Resumés
The documents required for a job application vary, but a resumé is nearly always required.
Key points about resumés
- A contemporary resume is a marketing document which presents you in the best possible light for the position you are applying for; it is no longer a simple record of what you have done.
- A marketing document is one which:
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- is concise,
- uses positive language,
- incorporates achievements,
- is professionally presented, and in particular,
- is targeted to suit the particular position.
- You might keep a comprehensive ‘master’ resumé, but a resumé for a particular job needs to be targeted. This means being selective about what to include, focusing on skills and experiences most relevant to the job.
- Having said this, resumés need to include key information and follow certain conventions – use Resume Express get the basics right.
- To decide how to target your resumé, put yourself in the employer’s shoes – what would you most want to know if you were employing someone to do this job? What would you most value? Use the selection criteria or job description for clues. Some ways in which a resume may be modified to target a particular position:
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- If including an ‘objective’, make sure it is consistent with the role and/or organisation.
- Put most relevant sections first – for example, if your voluntary work is more relevant than your paid work, then put it first.
- When describing experience (eg in sections on employment or voluntary work), put most relevant tasks first and give more detail on these; leave out tasks which are clearly irrelevant.
- If you have a number of relevant experiences – whether paid work, work experience, voluntary – consider grouping them under a heading such as ‘Course-Related Experience’ or ‘Relevant Experience’, and include other experience under “Other Experience’.
- Perhaps include a skills section to bring together most relevant skills in one place – especially if you don’t have relevant work experience (A skills section is not a single word list – refer to Resumé Express for guidelines – Module 4, Content).
- A resumé also needs to be concise – this is important to employers or recruiters who may read a great many resumes. While there is no set length, for students and recent Bachelor grads, 2 – 3 pages should be sufficient.
- Finally, your resumé needs to be professionally presented. This means for example - a good balance of white space and text, use of bullet points for ease of reading, judicious use of fonts and effects and no spelling mistakes. Check out the samples resumes in Resumé Express for ideas on presentation.
Preparing your resumé
- Use Resumé Express Module 4: Writing and Putting a Resumé Together to initially produce a ‘master’ resumé. When applying for a particular position, use suggestions above to target your resumé.
- Start with the Module 4 – Content. This gives a list of headings to use as a starting point (some are ‘core’; some are ‘optional’). For each of the headings, there is information about what to include and different ways of presenting the information.
- Resumé Express has other useful material- browse to see what might be useful for you. Some useful sections include:
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- Module 3: Writing skills statements (for describing experience).
- Module 4: Writing a career objective.
- Module 2: Achievements (gives examples of types of achievements).
- Module 4: Sample resumes (most suitable – ‘combination’ style).
- Resumé Express is available in Online Career Tools.
- Questions about a resumé you are working on can be brought to a Careers Drop-in session. Check Careers Online for times and locations.