A well-prepared resume and an accompanying cover letter, speak volumes. How good are yours?
Does your cover letter:
- Demonstrate that you have read the job ad thoroughly and researched the company you are keen to work for?
- Show that you have a strong interest in the role?
- Highlight your experience, skills set, competencies and behaviours the employer is looking for?
- Make the employer want to take the next step and read your resume?
And does your resume:
- Clearly lay out your work history, your experience and your skills?
- List your education, qualifications and training?
- Show your achievements, what you are really good at?
- Make the employer want to invite you in for an interview?
When applying for a job always make sure you have taken the time to prepare a good resume and cover letter to put forward to the prospective employer. An employer uses a resume as a key tool to gather initial information about the person applying for a position.
When creating your resume, make sure:
- It looks professional and easy to read. There are plenty of free resume templates that you can download to assist you with creating a resume.
- Tailor your resume to your personality, and the competencies you offer in respect to the position you are applying for. You need to highlight and demonstrate that you have the ability and specific requirements for the job role.
- Ensure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Use spell-check and it’s also a good idea to ask someone else to proof-read your resume. You’ll be surprised what other people pick-up.
- Ensure you have start and end dates of previous employment.
- Make sure to include details of your previous positions i.e. job title and name of the company, city as well as key duties and responsibilities that you have performed in the past.
- Be sure to include any accomplishments and achievements. This could be sport related, an academic achievement and/or work related. Think about a great achievement you have accomplished in the past (work, life, sport, schooling etc), which will be a great talking point.
- Don’t give false information in your resume. You are better off being honest rather than getting caught out in an interview. Employers can pick up on false information when conducting interviews, reference checks or background checks. As soon as they see you are dishonest, there goes your integrity, and your interview.
When submitting your resume, always have a cover letter as part of your application. The cover letter is just as important as your resume. Tailor your cover letter to the organisation you are applying for and even go to the effort to address it to the appropriate person. It is the small details like this that may set you apart from the other applicants.
In your cover letter explain the job you are applying for, a brief summary of your skills and experience and include 5 reasons why you believe you would be the best candidate for the role. Make this stand out so your potential employer is focused on the five reasons you believe make you stand out from others.
[bs_well size=]Make sure you’re prepared for the next step in the recruitment process and see our Top 12 Interview Tips![/bs_well]
Good luck!
