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Update your resume

Managing your own career is vital these days and keeping your resume up-to-date and ready to roll is the very least you should be doing.

However, rushing your resumes update is not a good idea. This is the first impression a prospective employer will have of you so make sure it's not also their last impression of you.

To make this important job easier, CareerOne asked Tara West of Aussie Résumés to provide her expert tips. Aussie Résumés is a professional resume writing service. It also carries out an annual survey of major employers to find out what they want to see and read on a candidate's resume.

What style should candidates follow when preparing their resume?

Tara West says that for most candidates, simple is best. While graphic artists, art directors and other creative roles might require fancy fonts and stand out tricks most of us should avoid these along with graphics and photos.

"Fonts should be easy to read, information correctly aligned and full justification used," advises Ms West.

She suggests using good quality white paper for hard copy resumes that will be posted or hand delivered. Resumes delivered online should use popular formats such as Word or PDF.

"When emailing your application, keep in mind that certain fonts may be on your computer but not necessarily on another.

"Arial font is widely accepted, is 'open-faced' and looks professional. Ensure your font size is readable by viewing your document at page width. Generally 11 point is sufficient."

How long should my resume be?

For most roles, no more than four pages is required, says Ms West. For senior roles, a resume can be up to six pages.

"It is very rare for an employer to request a one to two page resume," she says. "From comments received by employers in our survey it was stated that one to two pages does not adequately demonstrate (a candidate's) skills and qualifications."

"Of course, an exception to this would be a recent school leaver or TAFE, college or university graduate with limited experience."

What should I put in my resume?

Your resume should contain information relevant to the job application such as employment history, education, training, memberships to industry groups and any industry or work-related awards you have won.

Ms West says candidate's can also provide "personal" information they wish the potential employer to know.

"Many employers responding to the Aussie Résumés Employer Survey stated that they liked to see a pertinent mix of an applicant’s work and personal life," says Ms West.

"This provides the employer with the opportunity of not only identifying a candidate's skills, but also gaining an understanding of the person behind the resume," she says.

Personal information could include voluntary work, personal achievements, hobbies and interests.

Ms West says that employers taking part in the Aussie Résumés survey claimed that "personal" information was not used to make a final decision as to whether or not to employ the candidate.

"For recent graduates, your resume needs to demonstrate your educational development and achievements, in addition to highlighting any transferable skills you can apply to the position," says Ms West.

"As your resume may not demonstrate a vast amount of experience, it will be vital that your application includes a covering letter addressing the advertised criteria," she says.

"Both the resume and covering letter will be a strong marketing tool."

"No application is complete without a dynamic covering letter," says Ms West.

"This compliments your resume and briefly outlines your expertise.

"Unless addressing selection criteria, your covering letter should be no more than one page, typed in a clear readable font with full justification."

Should I send my resume by email or should I post a hard copy?

"Overwhelmingly, employers prefer applications by email and in most cases do not require a follow-up in hard copy," says Ms West.

Most employers advertising a position will say in their ad how they want resumes to be sent to them.

"If you are sending a resume by email, it's important to email your cover letter and resume as one document and not as two separate attachments," says Ms West.

You can send any additional questions you have about resume writing to editor@careerone.com.au and we will get an answer for you.

Aussie Résumés provides a professional writing service suited to graduates through to senior executives across a wide range of industries.

Visit Aussie Résumés for more tips or to have a professional provide you with a free critique of your résumé.

Story by CareerOne, January 13, 2003.