While all job applications vary, there are a few key resume elements that are crucial across the board.
So to help, Australian Career Development Practitioner, Sue Ellson, has revealed her top tips for mastering CV writing and increasing your chances of scoring your dream job.
She has also revealed the five easy steps to follow in an interview for improved chances of success.
The job hunting process can be daunting but a Career Development Practitioner has revealed the steps to take to secure the job
The mistakes to avoid with your resume
1. Not aligning your resume with the location or industry requirements
Ms Ellson said some companies want the education information on the first page while other companies want you to focus on your skills and experience and how they match the job you are applying for.
‘Some industries expect a certain format – for example, they may require a highly formatted one page stylised introduction or a more comprehensive achievements and tasks record,’ she said.
It’s important to research the industry and work out their expectations to ensure you get past the first stage.
2. Not preparing a resume that the application system can read
Although fancy fonts, tables, header and footer formatting make resumes stand out, they don’t always translate well in applicant tracking systems.
This means some of your content can be missed from being added to the searchable database so it’s best to keep it simple.
Ms Ellson said some countries want the education information on the first page
3. Not including vital information in your resume
Ms Ellson said another major mistake people regularly make is creating a cover letter that matches the job description but not including any of those keywords in the resume.
This means when a job system scans the contents, it doesn’t find any of the keywords it is looking for.
4. Spelling mistakes and inconsistent formatting
‘These make a resume look untidy and unprofessional. When some bullet points have a full stop and others don’t, it is distracting,’ she said.
‘They don’t need a full stop at the end because it suggests to the reader to stop reading rather than to keep reading.’
5. Not making the resume ‘scan friendly’
‘Believe it or not, many people review a resume on a mobile device or tablet, so short bullet points are much more scan friendly and easier to read than long narrative paragraphs,’ she said.
6. Not including essential information
Ms Ellson said it isn’t uncommon for people to exclude their email address and phone number from their resume, which should be avoided.
‘I would also add that a modified LinkedIn URL should also be included. For example https://www.linkedin.com/in/sueellson rather than https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-ellson-5gya23,’ she said.
7. Including information that could have employees discriminate against you
Depending on the country there is no need to include information that may be used to discriminate against you.
This may include your age, marital status and whether you have children.
Ms Ellson said another major mistake people regularly make is creating a cover letter that matches the job description but not including any of those keywords in the resume
The common interview mistakes everyone makes
1. Not preparing adequately beforehand
There is a lot of research that you can do about the enterprise and the staff before arriving to your interview.
This can help you be prepared for the type of interview questions they are likely to ask and showcase what you already know about the enterprise.
2. Approaching the interview process without a healthy attitude
‘If you are desperate in any way (need to get away from your old job, need to find work instantly to pay the bills, bitter about your previous role), then interviewers will sense this, even if you answer the questions perfectly,’ she said.
‘I encourage clients to use an interview to make sure that the role is a good fit both ways, for them and the enterprise. If it is not a good fit for your both, then you can virtually agree in the interview and part as friends!
‘This can be really challenging if you really need to find a job fast, but if you still approach it in this way, you will still be more desirable in the mind of the interviewer.
‘Instead of saying you desperately need work, you can say things like ‘I really appreciate how close this job is to home’, ‘I really admire the culture of the enterprise’ or ‘I like routine tasks where I can develop ways to be more efficient’.’
3. Exaggerating or under-exaggerating your expertise
In Ms Ellson’s experience she has found that some people over-exaggerate their skills.
At the opposite end of the spectrum some people assume that unless they can complete a task perfectly, they simply say they can’t do it.
‘It is important to be honest and explain some detail about your competency but also your willingness to learn and develop on the job,’ she said.
4. Not being yourself
‘I distinctly remember an interview I had for a promotion in my early 20s and I was asked about my strengths and weaknesses,’ Ms Ellson said.
‘As a ‘typical’ Australian, I couldn’t think of any strengths and I blurted out ‘I get grumpy sometimes’. I got the promotion.
‘I don’t encourage you to be perfect and ‘perform’ in an interview as this is often not the real you.’
Unfortunately she has found that people who try and perform often do worse than those that are themselves and some very good candidates have missed out because they were trying to be perfect.
5. Overanalysing interviews
Ms Ellson said if you’re not getting interviews, it generally means that your application for the role did not meet their criteria.
‘Do not over-analyse and replay the interview over and over. You may have done absolutely nothing wrong, they may have already had someone else in mind and were just going through the motions,’ she said.
‘Regardless of the reason, even if they give you one (it may or may not be correct), simply move on and say ‘next’. The more interviews you have, the closer you are to getting a job.’