Your resume — or curriculum vitae (CV) — is a way of promoting yourself, your skills, achievements and suitability for the job. It must project a professional image and hold the readers interest.
Tips for creating your resume
- Try not to place too much information on one page.
- If printing, ensure your resume is produced using a good quality printer.
- Don't print double-sided.
- Page one should have basic information such as name, address, date of birth, education (both secondary and tertiary), other qualifications, and interests. Then provide a brief summary of work experience to date, and an outline of your career objectives.
- Employers who want to get in contact with you should be able to do so quickly and easily using the contact details in your resume. If they can't, they may move on to the next applicant.
- This is the chance to sell your personal and professional strengths by including an 'achievements' section that details projects or tasks where the outcomes were successful and over and above the call of duty.
- On the following pages, list work experience in chronological order (most recent first) detailing period of employment, employer, position(s) held and primary responsibilities. Use bullet points, and make sure lines are well spaced.
- Include three referees (people who know you and will be prepared to vouch for you if contacted). Make sure you get the permission of the referee first, and give them some warning if you think they might be contacted by a potential employer.
- one work related
- one personal
- one related to some other area in which
you have achieved will give a good balance
- Get someone else to proof read for clarity and spelling and layout errors.
- Academic transcripts, confirmation of professional qualifications, and selected references should be attached, and the attachments listed.
- If you're applying for your first full time job out of tertiary studies, think about what will differentiate you from other applicants. Employers will be looking for academic achievement, but they may also be looking for evidence of sound workplace skills (perhaps from part-time employment or work experience), good communication skills, and the ability to balance a range of activities and still achieve good outcomes. It's also likely that employers will be looking for sound computer skills, appropriate for the position you are applying for.
- Keep your resume up-to-date, and continuously review it as your situation changes and on the basis of your experience and feedback you get.
There are no wrong or right answers in preparing your resume, but some resumes work better than others.
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