Why should you have a resume?
Most employers and recruitment agencies want to see your
resume. They use it to decide which applicants to interview
for a job.
A resume sells your skills to an employer. It’s the first
impression an employer gains about you. It summarises your
work history, skills and experience in the best possible
light. It’s not just a list of past jobs—it’s about how you
performed in those jobs, what you learned and what you
accomplished. A resume is a way for you to show your
strengths.
But a resume is just as much about saying what employers
want to hear as it is about you promoting yourself. It
should answer the employer’s question, ‘What can this
person do for my company?’
You should take care to:
- highlight information that meets the employer's needs,
- put a positive spin on anything that might be
considered a barrier to your getting the job you’re
applying for. See
Addressing employer concerns.
You will need a different resume for each type of job you
are seeking, possibly for each individual job application.
The most effective resume is written with a specific
position in mind.
Employers are usually very busy. Probably they will spend
15–20 seconds scanning your resume, deciding whether it is
worth further consideration. If you make a good first
impression, they will read the resume more closely and
critically, seeing whether you satisfy all the job criteria
and reading all your details.
Write your resume with both these reading styles in mind,
the quick scanning and the close reading. Here are some
hints:
- Organise your resume carefully and use good page design
to create a resume that can be easily skimmed and comfortably
read in detail.
- Use headings so that skim readers can find what they’re
looking for quickly.
- Give enough details to convince careful readers that you
really have the skills you say you have.
Tip!
- Your resume is an important document in your job
search. It can make or break your application. Don’t rush
when you’re preparing it. Take all the time and care you
need to make it as perfect as possible.
- Try to make information easy to find at a glance.
- Take 15 seconds yourself to look at your resume. What
stands out? What blends into the background and needs
more emphasis?
- Keep your resume up to date. Keep your contact
details current, and document every job you have so that
you can describe it in different ways to suit resumes for
different jobs.