Resume Preparation – This Is the Tool That Sells You – Make Sure You Get It Right!
Remember your Resume is your selling tool – it is selling YOU. It should be concise and understated rather than exaggerated. Your Consultant will add to it if required. Keep in mind that a bad resume can prevent you from even getting an interview so spend time to make sure it sells you.
Presentation of your Resume
The way you present your resume gives your future employer an indication of your logical thinking and your written communication skills. In other words are you able to express yourself concisely or are you a waffler?
Type your resume. Handwritten resumes are ignored. No employer or consultant has the time to decipher handwriting. Make sure you check the spelling errors – every draft should be thoroughly checked for spelling and grammatical errors. This applies to your covering letter as well.
If you send your CV via email you may also wish to print a copy as well in case your email has gone astray. Use standard A4 size paper. Leave a space between paragraphs, and allow adequate margins.
Keep your points concise – avoid long phrases. Use dot points to show your responsibilities under each position in your career history. Dot points are easier for reading and it is easier to see your skill-set. Your resume should include:-
Your Personal Details:
Include your name, address, contact details (home telephone, work telephone number, mobile number and email address). It is not necessary to include your religion or your children’s ages.
Education should include:
Level achieved at Secondary school, name of institution attended and date you completed.
Tertiary education – provide name of institution attended, name of course, areas of major study and year attended.
List any work related short courses attended and year attended.
List of computer software and computer skills should also be included.
Memberships: Include a list of any relevant professional associations.
Work Experience should include:
Name of Company, branch and city
Position Held, Date position started and finished (e.g. Sept 08 – Jan 11). List employment details in reverse chronological order, with the most recent position first. It is not necessary to include your work telephone numbers, particularly if your boss is unaware that you are leaving. If such information is specifically requested you may detail this in a covering letter.
Under each position list “Responsibilities” – here use dot points and list the responsibilities in single lines.
Special achievements may be shown under each position if you wish.
Some people provide a list of at least two referees together with telephone numbers. Referees should be people to whom you previously reported. It is not imperative to include References as you will be asked later for these when required.
Hobbies and Interests
Hobbies and/or interests which are not directly related to the job should be kept to a minimum – use no more than 2-3 lines.
Covering Letter
Again keep this concise and to the point – no more than one page. Reference the Job Title or Job Number for which you are applying and then briefly describe the key points why you think you have the skills and experience for the position.
In future
Keep your resume updated on a regular basis as in that way you always have all the details of your previous positions and you are prepared should you be headhunted or decide to leave suddenly.
Now you have taken the first step towards your next career move. Before proceeding to your interview make sure you read our “Interview Techniques” to enable you to present yourself at your BEST!!