Your resume, your story

How important is your resume, it is most probably as important as your will and testament, your passport and your driver’s licence. It’s your biography, your legacy and your means of moving on and upward.

Some helpful tips on making your resume stand out, attract attention and the job you want.

  • A resume is viewed as a marketing document not a statement of works, most managers want to know what you bring not what you have done.
  • Increase the impact by reducing the length. Always assume the reader is an employer who is short of staff and therefore does not have time to read huge amounts.
  • Focus on highlighting accomplishments. An employing manager is most keen to know what your accomplishments are not your responsibilities were. Roles within organisations are often indicative of the responsibilities however the accomplishments are where the buyer will get value.
  • Use the bullet point structure effectively, not for sentences. The perception is bullet points are elliptic (Perception is reality).
  • Last but not least, an employer will start formulating an opinion, accessing and positioning you from the moment they look at your resume, so:-
  • Make it appealing but not pretty.
  • Position and rank your responsibilities and achievements in such a way that the reader accesses you in the way you want to be accessed. (In other words make sure that these are positioned from most impressive to least impressive but still impressive nonetheless).
  • Discuss your key achievements with your referees (send an email to each highlighting specific confirmations or remarks you would like them to make) in order to; a) confirm that their assessment is congruent with the desired effect of your resume, b) ensure that they sell you in conjunction with your resume c) their commentary confirms your resume.

Your resume, your legacy

Please note the following as key to your resumes effectiveness:-

  • Never split your time in a company into 2 or more jobs as this makes one think you are a drifter or unstable. In other words if you have held more than one role in an organisation then your title is your last role, the others are highlighted below, any significant achievements in those roles is then recorded in the key achievements segment with the role bracketed at the back.
  • A summary of jobs held and list of major career achievements is the backbone to your resume being read or skimmed over.
  • Minimizing the number of pages without compromising the appearance or content is also fundamental to your resume being read.
  • Once you have completed the resume apply for your target role with yourself, read your resume through your “employer” eyes and interview yourself accordingly.
  • Remember your resume should prompt dialog and questions because questions and dialog give you the opportunity to sell yourself.

Supporting your resume

Lastly having a professional competencies and attributes Annex will always help you better position yourself. Once you have completed an annex you will find this document to be invaluable.

The annex should contain the below listed categories which are your key selling points, once these have been transcribed and embedded in your memory as reference points you self sell path is on track.

The top five things I bring to an organisation (Generally stick with five however this is not a strict rule, be specific and not generic)  

  • Core Hard Skills  (Hard skills are technical or administrative or procedural skills)  
  • Core Soft Skills   (Soft skills are people or management or communication skills)  
  • Top Three things my superiors would describe me as
  • Top Three things my co-workers would describe me as
  • Ideal culture
  • My management or interpersonal relationship development style.
  • Industries worked in
  • Referees

Critical information and things to remember

  • You must present a high degree of professional decorum and protocol at all times.
  • The interviewer has read your resume and all questions regarding your history will be based on that.
  • You must abide by Future Work Solutions code of conduct, ethical expectation and demonstrated integrity at all times.
  • All clients must be treated at all times with respect, common courtesy and by way of a professional attitude shown by you at all times.
  • Any licence or certificate used to perform your work duties must remain current for the duration of the assignment.
  • You must comply with all local, state and federal laws, and regulations of Australia.

Candidates