Roxanne Calder: How to write the perfect resume

A leading recruitment specialist has shared her hot tips for creating the perfect resume to land the job of your dreams. 

Roxanne Calder is the founder of top Sydney recruitment agency EST10 with more than 20 experience in the field and author of 7 Attributes to Assure Your Working Future. 

Many Aussies are on the job hunt right now with the Australian Bureau of Statistic reporting a jump in unemployment from 4.6 percent in September to 5.2 percent in October. 

The purpose of a CV is to connect as quickly as possible with employers, Ms Calder said, so it’s important to think like a hiring manager to make an on-point resume that will end your job hunt.  

Ms Calder shares her seven top tips to create a stand-out resume that will impress any employer. 

1. Create a Master CV

Ms Calder suggests putting together a master CV containing all your information including education, previous roles, voluntary work, work experience, projects, interests, potential references, skills, achievements, strengths, and more. 

This way you can cherry pick the information to make a unique resume tailored to each job you apply for. 

A Master CV can make application times quicker and ensures you won’t forget to include any important details. 

A Master CV is a great tool for interview prep and a handy reminder of all your achievements. 

The purpose of a CV is to connect as quickly as possible with employers, Ms Calder said so it’s important to think like a hiring manager to make an on-point resume that will end your job hunt

2. First impressions count 

To stand out for the right reasons, Ms Calder said to make sure your resume is easy to read and visually balanced with consistent font, formatting and spacing. 

She also suggests checking a hundred times for any spelling and grammar mistakes as one slip up could see your CV getting skipped by employers altogether.  

3. Consider your audience

Sending the same CV to each job application is a recipe for failure so it’s wise to create a resume with the reader in mind.

She advises using your Master CV to choose the most appropriate skills, achievements and experience to match the job advertisement.

Use key words from the position description in your resume as the automated systems employers use to scan applications to pick up certain criteria, words and phrases. 

‘While a different CV for each job can be time consuming, it is time well spent and can see your application attract some much wanted,’ she said.

To stand out for the right reasons, Ms Calder said to make sure your resume is easy to read and visually balanced with consistent font, formatting and spacing.

4. Avoid buzz words 

Subjective terms and clichés like ‘team player’, ‘go-getter’, ‘think outside the box’, ‘hard worker’ that might have your CV standing out for all the wrong reasons, according to Ms Calder. 

These buzz words can send inconsistent messages that may not fit in with other parts of your resume and don’t convey the facts. 

It’s best to show your actual results instead of saying you’re ‘results driven’. 

5. Quantify your duties and responsibilities

Ms Calder recommends using a condensed version of the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, rather than just listing your responsibilities from a previous job. 

For each of your relevant roles, explain a situation or challenge you found yourself in, what you had to achieve, what you did and the result of your actions. 

The STAR method helps you to clearly explain your knowledge, duties, and achievements capabilities to potential employers and prepare you for those difficult interview questions. 

Subjective terms and cliches like ‘team player’, ‘go-getter’, ‘think outside the box’, ‘hard worker’ that might have your CV standing out for all the wrong reasons

6. Aim for two or three pages maximum 

If you have a long list of previous jobs, Ms Calder said to focus on the last ten years’ experience, briefly summarise earlier roles or give employers an option to view your earlier career by including a line like ‘Full resume upon request’.  

You should also use full dates, months and years and it is very important to explain career gaps. 

7. Make sure your LinkedIn is up to date

Check that your LinkedIn profile, including job titles, matches the information on your resume.

Ms Calder said most employers will look at your LinkedIn profile at some stage during the hiring process so it’s important not to try and paint your experiences a certain way if your LinkedIn tells a different story. 

For more information and career advice, head to the Est10 website here.