Does your resume stand out from the crowd?
Is it a true representation of your skills and abilities?
Crafting the perfect resume
Want to watch the Career Clinic webinar on this very topic? Scroll below!
Creating a great resume is a task that many job seekers describe as overwhelming or daunting, so here are some tips from our friends at Blue Sky Career Consulting, experts in resumes and professional branding, to help you with the process.
Consider starting afresh.
A lot of people attempt to rework their old resume when it would be easier to start from scratch with new segments or headers and just copy over any relevant information
What to include?
Current resume trends and advice recommend the following sections:
Professional Profile
A broader ‘sales-pitch’ introduction to your experience, expertise, industry exposure and unique offering.
Key Skills
A list of approx. six of your key skills with evidence of how you provide this skill. Ensure these are selected to capture your future employers’ attention.
Career Summary or Snapshot
A high-level summary in a table or list format of your career to date. Just include the role, employer and dates.
Employment History
Here is the bulk of your content! Create a separate entry for each job. Include a sentence on the company then dot points for ‘Key Responsibilities’ and ‘Key Achievements’.
Education and Training
Include your tertiary qualifications and any short courses or training programs you have completed.
Other potential inclusions
Professional Memberships, Volunteering, Accreditations, References etc
Keep the format simple but eye-catching.
Colour and increased font sizes for headers and certain formatting features in your resume can work well, but keep it simple and ensure consistency across the document.
Pro Tip
Avoid using overly graphical templates as they can get caught up in ATS (Applicant Tracking Software).
- Make your achievements memorable by ensuring they are measurable. When listing your achievements attempt to detail the measurable components.
- Use keywords that match the job ads or position descriptions. This can maximise your chances of getting through ATS but also influence any ‘human’ reading your resume.
- Triple check your document for errors. Have someone else read it too.
Pro Tip
Use the ‘Read Aloud’ function in Word in the ‘Review’ menu.
- Avoid bulky paragraph structure. Headers, Sub-Headers, dot points and tables are your friends!
- Remain succinct but ensure you are including enough to convince the reader of your transferrable skills. Most resumes we write are two – four pages. The first page is the hook, and the subsequent pages provide the detail.
- Use effective ‘action’ words. There are great lists available for inspiration via a simple ‘google’ search.
- Don’t include your irrelevant jobs. If you worked at the local burger bar during school but are now working in a career-defining role it could be time to cull that content.
We really hope the tips above help you as you commence your resume writing.
BLUE SKY CAREER CONSULTING OFFER
Once you have completed your new resume Blue Sky Career Consulting are happy to provide a FREE resume review to give you feedback and recommendations.
If you would like expert help with your resume, why not consider having it written professionally.
Blue Sky Career Consulting is currently offering all MAYDAY clients an awesome 10% discount on any professional resume or LinkedIn writing service. Just include ‘MAYDAY’ in your email to them and you will receive the discount.
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