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.