When searching for a job, your resume and cover letter act as your first introduction to a potential employer.
Writing a resume and cover letter can be an exciting opportunity, especially when pursuing a job you’re passionate about. Every element of your resume is a chance to showcase your unique skills and experiences, setting you apart as an ideal candidate in the eyes of recruiters.
If you get to the next stage of the application process where you secure an interview, your resume has accomplished its objective.
Read on to find out how to write a standout resume and secure an interview.
What is the difference between a CV and a resume?
You will hear the terms ‘CV’ and ‘resume’ used synonymously.
Commonly, a CV (short for curriculum vitae) refers to an extensive document that is a detailed breakdown of an individual’s education and academic achievements. A resume, on the other hand, is a one to two-page overview of your education, skills, and work experience.
Although both terms are used frequently, nowadays, resume is more commonly used in Australia.
What are the key elements to include?
A resume should be a written demonstration of your experience, education, skills, characteristics, and employment history.
Its purpose is to catch the reader’s interest and make them understand why you are suitable for the role in question.
Straight off the bat, your resume needs to demonstrate the qualities you have that could benefit the employer, and show that you meet their criteria.
The key to a standout resume is therefore customising and tailoring it to every position you are applying for.
This can be done by highlighting the relevant and specific elements to the employer, and ensuring that your resume mirrors qualities outlined in the position description. If the company shares its values on its website, we recommend reflectling on these when putting together your resume, ensuring you show how you embrace these values in your professional life. This will ensure you stand out against the competition while leaving a great first impression.
Other considerations include:
- The tone of your resume and language,
- Factual information (such as personal details, education history, employment background, skills and experience),
- File format,
- Document layout and design.
Guide to Writing a Resume
Below is a guide to help you construct a professional resume guaranteed to impress, no matter whether you’re a graduate or an experienced professional.
1. Fill Out Your Personal Details
The first step to any resume is writing your personal details, including full name, mobile number, LinkedIn URL, and email address. These should go at the very top of the page, to make them easy to find.
Depending on the job, you may also want to consider linking to other social profiles. For example, social media managers may want to include their Instagram handle while web developers may include a link to their GitHub repository.
You may also want to consider including information on working rights and ability to relocate if indicated in the job listing.
2. Present a Profile
A profile is a one paragraph description that can be considered an elevator pitch to the recruiter to encourage them to keep reading. This is an opportunity to give a summary of what you are studying or have studied, your most valuable characteristics, and a brief introduction of your skills.
The details in the profile should be reworked and tailored for each application to ensure you are emphasising the most valuable information for the role. Here, you’re telling the employer why you are the best candidate for the role.
Avoid going into too much detail, as this is just a concise but engaging introduction to you to display how you may be suitable for the role. For example, if you’re a university student looking for a professional placement, it will be important to add the degree you are studying, how far you are into your degree, and your most respected characteristics and skills.
For example:
Third year Media and Communications student looking for a professional placement for 2025. Outgoing, proactive and highly organised individual with well-developed communication skills. Creative and resourceful problem solver. Fully conversant with work health and safety practices.
Or, if you’re a HR professional, you could write something similar to the below:
Experienced HR professional with over 15 years’ of proven expertise seeking a challenging opportunity in human resources management. Dynamic, proactive, and meticulously organised individual with exceptional communication abilities. Adept at creatively solving complex HR challenges and implementing innovative strategies. Proficient in all aspects of HR functions and well-versed in work health and safety practices.
3. Highlight Your Skills & Experience
The next step is to identify your key skills and experiences. Think about how these relate to the role you’re after.
It’s best to amend these for each position to ensure you are highlighting current skills and recent experiences that are relevant to the role and company you are applying for.
Below is an example of how this could be presented in your resume for a Marketing Manager:
| Skills & Abilities | Experience |
| Strategic thinking | Adept at developing long-term strategies that align with business objectives. |
| Excellent communication skills | Strong communication skills to convey marketing messages to various stakeholders, and ensure clients are satisfied with their results. |
| Analytical abilities | Use data to create successful campaigns, pivot as required, and drive conversions. |
| Project management | Skilled at managing multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring they stay on schedule and within budget. |
4. Outline Your Employment History
The employment history is another essential part of a resume as it demonstrates your career journey and experience.
This section should include information on any companies that you have been employed at for a substantial amount of time, the years of employment, and a brief description of the responsibilities and achievements in the role.
In general, you should only include employment stints of at least six months, as this demonstrates reliability and commitment to employers. However, there are exceptions. For example, if you were part of a short-term program, definitely include it on your resume but make it clear that the experience was time-limited by design.
It is also important to consider that your resume should only include the last 10-15 years of employment: anything beyond this is likely no longer relevant.
With so many exceptions to the rule, this is the part that often stumps people. If you need, feel free to reach out to a recruiter for tailored advice.
5. Introduce Your Educational Background
The education section of your resume is an outline of your education history. It should include where you have studied or are studying, the years and dates of schooling, and any accreditations you have earned.
This section should be quite current and should only include the most relevant details to the job you are applying for. For example, it’s best not to include your ATAR, unless you graduated from high school in the past three or so years.
This may also include educational achievements such as degrees, diplomas, certificates, and any academic honours you may have earnt. It’s also important to note if you are a student, you do not have to include your grades or ATAR in your resume unless your academic records have been specifically requested by the employer on the job advertisement outline.
6. List Personal Interests
Including interests in your resume is optional, however, it can be a really useful aspect to include to make your resume stand out by giving recruiters or potential employers an insight into your personality.
This can be really valuable for individuals who work or desire to work in more creative industries such as marketing, design, visual arts, music, architecture, advertising, film and video and more. What’s more, it gives the employer an idea of whether you’re a cultural fit for their business.
7. References
Including the statement “references available upon request” on your resume indicates your readiness to provide additional information to potential employers when requested, streamlining the document’s content and allowing you to present more pertinent details about your qualifications and experiences.
Make sure your references are reliable, knowledgeable on your work ethic and personality, and will give recruiters a good impression of you.
We highly recommend you give your referees a heads-up when you’ve applied for a role, so they know they could be contacted by a recruiter or potential employer in the coming weeks.
Generally speaking, you’ll want to have at least three references ready to provide upon request. It’s always best to select someone who has worked alongside you or above you, this may include a manager, co-worker or supervisor. However, if you are going for a management role, you may want to include a previous direct report.
Click here to download our resume template.
Common Resume Queries
If you still have doubts around the specifics of how to write a resume, we’ve prepared a few responses to some common inquiries so you can write your resume with ease.
Q: Which Resume Structure Should I Use?
There are many resume formats accessible for applicants to use when developing their resume. From a reverse chronological resume to a curriculum vitae (CV), there are many formats to select which can make picking the right one very difficult.
Most hiring managers or recruiters anticipate applicants using reverse chronological resumes, or resumes where your experiences and accomplishments are listed from newest to oldest. However, the format should be tailored to what type of role you are applying for. This may mean paying attention to which format of resume is most popular in your particular industry.
Q: What File Format Should My Resume Be?
In terms of the ideal file format for your resume, we generally recommend saving your resume as a PDF file, as PDFs maintain formatting and are able to be opened across different devices and operating systems.
Q: Can Your Resume Be Colourful or Have A Creative Design?
It is generally better to stick to a simple design and clear layout to ensure that regardless of where you apply, your resume is readable and easily understood. Colour can be used on a resume but it is best to minimise how much colour you use as you want your resume to not be too overwhelming for readers.
Nonetheless, this can depend on the industry. For a graphic designer or a role within a more creative field, you can make your resume more visually appealing if this is suitable for the company you are applying for.
With that said, you need to ensure your resume is comprehensible, with clear fonts, the right size of lettering and colour contrasts that are high enough to be interpreted by those who may be colour blind.
Q: Is It Bad To Have Spelling Mistakes On A Resume?
We recommend you check over your resume and receive another individual’s perspective prior to submitting it to ensure it is comprehensible and uses appropriate language. An alternative is to run your resume’s contents through an analysis tool such as spellcheck or Grammarly.
Q: What Do I Write If I Don’t Have Any Experience In The Job Field I’m Applying To?
If you don’t have any prior work experience in the industry or field you are applying for, the best alternative is to try and underline other efforts and experiences that may display transferable useful skills that you have that could be beneficial to the role and company you are applying for.
Although you may not have all the technical skills required for the role, it is still important to illustrate transferable skills, such as your professionalism and ability to learn. Another aspect that you can highlight on your resume is your educational history, volunteer experiences or any additional tasks you have worked on.
These can provide hiring managers with a better understanding of who you are and your abilities, even if you do not have any prior experience.
The Key Purpose
Our resume guide and template will assist you with any application and help you create a standout resume to draw the attention of potential employers.
If you have any further queries or concerns, contact us today so we can support you with your job search.