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20 Tips on How to Write a Resume

20 Tips on How to Write a Resume

When you come to write a resume, you need to spend more than the two minutes that you spend reading this article to research your approach. While we have created these 20 tips, here is a far more in-depth “how to write a resume” guide – that is 52 minutes well spent!

We would like to share some general tips around resume writing. As with much job search advice, many of them are common sense, but in the brain fog of a job search they are worth repeating. Do the basics and do them well.

Get all the key info onto the front page. 40% of job seekers will opt for a two-page resume, so choose a resume template that puts your core selling points in the first page.

Include a hyperresource_location to resource_locationedIn. Most resumes should have a resource_location to your resource_locationedIn. Spell the hyperresource_location in full as resource_locations may not always work or the person may be reading a print-out.

Have both PDF and Word documents ready to go. There is nothing worse than having to do last-minute editing. Some employers request one or the other. Use a resume builder.

Avoid emojis. Stay on the safe side. Yes, increasing amounts of people are using emojis on their resume. It may become mainstream, but until that point, we would advise against it.

A resume with symbols is okay though. Using symbols and icons on your resume is acceptable, but you run the risk of the ATS system not picking up on vital information.

Tailor the summary for each role. Change at least 20% of your resume summary for each role. Tailor the application – write it for each individual hiring manager.

Write a reverse chronological resume. Only opt for another format if you are a recent graduate or career changer who wishes to emphasize relevant skills over work experience.

Create bullets starting with action verbs in the past tense. Directed, facilitated, monitored, etc. In this way you get straight to the heart of the action without any additional waffle.

Share what you did and why it mattered to you. While a cover letter is the main vehicle for showcasing your personality, try to share your “why” wherever possible within a resume.

Don’t mention responsibilities – only achievements. Most candidates can (and will) create a list of past responsibilities that fit the job description. But were they any good at the job?

Don’t be afraid to give a reason for an employment gap. It is often better to address an employment gap (over 6-9 months) in a resume. You can also only list years of employment.

Focus on hard skills in the skills section. Your soft skills should come across within the achievements that you share. Hard skills are easier to quantify – only pick the rare ones.

Start the stories that you wish to tell at an interview. Do not include anything in your resume that you would not wish to expand upon during an interview. Be selective.

Share your education, no matter how long ago it was. The education section of a resume is an essential book end to your career. Share the details – ideally with GPA or equivalent.

Tell a career story of continuous development. Try to make it clear that you are on a continuing path of growth. Build to a crescendo towards the point of looking for a new role.

Include keywords for the ATS, but don’t overdo it. If your most recent job titles and experiences are a rough fit for the role, then you should pass the initial ATS test.

Have a look at example resumes for inspiration. The internet is full of example resumes for all sorts of occupations. Most are pretty decent, so adopt the best bits for yourself.

Don’t include references. You might wish to include a line such as “references on request”, but it is obvious that references will be requested when the time comes. It wastes space.

Only quantify with numbers if they are genuinely impressive. It is advisable to quantify achievements, but only do it if they numbers will set you apart from the competition.

Sleep on it before you send it off. Never (ever) send your resume off to an employer if you sense you are rushing. Those last-minute changes could make all the difference.

As mentioned, these tips are merely scratching the surface. Everyone’s situation is different, so take every piece of advice and ask yourself whether it applies to you. Be deliberate when you write your resume – you often only get one chance to get it right.

How To Include Volunteer Work on Your Resume

How To Include Volunteer Work on Your Resume

Unpaid volunteering roles can reveal much about a graduate’s character.

While the barriers to entry for volunteering roles are lower, the fact that you are giving up your precious time for a worthy cause is laudable. It can also provide an extra dimension to your experience – on a resume that may not be packed with examples of paid work.

Whether you are an early-career professional, recent graduate, or current student, including volunteer work in your resume could make all the difference in setting you apart from your competition. How have these experiences made a difference to your career trajectory?

Volunteer work should not be an afterthought in your early career story.

Let’s explore why employers of high-potential talent value it so highly:

Why is volunteering work so impactful on a resume?

Because volunteer work is easier to secure, your choice of activity will speak volumes for your work preferences and career ambitions. Working in hospitality roles (etc.) to earn some money is not a choice for many students, so your volunteering activity will allow an employer to understand your true nature. Share your volunteering activities with pride and tell your future employer how they contributed to your development.

Not every student has a fixed idea of what they wish to do with their careers early on, so while initial internships and casual work might not be an ideal fit for their eventual career path, volunteering choices in their final years of education should allow them to show their future employer exactly where they are aiming. Even a few months of volunteering in the time immediately leading up to your job search can shift perceptions.

What sort of volunteer work could you include?

Ideally, the volunteer work should be loosely connected with the industry in which you hope to work and the degree that you studied at university. Potential employers want to understand that they are part of a deliberate career plan, so share your volunteering experiences with the sense that the job in question is your logical next step. Here are a few common areas for volunteer work:

• Environmental. Environmental conservation, farm work, climate activist, agriculture.
• Animals. Pet sitter, animal rescue, wildlife restoration, marine conservation.
• Social. Teaching, mentoring, youth work, community development, fundraising.
• Healthcare. Elderly or disabled care, counselling, holistic centers, hospital volunteer.
• Sports. Sports coach, umpire, personal trainer, disability sports, team logistics.

There is a lot of variety over and above this list. What have you done in the past that could be seen as useful for your choice of future career? You never quite know the interests of your future boss, so make sure that you share your volunteer experiences with passion.

Example

Here is an example of how fundraising efforts might be shared on your resume:

Volunteer fundraiser – Stop Dementia

• Coordinated a team of 5 street fundraisers over a 3-month period
• Collected $75k – a 42% uplift on the previous fundraising tally
• Launched a social media presence and local Facebook group

Where can you list volunteer work?

To be clear, volunteer work does not need to be listed in a separate resume section – simply make it clear that it is not paid employment. So long as it is relevant to the job in question, it has every right to be in the work experience / employment history section. Establish trust at the beginning of the recruitment process by being honest about what was paid and unpaid employment – don’t be tempted to misrepresent the nature of your activity.

If the volunteer work was not directly related to your career, there is the viable option of a separate volunteering section. You might think that a long list of unpaid roles in the voluntary section reflects poorly on your candidature, but it is more important to an employer what you learned and how you developed.

One last thing: Don’t Be Tempted to Not Be Truthful

As volunteer experience might not be paid employment, some people might thing that it is less of a misdemeanor to exaggerate your involvement. In fact, the rules around referencing for paid roles are far more restrictive, so it is easier to get a more extensive reference for a volunteering role. Do not lie about it – in the small world of social media it only takes a quick message for a future boss to verify your claims.

Every worthy graduate or early career professional should be able to list some relevant work experience on their resume.

If you have not got anything to share, have a look for something that you can do on your weekends right now. At least you can then have something current to share.

Including volunteer work on your early-career resume is essential.