Hi there,

 

Welcome to the September edition of the Blaze Unlimited Career Management E-Zine.  It's about 1,100 words and should take no longer than 6 minutes to read.  This month we are going to start exploring how to structure your resume.  This topic will be spread over two editions.  The first part is about common inclusions and some resume principles I adopt.  Part two will be more about what YOU put in and where to put it and perhaps even more importantly, what to leave out. 

How to structure your resume.

I mentioned in my last e-zine the importance of accurately analysing a target role to ensure your resume 'speaks' to the employers needs.  This is a critical step and will help make this and subsequent steps in the job search and acquisition process much easier.  In this issue I'm going to get a little more practical about some general rules with a resume and what sections might be included.     What I need to say up front is that there are very few hard and fast rules.  Here are my top three: 

1. Don't lie.
2. Make sure there is no spelling errors or other typos.
3. Ensure your resume speaks directly to the needs of the advertised position.

 I know that's not much in the way of rules and following them alone won't necessarily guarantee you an interview.  What I've found when working with my clients is that there are general principles that inform effective resume development for their specific situation.  That is taking into account the applicants' claims for the role, the company they're applying to and the role for which they're applying.  It also factors in the likely competition for the advertised role and any relevant industry standards. 

Common Sections of a Resume

  

Resume Section	Summary
Career Objective	A short statement of what the applicant is looking for in an employer.
Personal Summary	What sort of person or employee the applicant is, often written in the first person.  May outline career highlights, specific industry or subject matter experience and key strengths and skills.
Key Skills	A listing of the learned and applied skills the applicant possesses.
Key Achievements	Significant career achievements that highlight the applicant’s suitability for the target role.
Summarised Career History	Typically a table with role, employer and dates of employment.
Detailed Career History	A reverse chronological (latest date first), sequential accounting of the various roles and employers of the applicant.  Includes period of employment and a variation of duties, responsibilities and achievements.
Education and/or Qualifications	A listing of the formal education and qualifications of the applicant including date of attainment, the qualification itself and the institution that awarded the qualification.
Professional Associations & Memberships	A listing of all professional associations to which the applicant is a member or participant.
Volunteer or Community Activity	Details of any self-directed community activity or volunteer work undertaken by the applicant.
Awards and Achievements	Any formal awards or recognition of performance or achievement by the applicant.
Referees	Name, role, organisation, relationship to applicant and contact details of people (typically former managers) who are able to comment on the applicants on the job performance.
Testimonials	Statements by previous clients attesting to the performance of the applicant in a service delivery or client oriented context.
Hobbies and Interests	The recreational or social activities or pastimes of the applicant.

  

Common Principles

 Here are some of the principles I encourage my clients to adopt.  

•  Less is more
• White space is attractive
• The front page is your most valuable real estate
•  Resume is tailored to the target role (indeed for specific applications)
• Resumes get interviews, not jobs 

The balance of my advice regarding what to include in your resume and where to put it (next issue) is based on the above principles.  Today I'm just going to explain the above principles as I'm running out of room and don't want to take up too much of your time. 

Less is More.  Only include information that is sufficient and necessary to secure you an interview.  Aim to keep your resume to 4 pages or less.  This may be varied (and extended) for some new Government selection methods that include resume as part of the initial (perhaps only) screen.  Give the reader enough of a taste so that they want to interview you to find out more.  

White Space is Attractive.  Studies have shown that readers favour documents with more white space in them.  So, don't push your margins to the edge of the page, use small font and cram everything in just to make it 4 pages.  Don't rely on fancy gimmicks, photos, or borders to make your document stand out.  Simple, clear, modern formatting is best. 

Front Page is King.  Again studies have shown that readers typically spend more time on the front page than any other.  Approx 40% of their reading time is allocated here and it progressively declines.  What's the message?  Make sure that your best content is on the front page.  Don't waste it with a big cover sheet that just tells them your personal details.  Try to include content that separates you from your competitors.  If for example, your education is only average (not a selling point) then put it on another page. 

The Best Resumes are Tailored.  I think you're probably starting to get the picture here.  If your resume doesn't address the unique requirements of the advertised role then you're missing an opportunity to highlight yourself as the solution to their problem.  At best, you might look like all your other competitors.  At worst... it's in the bin.  I can't tell you how many generic resumes I've seen where the career objective clearly doesn't match the job they've applied for.  Simple solution - don't use generic resumes. 

Resume's Get Interviews... Not Jobs.  This is often a challenging concept for my clients.  Why?  Because it means they are forced to remove content that is either not relevant or provides so much detail that the reader can opt out.  It's difficult to do this because there may be a lot of blood, sweat and tears in performing that task, or piece or work and my client's are emotionally connected to it.  Just because it's important to you doesn't mean it's important to the reader.  Think of your resume as a marketing tool.  It's got to catch the readers’ eye, demonstrate that you understand their problem AND have the capacity to provide solutions for them (through your employment of course). 

In my next e-zine I’ll talk more about the typical sections of resumes and my personal views on whether to include them, how to write them if you do include them and where to put them in your resume. 

If you’ve had a read of the above and still aren’t sure if you’re on the right track why don’t you talk to us about a complimentary coaching session?  Click here to arrange for someone from our office to contact you.   Until next time, all the best with your career.  

Warm Regards