Résumé writing 101

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Crafting the perfect résumé is of the utmost importance, especially for those seeking post-university work. With thousands of applications from other job-seekers, employers will be scanning résumés in the hope that a candidate jumps out off the page. Unfortunately, if this occurs in the form of spelling mistakes or poor structure, that résumé may be tossed aside and not looked at again.

There are many different courses of action you can take to improve your résumé so we’ve decided to list our top five tips to give the best chance of making it to the interview process.

  1. Be specific

There is little point in claiming that you have “helped grow the social media following” during your internship at a company if there is no quantifiable data to back you up. Instead, opt for something like “visits to the Facebook page have increased by 32 per cent since I took over the account” or “there have been 50 new followers on Instagram in the two weeks I have worked in the social media team.” This is especially true of industries like sales, marketing and advertising.

  1. Keep it brief

Employers don’t tend to spend much time on each résumé so the last thing you want is to bore them out of reading it all because it’s two and a half pages long. Focus on concise statements that get the point across and cut out any information that won’t be a factor – unrelated high school achievements and marital status aren’t going to matter to the employer.

  1. Always double check

Imagine if an employer was going through your application and noticed a basic spelling error. Or maybe they came across a huge block of text that was meant to be split into two separate paragraphs. Immediately, they will be put off by mistakes that could have been solved in less than 10 seconds with a proofread and a spellcheck. Even though it might be a chore, always check your résumé multiple times before sending it.

  1. Mention keywords

Use key terms and phrases from the job advertisement as many businesses use an automated scanner to filter résumés before a human looks at them. This demonstrates a thorough understanding of the requirements, and can determine whether an application will be passed on to an employer or discarded.

  1. Don’t forget your contact details

You could have the best résumé in the world but if the person reading it has no way of contacting you, what’s the point? Be sure to include your phone number and an email address, and make sure the latter is one you check frequently so that you can respond in a timely manner.