Your resume is the first impression you make on a potential employer, and it can impact your chances of landing an opportunity. Crafting a well-structured and informative resume is crucial but knowing what to include or leave out can be challenging.
In our guide, we will walk you through the key elements for any resume and what to avoid, ensuring you present yourself as a top candidate for your desired role.
Essentials for any Resume
To craft a winning resume, it’s important to include several key sections that highlight your qualifications, achievements and what you can contribute to the company.
- Contact Information: Start your resume with your full name, professional email, and best contact number, making it easy for employers to reach out to you.
- Professional Summary: Provide a concise summary that showcases your experience, skills, and career goals. This section acts as an introduction to the rest of your resume and helps to create a personal touch to your application.
- Experience: Detail your relevant work experience, starting with your most recent position and working backwards. Utilise dot points to detail your accomplishments and responsibilities. Focus on highlighting information directly related to the position you’re applying for.
- Education/Certificates: Include your educational background, degrees and relevant certifications that demonstrate your expertise in the field.
- Skills: When outlining your hard (technical knowledge) and soft (interpersonal and communication) skills ensure they align with the requirements of the job you’re applying for.
What to Avoid in Your Resume
- Irrelevant information: You want to ensure your resume is focused and tailored to the specific role you’re applying. Avoid including irrelevant positions or experiences that do not contribute to your suitability for the role.
- Personal information: Your resume should remain strictly professional, which means avoiding disclosing personal information such as age, marital status, or religious affiliations.
- Grammatical and spelling errors: Always proofread your application to ensure it is free of grammatical and/or spelling errors. These mistakes can convey a lack of attention to detail. Grammarly is a fantastic tool to use for this purpose throughout the writing process.
Tailoring
Customising your resume for each job application is highly recommended as it can significantly improve your chances of success. Highlight your most relevant qualifications and targeting the specific requirements of the position. We recommend keeping the following in mind…
- Keywords: Study the job description and identify keywords and phrases relevant to the role then incorporate these.
- Achievements: Tailor your dot points under experience to emphasise your professional achievements and outcomes that align closely with the job requirements.
Wrapping up Your Application
Whilst it is important to have references available upon request, including them on your resume isn’t necessary. Instead, prepare a separate document with your references readily available when requested.
Your resume is a powerful tool that can open doors to exciting opportunities. Creating an effective resume is an essential step in any jobseeker’s journey. By following these guidelines, you can craft a concise, well-structured job application that showcases yourself as an ideal candidate.