As Dolly Parton once sang, ‘working 9 to 5; what a way to make a living’. The important step this lyric excludes, however, is getting a job in the first place.
(Photo: Kris Harris King/wikimedia)
To find work, moreover, you need a resume that will impress employers. But what goes into a well-crafted resume? Well, the following five tips are a good place to start.
1. Basic Information
Most resumes will include certain basic details, such as the following:
- Contact information, including your name, email, phone number and address
- A personal statement summarising your character, career and ambitions
- A chronological list of your past employers and work roles
- Educational achievements and professional qualifications earned
- Additional skills and interests (e.g. languages spoken, computing skills, etc.)
- Two references, but only if the application specifies including these
The exact content and layout of your resume will depend on the employer, but it should provide at least some information on all of the above.
2. Length
A good resume should be fairly concise, since recruiters may have to sort through dozens (or even hundreds) while trying to fill a position. Unless you have a huge amount of experience that you need to include, one or two pages is usually enough.
3. Format
It’s crucial that your resume is clear and easy to read. As such, effective formatting can significantly increase its impact. This includes picking a suitable font and font size (e.g. 10-12pt Times New Roman or Arial), using bullet points to list key information, and making headings stand out to clearly indicate where one section ends and another begins.
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4. Tailoring Your Resume to the Role
Possibly the most important thing when writing a resume is that it reflects the job for which you’re applying. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a template that you use for multiple applications; it’s just that you need to adapt each one slightly to suit the situation.
One good approach is to check the role description of the job for a list of skills and duties, which will give you a better idea of the most relevant information to include in your resume (e.g. if a role requires leadership skills, you’ll need to include something in your resume that demonstrates your abilities as a leader).
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5. Proofread It!
Sure, we’re proofreaders, so of course we’d tell you that proofreading is important. But mistakes in a resume can mean that recruiters dismiss your application, especially if the job requires good communication skills or attention to detail.
Taking a few minutes to double-check your resume and cover letter (or having a professional check them for you) before sending them off to employers is, therefore, a very good idea.