What is a Resume/CV ?

A resume or cv (curriculum vitae) is a summary of your skills and experience. Having a well structured resume can seriously increase your chances of getting your foot in the door and landing more job interviews. The employer will normally use the resume in assessing which candidates would be suitable for the job, so basically it is this first impression that can make or break your chances of being invited to come in for an interview. So make sure your resume is presentable and accurate (make sure you do not have any spelling mistakes).

What information should be included in my Resume?

Your resume should include the following information about yourself:

EDUCATION AND COURSES:

- You should write down the school you attended (or currently attending) and the year you completed your Higher School certificate (year 12) or the year you completed your school certificate (year 10). If you are still at school and your applying for a part-time job you should say what year you are in.

- If you are a Graduate ( University or TAFE) include the title of the course you completed and the qualification you received (for example Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) or Diploma in Accounting). Remember to include the year you completed your course.

- If you did any other courses you should include those details as well.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

- Being a school leaver or a recent graduate, sometimes you may not have any employment history except the work experience you gained through the High School Work Experience program, you should include this information in this section of your resume.

- If you do have employment history you can organise it from the most recent to the least recent employer you had.

Details you should include are:

1. Employer Name & Period of employment (Date you started & completed working with the company)
2. Your Job title
3. Your role and responsibilties (try not to just list them down also include the skills you gained from performing those responsibilities. For example organisational skill or communication skills)

- If you do not have employment history what you could do is highlight your personal skills and attributes ( you can include this under the PERSONAL SKILLS section)

PERSONAL SKILLS :

Details you should include are :

- Personal qualities you feel you have, for example Leadership skills, Time management skills, Communication skills, Willingness to learn, Quick learner.

REFERENCES:

- You will need to include a couple of references with your resume. Normally you would put down your boss or supervisor from your previous work as a reference. Employers who are very interested in offering you a job will want to contact one of your references, usually to confirm that you actually did work at the company you specified. If you don't have any work references you can ask a relative, one of your Teachers or Lecturers (try to ask some one who knows abit about yourself)

Details about your references that you should provide:

1. Name
2. Job title and Company name
3. Contact Phone numbers eg Work or Mobile

NOTE: Remember to ask the person first if they could be your reference before putting their details down on your resume.

Remember: Try to be brief and accurate with your details. Include information that are relevant to the job being offered. One more important thing, BE HONEST with the information you include in your resume.

VIEW SAMPLE - RESUME