WHETHER you’re applying for your first job, your dream job or changing careers, it all starts with a great CV to showcase your skills and expertise and get your foot in the door.
1. Put your contact details at the top of the page (but not in the header), so it is easy to find.
2. Make sure your email is appropriate. It’s best to have an email that has your name in it.
3. Be sure to spellcheck your résumé and get someone else to read over it for spelling and grammatical errors.
4. Education is where you say how much education you’ve participated in, and any learning experience you have. You could include any short courses or projects you’ve worked on too.
5. Keep your résumé simple! Using out-there fonts, using pictures or lots of colour can be distracting and look unprofessional.
6. Achievements: if you haven’t been employed before, use this section to list your positive qualities. You might include things like excellent communication skills or an excellent team worker, a fast learner, a good listener – all of these are attributes that employers are looking for. Lack of formal experience is not always a bad thing in the job market.
7. Always use positive language. The employer doesn’t need to know your negative qualities.
8. Skills and strengths: this is where you should talk about things that would be valuable to the job you’re applying to. Referring to the job ad’s key selection criteria is a good way to address this.
9. You can give your potential employer references if they ask you for them. This gives you time to speak to your references about the job you’re applying for and to get their permission before sharing their details.
10. It’s best practice to have multiple versions of your résumé that are tailored to each company you apply for. While the experience and timeline will stay the same, you should call out and highlight specific skills or experiences that suit the position and show why you’re a good fit.
