The key to a winning résumé is knowing EXACTLY how to market your skills and achievements in a way that will grab your target's attention...Are you unsure what to include?
Follow these four essential steps to ensure your résumé stands out from your competition and lands YOU the interview.
1. USE THE CORRECT
FONT SIZE that it looks like a primary school assignment.
USE LOGICAL HEADING
SIZES & SPACING
UPDATE IT EVERY
FEW YEARS
Not SO small that it's difficult to read... Not SO big
OBEY CURRENT
STYLE RULES
No underlining, shading or headings in boxes,
and not too many UPPER CAPS or Italics....
The 'look' of documents changes with time
and you don't want it to appear dated.
Create an attractive résumé
it makes your document difficult to read.
USE A MODERN
FONT
to a
Explodes!
Résumé
Steps 4
that
Market Place
250
on average,
Every corporate
job opening attracts
résumés
1in 5Recruiters
will REJECT a candidate before they've
even finished reading
their résumé
spent by Recruiters
seconds
No Arial, Garamond or Times New Roman.
Choose Calibri, Corbel or Tahoma.
If your spacing and heading sizes are illogical,
REALITY
Focus on Page 1 & the Role
8-12 elements that an
EXCELLENT incumbent in the
role would have
Write down Check
that you have
PERSUASIVELY sold each
element on Page 1
Reserve Assess
each line of Page 1 for its
STRENGTH. If it's not a 'wow'
line, remove it
Aim for 8-10
strong Achievement
Statements
Don't cheat with layout & spacing.
Remember...'less is more'.
e.g. qualifications,
experience, skills &
attributes
#2
#1
at least half of Page 1 for
ACHIEVEMENTS. They are more
persuasive
5-7
The average time
looking at a résumé is
#3 Craft Strong Achievements
FOLLOW THE PATTERN
LIST SPECIFIC AREAS
WHERE YOU ADDED VALUE
What KPI's were you measured
against?
The easiest Achievement
pattern is: action plus result
2.
1.
QUANTIFY WHERE
POSSIBLE
3.
Numbers add credibility to
your résumé, e.g. $, %
4. WRITE ACHIEVEMENTS
IN THE PAST TENSE
Each statement should begin
with a verb e.g. created
5. KEEP ACHIEVEMENTS TO
TWO LINES
Move the reader through your
content at a good pace
Analyse your role,
then paint a precise picture
of the value you have added.
#4 Obey the conventions
1. Write the content without the personal pronoun, but don't
write in the third person.
Eliminate the words 'I' or 'my'
2.Consider the length carefully
As a general rule of thumb, It should sit comfortably
between 3-4 pages (in Australia).
3. Select a reverse chronological format
Start with your most recent role then work backwards. Or, if
earlier roles are more relevant, a hybrid resumerésumé may be
required.
Focus on recent jobs
The further back in time you go, the fewer details you should
provide. Early jobs can be limited to core responsibilities.
5. Meet expectations of your market place
Make sure you understand the latest trends in your industry and
technical field, and clearly include relevant content.
Updateyour résumé once a yearto
A strong
persuasive
résumé adds to
your confidence & increases your
conversion rate, so
you need to apply
for fewer roles .
detail recent achievements.
Follow Us Online!
Catherine
Cunningham
TheCareer
Consultancy
@katy1mary1 TheCareer
Consultancy
Sources:
TheUndercoverRecruiter.com
JobVite.com
Work4labs.com
4.
For expert career advice...