Private & Confidential Resume of <Name>

Address:
Suburb:
Postcode:

Business:
Home:     
Mobile:   
E-Mail:   

Guidelines to improve your strike rate - Formatting

• Do not use Colored or Alternative Fonts (Size 10 Arial is the preferred Font)
• Do not use Text Boxes or Underline Text, except where directed
• Do not use Adobe Acrobat as the format to present your CV and do not encrypt passwords to protect your document – all this does is frustrate Employment Consultants & Employers if applying direct
• Avoid the use of Italics
• Do not try and be too different in how you present your details – this will typically lead to a poor response rate

Career Objective:

Keep to a statement of no more than 5 lines in length about your career aspirations – this should be demonstrated in logical progression.  Think about what you are looking for and use your own words rather than using generic phrases that do not have a lot of personal meaning.

Education & Training:

List all the relevant courses that you have completed in reverse chronological order:

Hint: Including Logo’s of the Schools/Institutions can be an advantage

Guidelines to improve your strike rate – Training Courses

• Include the Full Course and Institution Name – including areas of specific study & date of completion if currently studying. Ensure that you include your secondary and tertiary education
• It is advantageous to include courses relating to the role you are applying for or where you can identify other areas in which the skills you have attained can add value to a business e.g. OH&S, Training, Project Management, Specialist IT Skills, Company Contact Officer for EEO/Harassment etc.

Computer Skills:

Rate your proficiency with MS Office Applications, in particular Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  Also talk about mainstream business operating systems that you have used and rate your competency e.g. SAP

Professional Associations:

List any Professional Associations that you are a member.

Career History:

Detail your Career History in reverse chronological order – i.e. your most recent position first

Company Details:

Add a couple of lines outlining the Company that you are working for – what products and services do they provide and to whom?

Reporting to:

Outline your reporting relationship/s – Direct Functional Leader

Responsibilities

Limit to a Maximum of 10 bullet points focusing on areas of primary responsibilities with the most important duties at the top e.g. Budgets (Finance), People, Process, Systems, Sales, Customers, Functions etc.

Summary of Major Achievements:

Limit to 5 bullet points and really think about significant achievements that you have either been involved with as part of a team, suggested as an area for improvement that was subsequently embraced by the business, or have been directly responsible for implementing.  You must be able to articulate examples at the interview and demonstrate a positive impact on the business.  This will also be validated through rigorous reference checking – so do not exaggerate.

Summary of Major Achievements:

Guidelines to improve your strike rate – Career History

• Show the entire length of service with the companies that you have worked for – most candidates make the mistake of only relating this to the most recent position they occupied and this is frustrating to employers as it makes it difficult to ascertain periods of continuous service.
• Summarise previous employment that was over 10 years ago:   

Personal Interests:

Employers are interested in outside interests, in particular sporting and community involvement.  Think about what you put here; if you say you played the saxophone, when did you last play the saxophone? – you may be asked at interview!

Referees:

• You MUST be prepared to provide a minimum of 2 referees (preferably 3) that you have directly reported to. At least one of the referees should be a current supervisor/Manager. 
• Personal or Peer references will have no bearing on employment decisions
• This can be difficult for individuals as they feel their current employment can be compromised, however offers will typically be subject to a final check with your current employer – so it is important to be transparent if there have been any issues with performance or relationships.
• One of the worst things you can do is not provide accurate and current contact numbers for your referees.  This can lead to potential offers being withdrawn (hence the importance to ensure this is all in order prior to submitting your application).

Guidelines to improve your strike rate

• Remember to spell check and proof read your completed resume
• Have a friend read your resume and provide feedback
• Remember – your resume is your sales pitch – does your resume sell you for the role that you are applying for?
• Provide a cover letter specific to the role you are applying for. Check that the details are correct and take the time to tailor it to the role you are applying for – this can set you out from the crowd – and remember to use language that you would normally use so the letter is genuine – big words and fancy sentences do not always make you appear suitable for a role!