When you’re getting ready to dive headfirst into the workforce, there’s one tool that will help you more than any other: a truly stellar resume.
Writing a great resume is an art, but if you familiarise yourself with the formulas, preferred templates and necessary sections, it doesn’t have to be hard. Thus, we’ve dedicated today’s blog post to helping you craft the perfect resume (and, subsequently, land the job of your dreams)!
How to Write a Resume
Trust us, sitting down to write your resume is one of the hardest parts of the job-hunting process (especially when you haven’t written one before). However, learning a few key rules of thumb before actually getting to it makes the whole thing a lot easier! The following tips are our non-negotiables when it comes to writing a resume, so you’ll want to take them seriously!
Tailor Your Resume to The Job You’re Applying For
We know, we know. This tip probably isn’t one you want to hear. However, if you really want to land the job you’re applying for, your best bet is to tailor your resume to the unique job listing. By inserting keywords from the posting into your resume, you’ll demonstrate your commitment and position yourself as an ideal candidate.
Only Use 1-2 Pages
There is absolutely no reason why any resume should be longer than 1-2 pages (especially when you’re in high school or university). By keeping it short and concise, you’ll keep the hiring manager happy while demonstrating your prioritisation skills and ability to identify what’s important.
In fact, the only people who should use three or more pages in their resumes are senior professionals or academics. For most of you, this should come as a welcome tip. However, if you need to cut down on words, try fixing your formatting, re-editing, or removing unnecessary sections.
Be Honest
While it’s always tempting to embellish the truth a little when you’re going for a job that you really want, when it comes to resumes, honesty is always the best policy! Imagine if you’d been hired for a skill that the hiring manager thought you had, and when the time came to use it, you had no idea where to start. A bit embarrassing, right?
Instead, if you think your resume is lacking that je ne sais quoi, the best option is to just invest time in actually learning a new skill. That way, both you and your future employer are winning: it’s a true win-win situation!
Choose the Right Resume Format For You
Reverse chronological order is generally regarded as the preferred resume format in this day and age. This type of format doesn’t just showcase your professional and academic experience, but it also lists your most recent (and thus, most impressive) role first. That way, you’ll be impressing hiring managers from the get-go!
However, if you haven’t quite managed to lock down any work experience just yet, it might be best to use a functional resume format where your skills and education are listed first. Basically, the resume format you use depends on where you are in your career journey.
Nail Your Resume Sections
Once you have those top tips under your belt, it’s time to start writing! There are four main sections in any resume; a personal summary, a list of work experience, a list of volunteer experience and an education section. Knowing how to write each of these well is key for constructing a successful resume!
Personal Summary
The personal summary is widely regarded as the trickiest resume section to write. Supplying this statement can feel similar to being asked to introduce yourself at the start of the school year and having all coherent thoughts escape you. However, if you stick to a formula, it really isn’t that tough.
The purpose of a personal summary is to grab the hiring manager’s attention and explain why you’re the perfect candidate in three sentences or less. Try to integrate keywords from the job listing and start with a great hook to capture attention!
Personal Summary Example:
I am a proactive individual with one year of experience in the customer service industry and a proven record of hitting sales targets. Through my professional and personal endeavours, I have gained strong communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills that have proved extremely valuable in the workplace. I aim to progress in my career by undertaking a full-time role in the service industry where my abilities can be fully utilised.
Work Experience
If you have work experience to list, it should definitely be placed above everything else (besides your personal summary, of course). While some resume templates encourage you to simply list your job title and where you worked, it’s much better to be descriptive and explain your responsibilities. That way, your new workplace will know exactly what you’re capable of and how it relates to the job listing that you’re applying for.
For those of you with more than one work experience listing, you’ll want to remember that reverse chronological resume format we talked about before! Trust us, it makes a world of difference!
Work Experience Example
The Coffee Room Café | Melbourne, VIC
Barista/ Coffee Specialist
JAN 2023- MAR 2024
- Crafted specialty drinks for over 100 customers per day
- Supervised and trained new hires
- Developed new drink recipes
- Was solely responsible for opening and closing the store
The Green Tea Machine | Melbourne VIC
Waitress/ Barista
OCT 2022 – JAN 2023
- Took orders and served food and drinks to customers
- Ensured customer satisfaction
- Assisted in coffee-making duties
- Made sure that all facilities were clean at the end of each day
Volunteer Experience
If you don’t have any professional work experience and want something to fill that pesky resume gap, volunteering experience works extremely well! All you need to do is include the organisation you were working with, where it was located, the timeframe, and a list explaining your responsibilities. In short, it’s almost identical to your resume’s work experience section.
Don’t forget—just because your volunteering experience wasn’t paid doesn’t mean that it doesn’t count for anything! Having volunteering experience on your resume shows employers that you’re eager to help others, have a great attitude, and are serious about your future!
Volunteer Experience Example
Helping Hands Opportunity Shop | Melbourne VIC
Retail Assistant
FEB 2022 – DEC 2022
- Managing and pricing incoming donations
- Assisting customers in finding pieces that suit their needs
- Maintaining the store’s cleanliness and organisation
- Facilitating charity events
Education
If you’re creating a resume without work experience, your education section, along with your volunteering section, will be extremely important! For this section, you’ll want to include the name of your school, the location, what certification you have obtained or what year you’re in, and your expected graduation year.
If you want to make this a little showier, feel free to include your GPA (if it’s impressive). You could also highlight some of your electives so that the hiring manager gets a clearer idea of who you are!
Education Example
Riverdale High School, Melbourne VIC
Expected Diploma, 2025 (GPA 4.0)
Drama Leader, Riverdale Drama Society
The Best Websites for Resume Templates
Ok, so you have all of your resume content down pat, but you still need a stellar resume template to wow the hiring manager. When you get to this stage, it can be tempting to go a little crazy and opt for an unconventional, graphic design-y resume. However, we’re here to tell you to absolutely not do that.
The best resume is a simple resume; in this case, less really is more! Keep your resume design super minimal so that the hiring manager isn’t visually overwhelmed. That way, your experience and writing will be able to shine through!
FAQ: All Things Resume-Related
We think we’ve almost covered everything you need to know about resumes, but just in case you’d like a little more info, we’ve put together a FAQ section to answer your burning resume-related questions like:
Question: Why are Resumes Needed?
Answer: Resumes are the documents that can either land you a job or result in you being rejected. They showcase your skills, talents, qualifications and experience so that you can stand out against other applicants. In short, resumes are the best tool to help you land the job of your dreams!
Question: Why do Resumes Get Rejected?
Answer: There are multiple reasons as to why a resume might be rejected. For instance, the applicant may have included an unprofessional email address or photo, the format might be distasteful, or their qualifications and experience might not be what the hiring manager is looking for.
Question: Which Resume Type is Best?
Answer: If you asked 100 hiring managers which resume template is best, you’d get 100 different answers. However, it’s generally agreed upon that reverse-chronological, ats-optimised resumes are the best.
Question: What Shouldn’t You Include in Your Resume?
When submitting your resume, you shouldn’t include:
- Your date of birth
- A photo
- An unprofessional email address
- A full mailing address
- Political preferences
Without Further Ado: It’s Time To Get Writing!
We’ve done our part to prepare you for the wonderful world of resume writing and now it’s time for you to put it into practice! We wish you the best of luck in all your future job-hunting pursuits, and remember: any great resume needs a great cover letter to go alongside it!
