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Preparing your Resume
This information is for people who do not currently have a
resume. It will guide you through the steps to put together a
good basic document. Plenty of other resources are available
with further information - some links are provided for you to
follow up.
 What is
a resume?
It is a personal details sheet - sometimes called a curriculum
vitae. It sets out who you are and what you have done in a way
that employers find easy to read.
It will also save you a lot of time when applying for jobs.
How?
- You only write it once
- It takes only one or two pages
- It makes writing letters for jobs much quicker
- You can take it to job interviews
- You can leave photocopies with employers you visit
- It makes filling out employer application forms easy
It also :
- Shows employers at a glance what you have to offer
- Impresses them about how organised you are
So why
haven't you done one before?
Because, like most people, you think writing your resume
- Is too difficult
- Will take too long
- Wont be necessary because your next job is "just round
the corner"
Where do
you start - start here!
Writing a resume is interesting - after all, it is about you …
We suggest you 'pencil' in your details and then either use a
computer to type them up and work on the presentation, or get
someone else to help you with this.
Step one - personal details
- Name
- Date of Birth (some people prefer to put in their age
because they think it looks better)
- Full address (including postcode)
- Telephone number (if you are not on the phone, how about
a 'contact number' of a reliable relative or friend)
- Email address (if you have one - you can get free
internet access including an email address at any State
library)
- Marital status - not essential and some people do not
like putting this in
- Transport (example - 'own' or 'public'; if you have a
special licence include it here)
- Health - if you know your health is excellent say so,
otherwise do not use this heading.
Step two - your education and qualifications
If you left school recently this step is easy - write out the
full results from the last year of education you completed.
If it feels like 'years ago' here are some examples to help you
choose the words to use:
- Hobart High School 1946 - Intermediate Certificate
- Scottsdale District High School: left at age 15 to work
on the family property
- Bridgewater High School: Completed Grade 9 in 1979
- Hobart TAFE: Office Skills Certificate 1985
As can be seen from the above examples, you should include the
following information in each entry:
- Institution, location, name of qualification obtained,
year of completion
Step three - your work history
Have you had any previous jobs? If so, list them. If not, move
onto the next section.
When listing work history you should use the following format:
- Job Title, Name of the Employer, location of employment,
period of employment
Main duties carried out listing the most important ones first.
Taking each of the above in turn:
- Job Title - examples: Stores Person; Sales Assistant;
Table Attendant; Machinist; Driver; Clerical Assistant.
- Name of the Employer - means the business name, not the
bosses name. Examples: Frost and Weston Cleaning Services
Pty Ltd; Huon Mills Ltd. Smiths Milk Bar and General Store.
- Location of Employer - full address not needed. Include
the locality - eg, Purity, Glenorchy; Smiths Store,
Devonport; Watts Vegetable Co. Scottsdale
- Period of Employment - Its worth spending time on this
bit. If you can work out the exact dates then do so. You may
find the information on tax returns, group certificates, or
job references. Remember - once you have finished your
resume you will never have to look up this information
again. If you can't find the exact dates go as close as you
can - example: 4 months, 1967; 1975 - 1978; Feb. 1985 - Mar
1986.
- Main duties: use this space to list the most common
duties you did, or any special skills and functions you
learnt or were responsible for. Example: Customer sales,
cash register operation, ordering, end of day balance,
locking up and store security.
In addition to previous work, or especially if you have not
got a lot of work history to put in your resume, think about
any work experience, voluntary work or community service you
have been involved with. For example: Secretary of the Canoe
Club; St John Ambulance Member; Coach for school sports
team; Sold tickets for Community Aid Abroad.
Step Four - Interests outside work
This information helps an employer form a picture of you as an
individual. For example, playing sport may indicate fitness, or
the ability to be a team member. An interest in computers may
indicate a capacity to learn new skills and adapt to the future.
Community activities may indicate that you like meeting and
people.
- Do you have any other skills or talents learned through
"courses" or interests? Examples - guitar playing, computer
courses, upholstery, Chinese cooking
- Do you take part in community activities? Examples -
Church, Sports Clubs, Youth Groups, Voluntary organisations.
- List other hobbies, sports and leisure activities.
Examples: reading, amateur theatre, hockey, fishing. If you
are a member of a club in relation to these activities,
mention that too. Example: Member, Derwent Hockey Club.
Sometimes your interests outside work give you an advantage
in getting a particular job. Employers are interested in
activities which get you DOING things. Passive activities
such as video watching may not have the same effect
Step five - work skills
This is not the same as work history. It is a section that
outlines your work skills and personal qualities as they relate
to the jobs you have done or can do. Everybody is different, so
it is difficult to specify what to put in here, but this is no
time for modesty - you need to sell yourself! Ask yourself these
questions:
- What things did you learn to do? Examples: Fork lift
driving; Word for Windows; salad preparation and cold
larder.
- What personal qualities do you have? Examples: Enjoy
customer service; Always look to do that little bit extra;
Flexible approach and keen to learn new skills; can be
relied upon to complete the job without supervision.
- Did you have any special responsibilities on the job?
Examples: trained junior staff; introduced a new system;
stood in for the boss.
- Did you achieve anything special on the job? Examples:
temporary promotion; doing relief work in another job;
developed something new; coping in a sudden emergency.
Remember - skills can come from all areas of your life and
may be useful in a future job. Knowing your skills means you
know your value to an employer.
Step six - references
There are two types of references:
- Written - Example, a work reference from a previous
boss; a character reference from someone like a Justice of
the Peace or Employer who knows you personally; or a school
reference.
- Verbal - usually a phone reference. A person who is
prepared to give you a phone reference should be listed in
your resume with their name; occupation, place of work, and
phone number. Example:
Mr William Lovell
Works Supervisor
Engineering Department, Mowbray Council
Phone 6377 7777
Mr Terry Dunn
Skipper, "The Lady Grey"
Phone: 6244 4444 after hours
Mr William Lovell JP
24 Hill Street
Burnie
Phone 6455 5555
Choose your referees carefully. They must be people who have
known you for some time or supervised you at work and are able
to speak fairly about your character or what you have done.
Check that your referees are willing to give you a reference and
will speak well of you to potential employers. Don't have too
many referees - two or three is plenty.
After writing all this down it is time to arrange it. The best
way to do this is on a word processor - this way you can alter
the presentation until you are happy with it. And you can keep
it up to date as your work history develops. Some options
available to you:
- If you have your own PC, or a friend is willing to lend
you theirs, then this is the easiest option.
- The Tasmanian Library offers computer access at little
or no cost.
- Some Centrelink offices have open access facilities for
eligible jobseekers.
- If you are unemployed, you may be eligible for
assistance to develop a resume under the Job Network program
- ask at Centrelink.
Remember: if you are not using your own computer always keep a
copy of your resume on your own floppy disk.
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