TheCurriculumVitaeorResumeisatwo-minutecommercialaboutyou.
Itwillnotgetyouajob…itmaygetyouaninterview
WHATISARESUME?
·Asummaryofyourworkrelatedinformation
WHATISARESUMEFOR?
Theemployerwantstoreceiveaconcise,honest&relevantsummaryofyou.Fromreadingtheresumetheemployerwantstoknow:
·Whataretheskillsandpersonalqualitiesofthisapplicant?
·Canthisapplicantdothejob?
·Willthisapplicantfitin?
Youwanttoproduceadocumentthatmakesyoulookasgoodaspossible.Attheendofreadingtheresumeyouwanttheemployerto:
·Giveyouaninterview(andafterthat)
·Giveyouajob
STYLESOFRESUMES
TheChronologicalResume(seeexample):
·Isthemostcommonandconservativeformofpresentation
·Isoftenpreferredbysmalltomediumsizedorganisations
·Arrangesyourexperienceandeducationinreversechronologicalorder
·Isgoodfordemonstratingyourgrowthandcontinuityinasingleprofession
·Ismostsuitedtopeoplewhohavenothadlongperiodsofunemployment
TheFunctionalResume(seeexample):
·Organisesthejob-relatedaspectsofyourbackgroundbytherelevantfunctionsyouperformed
·Headingsrelatemoretoyourskillsandcompetenciesthanemployersorjobtitles
·Indicatesthatyouarecapableofmakingasignificantchangeinyourcareer
·Iswellsuitedtostudentswhohavegainedvaluableexperiencethroughanumberofunrelatedjobsandcourses
·Usesacommonresumestyle,withwhichmostemployersarefamiliarandfeelsomewhatcomfortable
·Isoftenpreferredbylargeorganisations
·Eliminatesrepetitionofjobduties
·Camouflagesundesirablecharacteristicssuchas;lackofcareerprogressorcontinuity,jobhopping,lengthy/frequentunemployment,lackofrequiredexperience/education,age
TheAcademicResume:
·Emphasisesacademicqualifications,jafsspublished,bookswritten(ifany),conferencepapersdelivered,professionaldevelopment
·Suitedtoacademicstafforpostgraduatestudentsseekinganacademicposition
TheImaginativeResume:
Thisstyleismosteffectiveforpeoplewhoareseekingemploymentinafield,whichdemandscreativityandindividuality,suchasgraphicdesign,creativewritingormarketing.Someemployershoweverpreferamoreconservativeresumestyle.Youshouldresearchyourcompaniesthoroughlytoseeiftheyareopentocreativestyles.Thistypeofresumeactsasamini-portfolioandcanbeimpressiveifwell-designed.
TheCombinationResume:
Asthereisnoabsoluterightorwronginresumewriting,youcancombinethestylesinanywaywhichmakesyourparticularbackgroundlookthebest
SOMEUSEFULTIPSFORAGOODRESUME
·Thereisnooneoptimalstyleorformat
·Matchtheresumestyletothecompany/positionyouwant:
Conservativecompany…conservativeresume
·Presentationandclarityareveryimportant
·Beconcise
·Includerelevantandpositiveinformationonly
·Behonest,beabletoexplain/proveeverythingonyourresume.Rememberyourresumeisoftenusedasthebasisofquestionsinaninterview
·Layoutshouldbeconsistentandreaderfriendly
·Usecleartypestyles
·Useareasonablefontsizeforthetext(~size12)
·Avoid"fontmania"-theexcessiveuseofdifferentfonts,italics,bold,underlined,ETC!
·Notcluttered–lotsofwhitespace
·Usebulletpointsandrelevantsubheadings
·Useshortstatementsinpointformratherthanlengthysentencesorparagraphs
·Onlyuseabbreviationsthatarewidelyunderstood(Bewareoftechnicaljargon)
·Eliminateexcessivepunctuation
·Checkforspellingandgrammaticalerrors
·Haveallindentsinalignment
·Usealaserprinter
·Pagebreaksshouldnotsplitlists,paragraphs,etc.
·UseA4goodqualitypaperandusuallypicksubtlecolours;white,buff,pastel
·Printononesideofthepaper
·UseanA4envelopeforposting
·Bindersandfancycoversareseldomworthwhile
COMMONRESUMEHEADINGS
Toknowwhichofthefollowingsubheadingsyouaregoingtouseyouhavetoknow:Whoisthisresumefor?Resumesmustbetargetedtoaparticularemployer,positionorjobtype.Itisimpossibletoproducearesumewithouthavingsuchafocus.Aone-sizefitsallresumedoesnotexist.
Therearenospecificheadingsyouhavetouse.Youmustselectorinventheadingsthatshowyouinthebestpossiblelightandarerelevanttothejobforwhichyouareapplying.
Thereisnoparticularorderinwhichyoumustpresentyourinformationbutoneusuallyputsthemostrecentorimpressiveinformationfirst.
HEADINGSABOUTYOURPERSONALINFORMATION
Name,Address,PhoneNo.Mobile,Fax,E-mail
·Personal
·PersonalData/Details
·Summary
·History
·Profile
HEADINGSABOUTYOURCAREERPLANS
·Objective
·CareerObjective/Ambition
·Fiveyearplan
HEADINGSSUMMARISINGWHATYOUHAVEDONE
·CareerOverview/Summary
·CareerHighlights/Achievements
HEADINGSABOUTYOUREDUCATION
Formal,Tertiary,TAFE,SecondarySchool
·Qualifications
·FormalQualifications
·Education
·RelevantEducationandTraining
·EducationalQualifications/Achievements/History/Experience/Record/Background
·AcademicQualifications/Achievements/History/Experience/Record/Background
·ProfessionalQualifications/Development/Training
·AdditionalTraining
·TrainingCoursesAttended
·ShortCourses
·JobRelatedCourses
·ConferencesAttended
·Licences
·Certifications
·Accreditations
·Examinations
HEADINGSABOUTTHEJOBSYOUHAVEHELD
Professional,General,Voluntary
·Experience
·Employment
·EmploymentHistory/Experience/Record/Background
·WorkHistory/Experience/Record/Background
·ProfessionalEmployment/Background
·CareerHistory/Record/Background
·CommunityInvolvement
·CommunityService
·Voluntarywork
·PositionsHeld
·Appointments
HEADINGSABOUTYOURSPECIALACHIEVEMENTS
Specialachievementscaninclude:Professional,Personal,Sporting,andKey
·Achievements
·Accomplishments
·StateRepresentation
·Scholarships
·Awards
·Publications
·Portfolio
·ConferencePapersDelivered
·jafssPublished
·Honours
·Prizes
HEADINGSABOUTWHATYOUCANDO
Areasofexpertisecouldincludetechnical:computer,keyboard,testing,languagesor;genericskills:communication,interpersonal,judgement,problemsolving.Includeinformationaboutyourlevelofexpertise&/orlengthofexperience.
·Knowledge
·Skills
·TechnicalSkills
·SkillSummary
·AreasofExpertise
·MainCapabilities
·Competencies
·Relevantskills
·CareerSkillsSummary
·ProfessionalSkillsandAchievements
·SummaryofQualifications
·Strengths
·KeyKnowledgeArea
·KeyCompetencies
·DemonstratedAbilities
·PersonalAttributes
HEADINGSABOUTTHEGROUPSYOUHAVEJOINED
Professional,Social,Recreational
·Memberships
·ProfessionalAffiliation/Memberships
·PositionsofResponsibilityHeld
HEADINGSABOUTWHATYOUDOINYOURSPARETIME
·Hobbies/Interests/Activities/Leisure
·CommunityInvolvement
·CommunityActivities
HEADINGSABOUTOTHERSWHOWILLSPEAKPOSITIVELYONYOURBEHALF
Itisnotalwaysappropriatetoincludetheseinyourresume
·Referees
·References
·AdditionalReferences
HEADINGSWHICHAREUSUALLYIRRELEVANT
·DateofBirth/Age
·PlaceofBirth
·Nationality
·EthnicOrigin
·MaritalStatus
·Religion
·NumberofChildren
·Health
·HeightandWeight
