Resume basics
Writing your first resume can be a frustrating and overwhelming experience.
To get you started, here are some basic Do's and Don'ts of creating your resume.
Resume Do's…
- Make your resume short, simple and concise. Anything over three pages will begin to overload the reader and likely end up in the too hard basket. Two pages is an ideal length but don't be afraid to drop down to a one-pager if that's all you need.
- Include only relevant achievements, skills and experience that relate to the position you are applying for. This may mean tailoring your resume slightly for each position.
- Use bullet-points, rather than long paragraphs, to make your resume easy to read (employers tend to scan over resumes rather than read them word for word).
- Check for spelling and grammar mistakes (these are real resume killers!). Ask a colleague, family member or friend to check for any errors you may have missed.
- Focus on the content of your resume rather than its design. Fancy fonts and colours only serve to distract and frustrate the reader.
- Take pride in your resume. Spending an extra 20 minutes on your resume could land you your dream job.
Resume Don'ts…
- Don't include lies or misinformation in your resume. These often come back to haunt you sometime down the track.
- Don't provide unnecessary personal information such as marital status, date of birth, religion, height/weight, etc as it could lead to discrimination.
- Don't use a funky or funny email address like cooldude88@example.com. This may impress your friends but rarely an employer.
- Don't write your resume like you are writing a txt msg 2 a friend.
- Don't add a photo of yourself unless an employer or job role requires it.
- Don't write your resume in capitals, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING!
