A resume is often the first chance you have to sell yourself to a potential employer. The objective is to get an interview and then obtain a job!

Keywords

• Adapt your CV to reflect the wording used in the advertisement/job description

Job Titles

• Use effective titles to capture the attention of the employer
• Don’t use ambiguous terms, try to be more detailed on your experience
• i.e. Bad title = Office Clerk, Good title = Administration/Reception/Filing

Double check/proof read

• Always proof read your resume prior to sending
• Things to be mindful of;
  • Capital letters
  • Slang/jargon
  • Unusual acronyms
  • Formatting errors
  • Grammatical errors

Bullet Points

• Resumes are read very quickly and no one has the time to read paragraphs of information. Therefore ensure all your responsibilities are summarised on bullet points

Order

• Ensure all events are listed as most recent first and are in bullet points as most important/relevant first

Personal Details

• Don’t include any personal information on your resume that is irrelevant to you obtaining the role. This includes;
  • Date of birth
  • Marital status
  • Children
  • Photographs
  • Religion
  • Hobbies

Length

• Try to limit your resume to a maximum of four pages
• If you have had numerous roles limit your experience listing only the past 15 years (max)

Written by Linda Lewin