What you should include on your resume

Your resume should be a savvy sales document showcasing your key achievements. Every job you apply for is different, therefore tailored resumes will stand out from the rest.

What should you put on your resume?

Contact details

You would be amazed how many people don't include proper contact details on their resumes. It seems simple enough but is one of the most overlooked areas of a resume. Include your full name, address (country if you're applying internationally), email address and phone number. Include links to any online professional profile such as LinkedIn. 

Personal summary / Objective statement

This is a good opportunity to highlight what you hope to achieve in your next position, but it is optional. In marketing terms, this is the place for your ‘unique sales proposition’, or ‘USP’.

Include a key skills list

A bulleted list of three to five examples, relevant to the role you are applying for. Wherever possible, use the same adjectives as those used in the job posting.

Get in contact with a recruiting expert to help showcase your skills on your resume.  

Work experience

Briefly summarize the company and /or project and your role in the hierarchy. Be sure to document if the business name has changed.
 
Explain what you do and your key achievements 

• Duties must be concise, and achievements should demonstrate how you impacted the business, including quantified results.
• Include your techincal skills but more importantly, emphasize your soft skills. Technical skills can be learned through training and time, but soft skills are transferable to any role.
• Review the job description you are applying for and tie your achievements to the responsibilities of the job, showcasing you have the skillset and behaviors enabling you to be successful in this role.

Education

Depending on where you're at in your career, include your post-secondary education and most recent degree, or education in progress.

No references at this stage 
Actual references are typically not relevant at this stage. It is fine to say, ‘References are available on request’.

What should your resume look like?

Formatting

• Reverse-chronological format
• Your resume should be no more than two pages long
• It should be in a font such as Arial or Times New Roman
• Avoid too many font sizes (generally 12pt)
• Use bullet points where appropiate instead of large paragraphs of text which are hard to read quickly
• Proofread two or three times to ensure it's error free

Trouble getting started? Download our free guide with the essentials to write a winning resume!

Language

The language you use on your resume has a huge impact. It shows both your written communication skills and your competency of your expertise and skills.

• Action verbs: When communicating your achievements and results, using action verbs is one simple trick that will make you stand out. It makes you prove your strengths rather than listing them.  For example, instead of writing that you managed a team, try verbs such as ‘directed’, ‘guided’, ‘motivated’, ‘recruited’ or ‘united’. I.e. ‘I guided and motivated a team of three underperformers. After six months our key performance indictators had increased 25% YoY.’
• Avoid clichés: You don't want to downplay or dilute the skills and experience you have. For example, if you manage a team, you may want to include, "Excellent leadership skills" on your resume. However, how many other people say this same thing with no result? If you want to be considered for a job interview, you want to showcase this skill as an achievement.
  • Here are some common resume clichés to avoid:
    • "A great team player"
    • "A hard worker"
    • "Results driven"
    • "A fast learner"
    • "Strong attention to detail"
    • "Good communication skills"
• Avoid technical terms/company jargon that may not be familiar to your audience. Many companies have their internal language/terms/acronyms that you become so accustomed to, that you don't realize it's not the 'industry term'. You may include an excellent achievement on your resume but if no one can understand it, it won't help your chances.

Remember, hiring managers/recruiters are looking at heaps of resumes and on average look at resumes for 7 seconds before deciding to continue or not. Put together a winning resume with the above tips and you'll be one step closer to landing your dream job.