.Along with a great cover letter, creating an excellent resume is important for winning the job of your dreams. As with the cover letter, your resume should be short (no more than two pages) and relevant to the job you are applying for. Crafting a winning resume that’s going to capture the attention of a potential employer is a fine art where the smallest of details can make the biggest of differences. Here we hone in on those little details that separate a good resume from a bad one.
Good Resumes are simple and relevant. They will state your name (written in a bigger, bold font so it stands out), email and phone number (so that you can be contacted). Your email must be appropriate, so if your email is something silly that you set up in primary school, create a new email with gmail or a similar provider. If you are looking at a specific job, you should have a personal statement which should be short and to the point (see the document How to Sell yourself in 25 Words or less), but you don't have to have this if you don't have experience or relevant information. Your resume should list your education (not primary school) and any previous work or work experience you have had, including the duties you had, from your most recent and/or relevant position. List any relevant skills and abilities or traits your have for the job. You should also list at least two (2) referees names, occupations, contact details. (Ensure you have asked your referees to be referees, before you list them in your resume). SEEK.com give a good example of a professional style resume but if you have little or no previous work experience, you could go for an even simpler version. See the examples below.
Good Resumes are simple and relevant. They will state your name (written in a bigger, bold font so it stands out), email and phone number (so that you can be contacted). Your email must be appropriate, so if your email is something silly that you set up in primary school, create a new email with gmail or a similar provider. If you are looking at a specific job, you should have a personal statement which should be short and to the point (see the document How to Sell yourself in 25 Words or less), but you don't have to have this if you don't have experience or relevant information. Your resume should list your education (not primary school) and any previous work or work experience you have had, including the duties you had, from your most recent and/or relevant position. List any relevant skills and abilities or traits your have for the job. You should also list at least two (2) referees names, occupations, contact details. (Ensure you have asked your referees to be referees, before you list them in your resume). SEEK.com give a good example of a professional style resume but if you have little or no previous work experience, you could go for an even simpler version. See the examples below.
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Unfortunately, a bad resume can be the difference between getting a job interview and not. Your resume represents your professional identity before you’ve even had the chance to shake hands with a potential employer, so it’s important to perfect its style for killer first impressions.
The following 5 tips are for things you should not put into your resume:
1. Outdated fonts and large typefaces. No matter how creative you are, people respond best to easy-to-read fonts that are a good size when held a metre from eyesight. Choose a standard font such as Arial, Verdana or Calibri over outdated fonts such as Times New Roman for an easy to read, clean and sleek look and feel.
2. A list of all your previous roles and responsibilities. While you may have been the fastest server behind the candy bar at the movie cinema you worked for if it is not relevant to the job you are applying for, it’s best to clean up that clutter.
3. Your salary expectation. Including a salary expectation or any dollar sign on your resume is likely to give off the wrong message. A resume is intended to showcase your professional experience and skills.
4. More than 2-3 pages. Employers looking to fill a role often have to sift through mountains of applications before narrowing it down to several interview-worthy candidates. This process usually leaves very little time to read more than two pages of one resume. The goal is to crunch and consolidate your very best information into a 2-3 page snapshot.
5. Typos. For those with poor attention to detail, incorrect spelling or grammar can be the one thing holding you back from securing an interview. If you have trouble with spelling and grammar, give your resume to a teacher, trusted friend or family member to look over and scan for typos.
Often when students have little or no experience, they try to fill their resume with irrelevant information. Below are two examples of poor or bad resumes, read through them and the advice attached and complete the activity.
The following 5 tips are for things you should not put into your resume:
1. Outdated fonts and large typefaces. No matter how creative you are, people respond best to easy-to-read fonts that are a good size when held a metre from eyesight. Choose a standard font such as Arial, Verdana or Calibri over outdated fonts such as Times New Roman for an easy to read, clean and sleek look and feel.
2. A list of all your previous roles and responsibilities. While you may have been the fastest server behind the candy bar at the movie cinema you worked for if it is not relevant to the job you are applying for, it’s best to clean up that clutter.
3. Your salary expectation. Including a salary expectation or any dollar sign on your resume is likely to give off the wrong message. A resume is intended to showcase your professional experience and skills.
4. More than 2-3 pages. Employers looking to fill a role often have to sift through mountains of applications before narrowing it down to several interview-worthy candidates. This process usually leaves very little time to read more than two pages of one resume. The goal is to crunch and consolidate your very best information into a 2-3 page snapshot.
5. Typos. For those with poor attention to detail, incorrect spelling or grammar can be the one thing holding you back from securing an interview. If you have trouble with spelling and grammar, give your resume to a teacher, trusted friend or family member to look over and scan for typos.
Often when students have little or no experience, they try to fill their resume with irrelevant information. Below are two examples of poor or bad resumes, read through them and the advice attached and complete the activity.
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Activity 1: Complete the Resume Activity Sheet and add it to your PLP Portfolio.
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For your Summative Task 2, you can choose to use one of the following Resume Templates to help you to complete your resume, or you can design your own, just remember to follow the points above to create an effective resume. |
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