Resume Preparation

Your resume identifies your accomplishments and skills, explains your employment history, knowledge and successes. It will showcase your experience and achievements and differentiate you from your competition.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. A resume is your entry into the job race. It is your chance to sing your own praises and make an employer sit up and take notice. So, it’s worth taking some time to perfect it. A concise resume should move you closer to the interview process.

Formatting
There is no “perfect” or “right” resume format. The format you choose will depend upon the job you hope to find and your degree of experience. Review the following information and determine what format or combination of formats will present you in the best possible light. Remember, the purpose of a resume is to get you a job interview. The interview gets you the job.

• An organised, and thoughtful layout often determines whether a resume is read. Capture your reader’s attention with the format. Make sure it is well organised and concise. Avoid dense text appearance, which is difficult to read.
• Make sure there are no typographical, spelling or grammatical errors.
• Have someone proofread your resume. Another set of eyes may see errors you have missed.
• Information that has been crossed out or handwritten is unacceptable.
• Make sure your resume will email and copy well. Do a photocopy test.
• Consider using high-quality white or off-white paper.

For formatting examples click here

Content
Your aim is to convince the employer that you have the necessary experience, knowledge and drive to do the job. Many résumé's do nothing more than provide a stark list of job titles and duties. All companies are results-orientated, you must emphasise what you have achieved within a role, how you added value or made a difference to a company.

• Design your resume with a particular objective in mind. Present information important to the objective first. Edit accordingly.
• List information in descending order of importance.
• Be selective about what you include in your resume, but never falsify or exaggerate information.
• Sell yourself—attract attention to your special skills, abilities and accomplishments.
• Concentrate on the positive and use action words to describe your background.
• Provide quantifiable information and results that include numbers and percentages. Demonstrate the impact you had on the organisation. Example: “Implementation resulted in a cost saving of $10,000.”

Structure

• Personal Details – start with your personal details (name, address, phone number). List a brief summary of your personal profile such as skills, experience, knowledge and career aspirations. It’s the perfect way to give the employer an overview of your suitability for the job.
  
• Objective - an objective gives your resume a focus. It should be specific enough to tell the employer the kind of work you seek, yet general enough to include the full range of jobs you will consider. Career History – list most recent position first. Include job titles, employers, responsibilities and dates of employment. Follow this with a brief description of your role, key responsibilities and remember to highlight your achievements. Keep the details brief, unless they are significant in terms of the role that you are applying for. You may want to include the type of organisation. Example: ABC Company – privately held $40 million medical device manufacturer.
  
• Qualifications and Education – when it comes to qualifications and professional training, take the same approach as with your employment history. Begin with your most recent qualifications. If you have a degree or higher qualification, there’s no need to include an extensive list of your results.
  
• Interests – you should aim to relate your interests to the job selection criteria, for example, demonstrate you are a team player by sharing your involvement in team sports. If you are entering the job market for the first time, give evidence to demonstrate initiative or practical skills such as voluntary work, elected office in a society or contributor to a university or college magazine.
  
• Additional Information - special skills, activities, honors, awards, professional associations, committee memberships, public service activities, or even language ability can be placed under this specific category.
  
• References - it is acceptable to use the phrase, “Available upon request. ” However, be prepared with a typed list when requested. Generally, a reference sheet will consist of the name, title, and business mailing address, phone number and email addresses of three to five professional business references. You may want to include the number of years you have known the individual and the type of relationship (co-worker, direct report, or manager, etc.) Do not use relatives, friends or your neighbours as references. Be sure to obtain permission from each person you plan to list.
  
• Additional Categories - Below are some suggestions that you can use for additional categories, to showcase the skills and capabilities that are important to the position applying for but have not yet been mentioned
  • Technical Skills Statement
  • Language Ability
  • Articles you have published
  • Research Projects

For further help on identifying your skills and accomplishments click here

Key Guidelines

• Three pages is an ideal length. A one page resume works well for the recent graduate. If you have an extensive work history limit information to what is pertinent to your current career objective. Make sure the most important information is stated on the first page.
• Use subheadings wherever possible. They assist the reader to locate specific information with ease e.g. Career History.
• Use simple and clear typefaces.
• Keep the language formal with short and crisp sentences. Your personality will become evident during the interview.
• Avoid using jargon and abbreviations. Take great care with spelling and grammar.
• Personal pictures, marital status, date of birth are not necessary. You will be assessed on the talent and experience you bring to the role.

Send us your Resume
To send us your resume, please email it to your nearest Manpower Professional branch

Good Luck!