“First impression goes a long way“. The resume and cover letter are the first pieces of information you hand over to a recruiter. Employers very often only spend a few minutes on your application to decide whether to invite you for an interview or not. Your resume and cover letter are your entry ticket to the application proceess.
!! Make it as easy as possible for the recruiter to find out that you are the right person for this job!!
How can you make it easier?
Well structured and easy to read
You cannnot know what a recruiter will focus on first. Would it be your personal data, your education or your professional experience? Anyway, you can help them to quickly and easily find the information they are looking for with a well structured content.
Divide the information in paragraphs like
- personal data,
- professional development,
- education and training,
- skills
- …
There are no strict rules about what information to disclose and how to structure it. Be guided by what you would yourself prefer to see, if you had to read a resume. It makes sense to start with the personal data. Graduates should continue with their education and then their internships. However, experienced professionals should continue listing their professional development and then add the training and their highest educational degree.
“You decide which information you share. Write down everything that is important and leave out anything that does not boost your eligibility for the job.”
What kind of personal data should you share?
- Name, telephone number and email address are required to get in touch with you.
- Nationality is not required, but might be of interest to the recruiter, because it can affect some labour laws or permissions.
- The full address, gender, date of birth, civil status, number of children and religion can be added, but are not necessary.
How specific should you indicate dates?
This is your decision. It is most usual to specify it monthly 09/2015 – 04/2019.
What about breaks or gaps in a resume?
Nowadays interruptions in a resume are hardly a problem. Breaks and gaps are common. As long as you can explain a gap believable, you will not be excluded. You should be able to explain credibly how you have made good use of this time.
How much detail should you provide about your past employment?
The position,
- the duration
- your main tasks,
- your responsibilities,
- your achievements.
Take credit for your successes and describe them well. Point out how well your profile fits the requirements of the job description. Do not mention or emphazise issues that are unrelated to the job profile.
Should you list internships?
This depends on the professional experience you can offer.
If you are a beginner, it makes a lot of sense to list all internships and part-time jobs. In this way you show the employer that you familiar with different places of work.
If the internship points out your qualification for the job you apply for, you should definitly include it.
„Should you as a graduate list a part-time job as a waitress or delivery service?
“Yes” if you are at the beginning of your professional career and you cannot demonstrate any other work experience. For example, as a waitress you are forced to deal with different people in different situations. You have learned a lot about human behavior. Perhaps you are trained to work in stressful circumstances because of this work experience. Maybe you have learned to work in a team. Anyway, you have experienced a very demanding job and you might appreciate your next job more.
How detailed should you describe education and training?
Limit it to the two highest academic degrees. Add older educations only, if it is relevant for the desired job. Highlight a certain qualification which is appropriate for the desired job, but was not part of your academic education. For example a high school focused on business and economics or computer sciences.
Should you describe the content of different lectures in detail?
„No“, only if the knowledge of a very specific method is required for the job you apply for.
How exactly should you describe a PhD thesis ( Master-, Bachelor-thesis)
It depends on the job you apply for. If your PhD thesis is relevant for the tasks of the job you apply for, then you should shortly describe it. If not, don’t do it. In that case it would be enough to quote the title.
“It essentially depends on the job you are applying for how you should write your resume . There are no rules that guarantee success.”
written by: Gisela Zechner
