Are you having trouble passing ‘go’ and securing an interview? You are an interesting person with a story to tell, right? Unfortunately the reality is Hiring Managers are inundated with CV’s from the minute they advertise a role, so they often scan documents for keywords and giveaways as to the candidates overall employability. Long gone are the days of essay style formats and generic objectives. Short and sharp is the key to passing go and your resume needs to show you are a good match for the job that you are applying for and not a long story of how you got to this point.
Be mindful of personal details: Include essentials such as mobile phone and email address but be tactful in when considering the inclusion of non relevant details such as age, marital status and physical appearance as they do not reflect to your ability to do the job.
Education history with a timeline: When listing your relevant tertiary studies, it is important to omit any subjects or units from your CV, if transcripts are required they will be asked for separately.
Position descriptions with value: When it comes to describing your previous roles, filing papers is not nearly as informative as processing data into an information system. Describe your key value adding activities, keeping it to 3 or 4 lines per employment.
Simplified layout: 1 – 2 pages is the goal. Your resume should be tailored to each role, so make sure to include only relevant work experience. If you lack the graphic design flare, choose a simple template as your base.
Omit the obvious: Use your name as a title and resist the urge to use “CV or resume” as the title. When listing contact details, no need for “Phone:” or “email:” it should be obvious to the recruiter, as should your role responsibilities so refrain from titling “duties” under your position title.
These 5 simple aspects of your resume show great attention to detail and could mean the difference between the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ pile. By focusing the hiring managers’ attention to key points you will provide an easy read.
If you grab their attention within the first 10 seconds, highlight the important and eliminate the irrelevant, you are more likely to retain their attention and increase your chances of gaining an interview.