Tips for writing a standout resume

It’s hard to find anyone who actively enjoys writing a resume. But fear not! A large part of what stumps people when it comes to crafting their resumes is uncertainty, and this is easy to overcome. Read on for a few comprehensive pieces of advice on writing a standout resume, and discover what resources are available to you in your resume-writing journey.

Formatting

Like it or not, formatting plays a large part in how your resume is perceived. If you submit a CV that lacks clear section structure, has no subheadings, and is overly verbose, it can easily be overlooked. So, taking time to apply a standardised format to your CV is definitely important. Below are some easy elements you can incorporate to make you resume come across as professional!

First, your resume shouldn’t really be longer than 3 pages in length for student or graduate level. For undergraduates, 1.5 to 2 pages is the ideal length. On the other hand, if you are a postgraduate or mature age student with more experience than the standard undergraduate, 2 to 3 pages should be enough. This will challenge you to cut down on any unnecessary or less relevant information.

Secondly, you should use an easy to read font, such as Helvetica, for the whole of your resume – for most jobs, a fancy font won’t win you any favours. For the main content of your resume, outside of headings, text should be in size 10-12.

Thirdly, your name should be at the top of the first page and in the largest font on your resume. Under this, list your contact details in a smaller font. In Australia, you do not need to include any personal details such as gender, health, height, weight, marital status, age, or any other identifying information outside of your name and contact details. Employers cannot discriminate based on any of these elements, so they need not be included.

Finally, you should use subheadings under which to note your experience. You’ll want sections listing your education, employment history, other experience (such as volunteer work), technical skills (if the job calls for any sort of computer or industry-specific skills), interests and extra-curricular activities (if you have space and they’re relevant), as well as your referees.  Listing these sections in the above order is advised. It’s also a good idea to use dot-points when giving details in each of these sections rather than lengthy sentences or paragraphs. Potential employers will likely be reviewing multiple applications and will overlook resumes that look like essays.

Content

If you’re a mature age or postgraduate student, you may have had many previous jobs or experiences that range in relevancy for whatever position you’re applying for. It’s only necessary to refer to experiences that meet the job’s criteria – ie. telling employers about your time working at Kmart when you were 15 or what primary school you went to is less relevant than detailing your time as an IT Consultant and your relevant areas of study, when applying for a job in the IT industry.

If you haven’t had many, or any, jobs in the past that’s okay too! Many students don’t enter the workforce until late in their high school careers or at some point during university. If this is the case, think of any extracurricular activities or volunteer work you have completed. Editing the student magazine, volunteering for events, or providing support to charities over holiday periods are all great examples of situations where you can highlight your skills and accomplishments without having necessarily completed paid work. Detailing any awards or achievements is also a good idea when trying to highlight your abilities!

If any of your accomplishments can be referred to using numbers and statistics (eg. You helped your previous company increase its sales by X% during your time there, or you volunteered by helping coordinate an event for X amount of people, etc) then do it! It’s an easy way to make your achievements come across more solidly and shows that your input had a quantifiable benefit to your last employer.

As you’re writing the content of you CV, refer back to the selection criteria mentioned in the job advertisement and utilise any key words or phrases that are relevant to your own experience. Did you show leadership in your previous job, and is this a skill required for the one you are applying for? Mention it, and say how you did so!

Language and grammar

An easy mistake to make, especially when stressed out in trying to submit an application on a deadline, is forgetting to look for grammar and spelling errors. Regardless of the job you’re applying for, Australian employers generally want employees with good attention to detail and a successful grasp of the English language. Missing a few misspelt words or bits of punctuation might not seem like much, but it could mean the difference between getting called in for an interview or not hearing back at all. If you feel like you might need support with your writing, it could be a good idea to drop by the UTS HELPS office for assistance.

If your experience or skills involve references to technical acronyms, write these terms out in full the first time you mention them in your CV (eg. High Definition Video (HDV)). Following this, you can refer to the acronym throughout the rest of your resume.

Make sure to use the appropriate tenses for the experiences you are mentioning (ie. Past tense for previous experiences), and use action verbs when describing your responsibilities where possible. For example: ‘Organised a company event for upwards of 1000 people, and showed time management skills by supervising the efficient distribution of event invitations’.

If you can, get someone else to read over your resume before you submit it to pick up on any errors you may have missed!

Resources

UTS Careers has a number of fantastic resources available to you when it comes to writing a successful resume. Check out our Resume & Cover Letter Workbook for an in-depth breakdown of the sections your resume should include and how it should be formatted. You can also take advantage of Rate My Resume for free, tailored feedback specific to your CV to help you avoid making any serious resume faux pas!

If you want some more detailed advice, visit our office in the Tower Building (CB02.04.221) and take advantage of our drop-in service, where one of our enthusiastic Peer Career Advisors can review your resume with you and give you the key advice needed for your resume to be a success!

So what are you waiting for? Craft that standout resume and get ready to kick start your new career journey today!

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