Step to writing a great resume
Many of us think we know how
to write a resume - but when it comes to crafting that career-furthering
snapshot of our professional lives, many of us lack the insights to be
able to transform a good CV into a truly great CV. Having a polished,
succinct and professional resume makes a crucial
difference to your chances of being invited for that
all-important interview. To help get you noticed and
on the shortlist, here's our guide to writing a
resume that stands head and shoulders above the
rest.
Resume Writing QUICK Tips
How to write a resume? The devil is in the detail, as the
saying goes - and once you've addressed your resume's basic structure,
it's your attention to detail that will set you apart from other
similarly qualified candidates.
Here's our handy guide to the finer points of resume writing, along with
some common pitfalls to watch out for.
TOP RESUME TIPS AND
ADVICE FOR SUCCESS
When writing a resume, consider avoiding
long lists of responsibilities included statements. Instead, focus on
your actual achievements, and begin each with a dynamic action word or
phrase like designed, coached, assessed, undertook, supervised,
organized, managed, transformed, etc.
Keep your resume, and each section within
it, as succinct as possible. Include the necessary information but do it
clearly and concisely using only relevant details. Excessive detail and
long blocks of text will not do you any favours, so use a template to
help you format your resume and use bullet points to make information
easily digestible.
Avoid using any unusual fonts that might be
difficult to read or that might not display correctly on someone else's
screen: Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri are the safest options.
Address any obvious gaps in your work history by writing a brief
explanation where appropriate (perhaps you were traveling overseas, had
a child or went back to university).
Many recruitment agencies (and indeed,
some larger companies) use special software to scan applications for
certain words and phrases, which are called keywords. To maximize
your resume's chances of being found, it's a good idea to make sure
your resume contains key words from the job description, or from
your role and industry, to ensure it passes the first round of
checks. Common keyword examples include project management,
business
development, customer service, account manager, software development and
leadership, amongst many others. Look
closely at relevant job listings to see which words are repeated,
and weave them into your resume and cover letters.
Get the fundamentals right: just one or
two spelling errors in your resume could mean that your application
is rejected by a potential employer.
Privacy can be a real issue in today's
high-tech world. Be aware of employer/client confidentiality and never
reveal information in your resume that can jeopardize a client's privacy
or put them at risk. Similarly, any confidential personal details -
except for a contact number, address and email address - should be left
out of resumes. |