community leaders. List the person’s
name, position title, full contact address (including
fax and e-mail), and most importantly their daytime
contact telephone number. Make sure the connection between
you and that person is clear, ie. were they an employer,
lecturer, or sports coach? It is also a good idea to
send a copy of your application and position description
to the referees. This helps them give a more relevant
and impressive reference if they get a phone call from
your potential employer. It is essential to gain consent
from your referees prior to using their name on an application.
Finally
When you have finished your draft resume, go back through
it and make sure that the majority of it is in a point
or brief format. Be sure that you are emphasising or
highlighting the main aspects you want an employer to
note. Look carefully at the layout and order of your
resume to ensure that you are doing everything you can
to make it an easy to read document. Only attach certified
copies of your original documents.
Resume Structure
A suggested format for a resume follows. Use this as
an example and change the format to suit your needs.
Resume
Personal Details
(Name)
(Telephone Number)
(Postal Address)
(E-mail)
Education
(Degree/Qualification - Majors)
(University/Institution)
Due to Graduate: /Completion Date:
GPA: (If you are comfortable with disclosing this information)
Employment History
(Date Employed) (Position)
(Employer/Company)
(Location)
Duties: (Remember to keep it relevant and brief)
(Always list employment position and education in chronological
order starting with most recent to least recent unless
a previous position is important to the position you
are applying for. Then either place this position at
the top of the list or completely bold it in its chronological
position.)
Memberships
(For these sections below remember to use point form
and not lengthy pieces of text.)
Achievements
Referees
Professional/Academic/Personal (you select the most
appropriate title)
(Name)
(Position Title)
(Company)
(Postal Address)
(Fax)
(E-mail)
(Telephone)
