Cantlie

Creating an Effective Resume

The basics to writing an effective resume are:

  • Your Name, address and contact details – clear and upfront.
  • Academic Qualifications – What, Where, When
  • Citizenship
  • Career Statement / Career Objective
  • Positions held in chronological order – most recent position first, include organisation, role (level), term in role (months and years).
  • List your key responsibilities or daily tasks in bullet points.
  • List 1-3 key achievements for each role.
  • Acknowledge professional associations and memberships (relevant to your professional expertise).
  • List other training, development and computer skills.
  • List your interests – keep in mind this is a professional document, list interests potentially relevant to the role. E.g. community volunteer work vs. pole dancing.
  • List your referees if you wish or state they can be provided on request.
  • Consider the social networking age and how you may be portrayed– Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace etc.
  • Appropriate email address and voicemail message on mobile phone. E.g. hotstuff@gmail.com.au does not look good!
  • Do not leave gaps in your CV. Include study leave or travel as such.
  • Depending on roles and experience, expand on past 3-5 key roles (or up to 10 years experience) and list the remainder in shorter format.
  • No more than 3-4 pages.
  • Content – only include what is relevant to your career.
  • Consider your current career direction preference
  • Formatting – bullet points to summarise key points e.g. achievements
  • White space between points and roles makes for easier reading
  • Graphics and Photographs – not required
  • Check your facts and dates – employers do!
  • Proof read and spell check. Ask for feedback
  • Attach to emails as a document – not in body of text
  • Hard copies – quality paper and presentation
  • Academic transcripts, references and association memberships up to date.

A good resume is a living document. Just like us, a resume should always be developing, challenging, extending and inspiring.

Contact Us