Need to put together a resume but feeling overwhelmed by all the possible advice? This model resume highlights numerous key elements that can help your resume stand out from others.
Business Insider Australia highlights a sample resume prepared by career expert Amanda Augustine. There are 19 separate points it highlights, all of which are worth considering. We’ll note three particularly interesting ones:
Don’t use pronouns Space is at a premium, so don’t waste words. And don’t write your resume in the third person — everyone knows you’re the author.
Quantify your achievements Specific details (sales went up by 50 per cent in 12 months) always trump vagueness.
Only include one phone number Multiple contact points make life more confusing. Use your mobile number and make sure voicemail is active so you don’t miss calls.
Remember: your resume has to make an impression. It’s worth taking time to review, reformat and tweak it. Hit the full post for more tips.
Comments
17 responses to “This Model Resume Will Help You Score Your Dream Job”
That’s a good resume template. Most of them are. They’re all pretty much the same to be honest, as they should be. This one has a few more trimmings which will only be relevant to those in very similar positions.
Here’s a few comments…
1. RE: providing online URLs / social media information. Well this is very personal isn’t it. I wouldn’t provide that information myself as it’s no ones business, and if a recruiter feels the need to pry into your personal details why make it any easier for them. If you’re fine and dandy with anyone and everyone knowing what you get up to in your own time, list it – if you feel that an invasion of your personal life is a step too far, don’t.
2. Branding. Really? It’s just your name isn’t it. Perhaps I should change my name to Monsieur Davide Drastique. A little sexier ne c’est pas?
3. Listing 2 phone numbers (one home, one mobile) is fine and will not confuse the recruiter. Listing your work number is unlikely to be entirely suitable.
In addition to this, if you do get a call from a recruiter, try not to speak with them as if they’re a telemarketer or debt collector. They’re calling you because you contacted them, remember. (Unless they’re resume trawling).
Also, if you receive a voicemail from a recruiter, do try to listen to it.
4. Ditching a career objectives section. Yep, I’d agree with this. It’s waffle. It’s not the only section that’s guilty of being waffley, but it is waffley and can go because of it.
5 and 6. Yes and YES
7. Keywords and jargon. Keep it to a minimum please. It’s a resume, not a riddle or the Da Vinci Code. Just write about your skills and experience etc and leave the second guessing out of it.
8. Yes – describe your employer(s) a little. State the industry they’re in. Provide their website address. The company type may be highly relevant to the potential employer.
9. Achievements is a bit waffly in many cases. Not always. But you should only list real achievements that have a genuine value – don’t list things just for the sake of it.
10. Everything should be in bullet point form. Pretty much. Keep it brief everywhere.
11. Enough with the achievements already.
14. Yes keep appearance simple with nice neat fonts etc. I’ve seen some really nice looking resume that do have a splash of design and colour – but not everyone can get that right. Colour and design can be great but often isn’t. Nothing garish, amateur or egotistical.
17. Yes, putting your contact details in headers and footers can be a pain. Often it won’t print. It’s easily over looked. It can be hard to read.
18. I don’t see any need for Education to be listed at the bottom. It would be more natural for me to see it at the top. Your qualifications are relevant right? Then the recruiter should be aware of them. It’s not the kind of thing that should be hidden, or left in a dank corner.
I would say that you should keep your education section brief, and don’t list fairly trivial qualifications unless there’s a good reason to do so. You don’t need to list all 20 day course certificates you’ve achieved.
19. I don’t see anything wrong with stating references will be made available upon request. It doesn’t take up any significant amount of space – especially if listed once at the bottom of the resume – and it shows the potential employer / recruiter that you understand the requirement for references and will be prepared to co-operate at an appropriate stage etc.
So it’s a fairly important thing.
Personally I would not list full reference details on a resume as some (read a high proportion of) recruiters AND (disappointingly) potential employers themselves will make direct contact with referees before they’ve even spoken with you. And to do that is perfectly legal, I believe. Totally unethical if you ask me, but perfectly legal. People lose jobs because of it, yet it’ll still happen.
ALSO
List the months in your periods of employment:-
2009 to 2010 – well how long were you with them for? A month, a year, 2 years? No one knows. It’s all a big mystery.
Jan 2009 to August 2010 – problem solved. We all know where we stand.
List the reasons for leaving each position – even if as simple as Resigned, Made redundant, Was abducted by Aliens, Was poached by Lady Gaga to perform on world tour.
Most people don’t list their reasons for leaving, so it’s not a necessity – but it shows transparency and makes it easier for the recruiter / potential employer to understand your experience and situation etc.
Don’t list the name of your current employer
To be clear, I’m not recommending this, but it is something that should be considered. The benefit of not listing your current employer is your security – no one can contact your employer if they don’t know who it is. You can always inform the recruiter / potential employer at a more appropriate stage.
The negatives of not showing your current employer is that it may instill a level of distrust between you and the recruiter / potential employer – and that’s not a good thing.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend not listing the details of your current employer, but you should consider it if you’re concerned about security, and if you’re popping your resume off to all and sundry.
Re: point #1, no one’s saying you should include a link to your Facebook profile. You’ll notice the URL used is for Linked In, which should only have professional-related stuff on there anyway.
Yes, I see that. You have a valid point.
However, my interpretation of the subject is that the article is saying that recruiters/employers will go searching across a range of social media, which would include Facebook, and my point is that that is inappropriate (in my opinion) and I personally would not wish to aid it.
I know it’s old fashioned but personally I’m quite anti-social media (of most kinds) and certainly anti invading peoples privacy.
Relevant information should be on the resume. There should be no need or cause to enact further investigation – certainly not until a more appropriate stage.
i keep a separate work social media account that has all my charitable work attached to it =)
my private one is labelled obscurely and most stuff is private
also, you should try doxing yourself before you apply for jobs to see what people can dig up on you
http://www.pipl.com
” And don’t write your resume in the third person — everyone knows you’re the author”
The sample is written in third person. Christ!
I think what they mean is don’t write ‘Joan Jobseeker prepared financial presentations…’
I’m no grammar expert, but I think oshada is right.
It is written in third person, albeit without mentioning the name.
Yep – blew my mind too…Dan was wondering if he’d forgotten what third person is!
And if you’re looking to be hired by a major company or government agency then they may never see your resume as they use online forms for all submissions.
I wonder if that includes electronic copies of resumes….
Nowadays it is virtually 100% electronic resumes. No need for paper (thank goodness).
A lot of them get you to fill out all their forms and still attach your resume they’ll never read though.
One of my friends recently had the experience of an online application (which included cover letter and attached resume) being rejected within minutes.
that’s not true, you can still include your website or in “additional” fields
This looks like a concise resume, and a lot of the points made already address why the information content and precision is good. SO I will focus on the parts I thought could be improved.
If this person has such skills as Financial analysis, Strategic planning etc. then we can assume they would be proficient in Word (or an alternative office suite) so why include that? Everyone can use a Word document. And if they are “Proficient in Microsoft Office suite” then there really is no need to list what the applications in that suite are, that is just wasting everyones time.
With the comments made about “Space is at a premium”, I agree and would suggest that there really is no need to know the postcode (or city) of the university they graduated from.
Having read many resumes, I prefer something that makes them stand out and not look like the 2012 share market report for a coal mining company. With the web we appreciate white space and readability, and I would argue that the same is true of a resume. Reading many resumes is sheer drudgery, so one that has selected a font that is nicer to read helps. Nobody enjoys reading a EULA when installing software, and a resume should be no different. I believe a resume that stands out will be more likely to be read than one that could be easily confused with a bank statement.
I see your point, and half agree with it. The thing is that it doesn’t take up a significant amount of space and it is a relevant factor. Not hugely important, but important. So I would say that it should be included, and done so in a brief and concise manner, as it is in the example.
You’re right about post codes, no one needs those, but location is important – at the very least to the university – and it does add to the relevant information in a professional and thorough manner without taking up significant space.
I’d add to this that it’s best to list the location of each employer too – especially if the employer is overseas, or interstate. It just gives the recruiter/employer more relevant information and doesn’t take up a significant amount of space.
and
Lol. I agree with this.
I’m not sure if this is what you’re meaning but a lot of the professionally written resumes can be a bit too good – incredibly sterile.
Absolutely, well put. Bullet points are king.
I agree with this, but would caution that attempting to stand out can make you appear egotistical. I cringe when I see resumes that are overly salesy and describe the applicant as a potential Nobel prize nominee.
I believe that “proficient in Microsoft Office” is now a code phrase for “can type”.