How to Write a Good Resume

The recruitment process is becoming tougher and tougher to break through as there is a growing amount of people looking for employment!

young girl nervously looking at laptop

That is why it is important that your resume stands out from the rest to ensure that you have the best chance possible to break through the crowd and make it to the next step in the recruitment process!

Creating your resume can be challenging however, it is important that you take the time to create a good resume to show your potential employer why you would make the perfect candidate for their organisation.

A good resume can either make it or break it in the recruitment process and that is why we have created a list of ‘Must Do’s’ when creating the perfect resume for you.

The Must-Do’s When Writing a Resume

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[bs_citem title=”Tip 1  – Make it Reader Friendly” id=”citem_3d28-2e30″ parent=”collapse_6d85-1e90″]

Is Your Resume Easy to Understand and Follow?

man writing on a piece of paper

A good resume should be simple, formatted well and easy to read/ follow. Try to keep your pages to a minimum, as less is more! This will be dependent on your work experience however, consider keeping your resume to a maximum of about 3 pages.

When formatting your document, it is important that you use a simple layout with headings, subheadings and bullet points to ensure your resume is easy to follow and understand.

Keep your font basic and your colours minimal. A professional looking document is what employers are looking for, so you must ensure there are no grammatical errors and that the text is consistent. To make sure the text is consistent in your resume, the font style and size must be the same throughout the entire document.

Checklist

  • Maximum 3 pages
  • Simple layout – Headings, sub-headings, bullet points
  • Simple font style
  • Consistency – Same font style and size
  • Colours minimal

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[bs_citem title=”Tip 2 – Do Your Research!” id=”citem_4918-9ef1″ parent=”collapse_6d85-1e90″]

What do you know about the Organisation?

girl sitting at a cafe writing her resume on her laptop

When applying for a job role you must ensure that your resume is tailored to that specific organisation and position in which you are applying for. Sending a generic resume to countless organisations is a waste of time as you aren’t grasping that opportunity to show potential employers why you would make the perfect candidate.

Take advantage of your opportunity and do some research into the organisation and job role in which they are advertising. If the job description is not available, research a similar job role online so you can look at the relevant skills needed for that role. With this, you will be able to tailor you resume as you now know what the employer is looking for.

When you tailor you resume to a specific organisation, you’re not only creating a resume that your potential employer will be interested in, but you are also preparing yourself for that first phone interview. One thing that employers hate the most is when they call a potential candidate for a phone interview and the candidate has no idea who the organisation is or what job role they applied for!

If you are prepared and can answer any question that is thrown at you, you will surely leave a lasting impression and will be asked to take that next step in the recruitment process!

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[bs_citem title=”Tip 3 – Don’t Lie!” id=”citem_7914-2f5e” parent=”collapse_6d85-1e90″]

Is Everything in Your Resume True?

young boy looking at resume with older man

Some people think that in order to get your foot in the door you need to exaggerate in your resume and tell little white lies. This is not the case!

Employers will always respect honesty and although exaggerating in your resume might get you that interview, your lies will quickly become undone when the employer start to ask you specific questions about what is included in your resume.

Honesty is the best policy!

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[bs_citem title=”Tip 4 – Be Clear and to the Point!” id=”citem_d408-4d66″ parent=”collapse_6d85-1e90″]

Have you Clearly Expressed Yourself?

girl writing resume at her kitchen table with coffee

Employers are usually time poor and don’t want to have to search for information in your resume. If the information you provide is not relevant to what they are looking for, they will simply move on to the next candidate.

Keep your information relevant, concise and to the point. Unnecessary information that you don’t need to include in your resume includes your age, date of birth, marital status, nationality and religion.

The only information the employer is looking for is whether you’d be a great fit for their organisation or not!

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[bs_citem title=”Tip 5 – Make it Current” id=”citem_2b5f-8278″ parent=”collapse_6d85-1e90″]

Is Everything Up to Date?

calendar sitting on an office desk

One thing people usually overlook when sending out their resume is making sure that the dates on their resume are current. You may have written your resume 6 months ago, but have you checked all the dates before sending it to your potential employer?

It is important that this minor mistake is not overlooked as employers will think it’s unprofessional and that you lack attention to detail.

The timeline of your work experience will also need to be updated. Don’t leave any gaps in your resume. If you went travelling or have been studying, add this in your timeline so your potential employer can easily see what you have been doing.

Your work experiences and education should be listed starting from the most recent date and work backwards.

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[bs_citem title=”More Tips” id=”citem_2970-e394″ parent=”collapse_6d85-1e90″]

For more tips on how to write the perfect resume for you, register to the short online course that will teach your how to create an effective resume and what you need to do in the recruitment process to WIN the job of your dreams! Plus, you can download a FREE resume template. Register Now!

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