1) Make your resume easy to read
Your name and contact details should be clearly identifiable in a larger size at the top of the document. Keep your font size, spacing and formatting consistent throughout your resume so someone reading it can identify different areas and process information quickly.
2) Make sure your resume is the right length…for you
The number of pages in your resume may be one or two pages in length (occasionally three). It isn’t important to squish your information onto one page, or to stretch it over two; it IS important that the information is relevant, presented clearly, and in a logical order.
3) Personalize your resume
You can tell a lot about a business by paying close attention to their employment seeking ad, and doing some research into their website and advertising. An excellent way to make your resume stand out is to make sure you identify and respond to these clues. Are they looking for someone with front of house experience? Make sure to include any administrative experience or strengths. Do they use a retail line that you are familiar with? Work that in. Is their website funky and appealing to a younger generation? Is it focused on elegance and high end service? By reflecting the organisation’s values in your resume, you come across a candidate likely to mesh with their company culture.
4) Check. Re-check. Ask someone else to check. (And then, check again).
I know, I know – you’ve already checked your resume for any typos, clumsy sentences, etc…Do it again. Try reading it from the bottom up, to avoid getting caught up in the content rather than the details. Ask someone to give it a read for you – often a fresh pair of eyes will pick up small things that you may have missed, or be able to identify phrases that don’t quite hit their mark. Nothing makes a worse first impression than looking like you didn’t care enough to proof your resume.
5) Do not include personal hobbies
You have a very limited amount of space to demonstrate your value. Most businesses will find your experience, achievements and education of greater value in making their hiring decision than your love of knitting or travel.
6) Keep it formal
Unless you’ve been explicitly told to relax, make sure you keep business etiquette at the forefront of your mind, and all correspondence as professional as possible. This means ditching “Cheers” for “Best Regards” and “Talk soon!” for “I look forward to hearing back from you.”
7) Don’t be so modest
Have you outlined your achievements as well as your responsibilities? Doing so will show you as an individual with drive, dedication and initiative – as well as a passion for your work.
Give details
Whenever possible, be specific. Rather than saying, “increased monthly guest revenue,” say “increased average guest spending per visit by $24 dollars over a six month period.”
9) Use the right words
Avoid using phrases like “responsible for” or “oversaw.” Instead, use action verbs: “Ordered and monitored salon retail stock on a weekly basis.”
10) Utilise Available Resources
The internet is your best friend in job hunting. In addition to looking for jobs online at places like seek.com.au, you should be Googling each business that you are applying to and stockpiling information from their site, press and customer reviews. Stuck while writing your resume? Look up some sample resumes to help you along.
Hope you found these tips helpful, happy job hunting!
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