User:Gaelyn/Books/SoupHub
SoupHub
Curriculum Vitae Resources
- General information for writing a CV
SOUPHUB – Constructing a Resume:
Everybody needs a current resume close at hand. You never know when a great opportunity might arise, and it’s good to be ready.
Presentation and Format Hardly any resumes are printed and sent in the post these days, so – unless a posted application is specifically required – don’t bother shopping for 100% cotton fibre watermarked parchment.
Pay attention to submission requirements. Most organisations are happy with simple documents created in Word and saved as a .doc, .docx or .rtf file. To retain your formatting and fonts, you could save your resume as a PDF; but first make sure PDFs are accepted. Otherwise, use a standard font and keep images out.
Increasingly, larger organisations are using electronic application tracking systems. Resumes are also commonly distributed internally, emailed and photocopied. This means that a simple, plain resume layout is preferred.
Personal details Don't waste time with a cover sheet. List your name and contact details at the top of the first page, including your address (suburb and state is fine) and a telephone contact number. Include your email address only if it is private and you can check for incoming messages at least once a day. As a general rule, don't include your work number unless you have a private office where you can take a phone call without being overheard.
Using a mobile number is a good idea, but make sure that you’re able to take incoming calls. If you might miss the call, make sure your voicemail message is appropriately professional.
It is no longer usual to include details under headings such as gender, age, marital status, religion, ethnicity or health. Some experts strongly counsel against including these details. It can make your resume look dated and this personal information is not relevant to your ability to do the job. If any of the factors are relevant and an employer has an exemption to discriminate on these grounds, mention the appropriate information in your cover letter.
Career objective Differences of opinion exist about including a career objective. Some experts dislike them, viewing them as an Americanism, clichéd or adding no value. If you do use one, expect to rewrite it, even slightly, to match each job you apply for. Three sample career objectives: • Accountant An accounting position in a blue-chip media/entertainment company. Long-term plans are to advance into a management position with responsibility for financial functioning of the firm. • Graphic designer To obtain an entry-level position as a graphic designer that will utilise my creative and organisational skills and will provide an intense learning experience. • Retail manager To become a store manager in a national retail chain with opportunities to advance to state sales management.
Professional experience The best resumes are brief and informative, so every word in this section must work hard for you. As a general rule, include more details about your current job, and less details the older the job. If you've been in the workforce for some period of time, simply list the position, company and dates of your earlier or least relevant jobs. You are not obliged to list every job you've ever had, but you should highlight relevant experience whenever it occurred.
A tactic for older job seekers is to only list jobs since, say, 2000. If possible, illustrate career development in your resume. If you have "downsized" your career or moved sideways, you may wish to include a brief reference to the circumstances that motivated your move. For instance, "By accepting a less senior position, I was able to accommodate part-time graduate study. In this role, I..."
"The best resumes are brief and informative"
Company and title Make a decision about whether the companies you have worked for are more important than the job titles. The most important information should go first, followed by the job title on a new line. Stay consistent, though, to allow for quick scanning and comprehension.
Job summary Don't just describe your duties and responsibilities. Emphasise your achievements and show how you contributed to your employer's business. Carefully consider how you can quantify your goals and achievements.
As an example: "Transformed an inefficient call centre with low morale into an organised, lean and quality focused organisation, increasing revenue by 12 per cent, decreasing costs by 20 per cent and decreasing staff turnover by 25 per cent."
In some cases there won't be a quantitative measure of your achievements. Find other ways to show your contribution. For example:
"Conducted a production inventory and calculated costs as a consultant to a national retailer; findings led to a shift in the purchasing strategy"
There may not have been a problem in the first place. You did however initiate an action and get a result.
"As a self-employed contractor, set up databases for organisations that led to increased productivity for account managers."
Education The level of detail depends on the balance between your qualifications and your work experience. It may be suitable for school leavers and graduates with little experience to list selected classes and to include results if these are better than average (or requested). Don’t just list everything you did at high school.
As a general guide, the less recent your qualification, the less information you provide. A typical format lists the name of the qualification, the date you graduated, the institution which granted it and your major. For example:
BA, 2006, Victoria University of Wellington Major: History
Add the name of any scholarships or awards you have won to the second line. If you are partway through a qualification, list it like this: Graduate Diploma in Public Relations (RMIT) study commenced 2009
Begin with the highest level of educational achievement. You can leave out details about high school if you have a higher degree or qualification.
The education section usually follows the employment details unless you are recently graduated or you are pursuing an academic position where your educational achievements are more relevant.
"A new employer generally won't contact referees until they have selected a preferred candidate — or if they are trying to decide between two candidates."
References and referees It is increasingly uncommon for past employers to provide written references. Instead, a new employer will want the names and contact details of referees — people who know you well and can be contacted to check the details in your resume.
Choose your referees carefully. You must gain someone's agreement before listing them as a referee. A new employer generally won't contact referees until they have selected a preferred candidate — or if they are trying to decide between two candidates.
Consider not including details of your referees on your resume. Instead, under a heading "Referees", note that referees are available on request. Once you have been interviewed you can offer details of referees. It is a courtesy to advise referees that they may be contacted. It is also a valuable opportunity to tell them briefly about the position, what it involves and to gently remind them of your relevant skills.
Sometimes a job advertisement or position description will specifically ask for the names of referees to be included with your application. In such cases, of course, include them.
- Refining your CV
Optional extras A good resume is as brief as possible. Only include items listed below if they will truly strengthen your application. • Professional training • Professional affiliations and memberships • Licences and accreditations • Knowledge of foreign languages • Publications • Special accomplishments such as awards • Interests
Tailoring your resume Ideally, tailor your resume for each application you submit. Every job is unique and requires a different mix of skills and experience. Don't focus your resume on what you want. Instead, understand the needs and problems facing the employer. Research the company and industry to work out what problems and challenges the company faces. If you are responding to an advertised vacancy, read the ad closely to identify what issues or problems the successful candidate needs to solve.
Next, go through your work history, retrieving the skills and experience most relevant to this employer and position. Summarize or leave out those parts of your work history which won't help you get the job. Essentially, you are emphasising some skills and achievements and de -emphasizing others. Don't lie.
As part of this process, give some thought to what tone to use in your application. For example, aggressively selling yourself may suit a high-powered sales role. A graphic artist might want to develop a resume that reflects their creativity.
Once you have written the resume be sure to get somebody you trust to read it. An objective opinion can help improve your resume, but keep in mind that there are many different ideas about the ideal presentation. Weigh advice carefully (including ours). "… tailor your resume for each application you submit"
'Different resume formats There are two main ways to organise your resume: Chronological structure: The chronological resume is the most common way of structuring your information. It lists your work experience and achievements in each job, beginning with the most recent. Hybrid model: The hybrid format highlights your strengths by placing your skills, experience and abilities at the beginning, and a chronologically ordered list of experience toward the end, as in this example.
See examples of each of these styles in the next section, below. Each format is suited to different circumstances, which are listed here:
Your status
- The most relevant work experience was not the most recent. Therefore the hybrid model is best because it orders according to skills and experience but still has the dates.
- I'm changing industries. There the hybrid option is the best because it can highlight the transferable skills that are relevant to the position.
- I'm changing companies within the same industry. Therefore the chronological resume is the best in this situation. It shows a career path clearly and shows that you are career-minded.
- I want to move into a related industry. For example: photography into multimedia. Therefore a chronological CV shows how your career has developed over the years and that your career change is a logical step.
- I want to return to a previous role eg, a technical person that entered management but wanted to go back to being technical. Therefore the hybrid resume is the best because it stresses the job where they would prefer to continue their career rather than which was the most recent job.
- I've had several positions in the same organisation and would now like to focus on one functional area. Therefore the hybrid resume is perfect because the candidate can focus on the functional area that was preferred even if it wasn't the most recent.
- I'm re-entering the workforce. Therefore the hybrid option is perfect because it draws on and emphasises the skills and experience the person may have picked up while not working or before leaving the workforce.
- I've been in the same job for years and I'm scared the employer will think I'm unambitious or unmotivated.Therefore the hybrid resume is the best in this situation because it focuses on the skills learnt rather that the jobs over a time period.
- I tend to jump around a lot between jobs. Therefore the hybrid resume will 'package' the transferable skills of this person.
- I'm a graduate with little experience. Therefore the hybrid option is perfect because it draws on and emphasises the skills and experience the graduate may have picked up while studying doing internships or part-time jobs. It is also a good idea to emphasise training and education over non-related work experience.
- Template for a Chronological CV
Example of a Chronological format
ANNA KING
Address: Melbourne VIC 3000
Home phone: (03) 9999 1234
Work phone: (03) 9999 5678
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Marketing Manager (Melbourne) 2007-present time
The Wine and Food Emporium
Duties:
- Manage a staff of 18 people
- Liaise with advertising agencies (above and below the line) and brief in all campaigns
- Responsible for $15 million dollar advertising budget and $80 million turnover
- Launched two new brands onto national market gaining 15 per cent and 22 per cent market share respectively within two years, earning the MIA's 2001 Award for Best New Product.
- Generated over $200,000 of free trade-journal publicity
Marketing Research Manager 2002-2007
Di Pastio Pasta Products (Queensland)
Duties:
• Co-ordinate focus groups with key market segments (2/month)
• Brief Market Research Field Teams (15 teams of 5 people) to conduct in-store demonstrations
• Manage telemarketing team of 40 staff, inbound and outbound
• Write and present benchmark reports for CEO and Board of Directors, with findings being used as the basis for a brand extension that resulted in sales of $2.5 million in the last financial year.
EDUCATION University of Queensland, Bachelor of Business (Marketing) 2005 Seacliff TAFE, Associate Diploma in Marketing 2001 COMPUTERS Platforms: Apple, Windows Software: MS Windows Vista, MS Office, Adobe PageMaker. Typing: 65 WPM TRAINING Train the Trainer Accreditation SPECIAL SKILLS • Co-author of seven articles for "Marketing Management" magazine • Key note speaker at the International MIA Annual Conference attended by 2,500 industry professionals • Board Member for "Life Skills For Youth" organisation and head of Mentoring Programme. • French (fluent in speech and written) REFERENCES Available on request. ________________________________________
- Template for a Hybrid CV
Example of a Hybrid format ________________________________________ ANNA KING Address: Melbourne VIC 3000 Home phone: (03) 9999 1234 Work phone: (03) 9999 5678
OBJECTIVE: Senior Marketing Manager SUMMARY Nine years in sales and marketing with a broad range of experience from ground-floor sales and merchandising to marketing management with an international producer and exporter of fine food and wine. MANAGEMENT Managed a marketing team of 18 people, telemarketing teams of 75 people and was responsible for a $15 million dollar advertising budget. Responsible for the client/agency liaison between mainstream, below-the-line and data management agencies. Responsible for the overall profitability of five brands, four of which are market leaders in both share and volume. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT Launched two brands onto the national market with each brand gaining a market share of 15 per cent and 22 per cent respectively within two years. FINANCIAL Prepared quarterly and annual budget reports. Presented and reviewed the forecasts to senior management and represented the Australian management team at the International MIA Conference held in Chicago last December. MARKETING RESEARCH Co-ordinated focus groups (24 per year) and managed a team of 75 in-store market researchers to conduct field demonstrations. Presented research findings to management teams, which used the information as the basis for their product development plans, resulting in the extension of a brand that brought in sales of $2.1 million in the 2008-2009 financial year. SALES Ground floor experience in sales and merchandising with international fast-moving packaged goods company. Territory Manager for North Western region covering 78 stores, 12 product lines and approximately 28 sales promotional events per year. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY Date: 2007-present time Company: The Wine and Food Emporium Title: Marketing Manager (Melbourne) Duties: Responsible for a team of 18 people with an advertising budget of $15 million spread over 5 product lines. Chief liaison between client and agency and responsible for branding and product awareness. Increased turnover to $80 million dollars in the last financial year, a 15 per cent increase and was awarded the MIA's 2001 Best New Product. Generated over $200,000 of free trade-journal publicity in the last year.
Date: 2003-2007 Company: Di Pastio Pasta Products (Sydney) Title: Marketing Research Manager Duties: Responsible for the management, co-ordination, recruitment and placement of 75 in-store demonstrators including an in-bound and out-bound telemarketing survey conducted in conjunction with the sampling demonstrations. Presented research findings to CEO level and was instrumental in the development of a new brand extension which resulted in a profit of $2.1 million for the company. EDUCATION University of Queensland, Bachelor of Business (Marketing), 2002 Seacliff TAFE, Associate Diploma in Marketing, 1999 REFEREES Available on request. ________________________________________
- Template for a Basic CV
Name Date Created
Personal Particulars
Name: Address: Telephone: Email: Date of Birth: [Delete line if you prefer]
Career Goals
[Insert your career goals here] [For example: "My aim is to develop a career in ..... (refer to the kind of position you are applying for). My specific area of interest is ..... (focus attention to a particular interest if applicable)..... . My longer term career goals are ..... (if beneficial to your application add your future career aspirations here)....."]
Education Background
[Optional: write a short paragraph higlighting a special project.]
Employment History
Additional Skills
[If applicable use this space to highlight other skills or accomplishments eg. First aid, community service, etc.]
Career Goals
[If applicable use this space to include other Career Goals/Objectives.]
Professional Affiliations
[Optional: use this space to highlight professional organisations you may be a member of.]
Achievements
[Optional: use this space to highlight any work achievements.]
Extracurricular Activities
[Give a brief list and description of any hobbies, interests or other activies that you would like to mention.]
Referees
[List your referees and their contact details.]
- Template for a Professional CV
Name 23-Jul-2012 ADDRESS DETAILS
Telephone: Email: Date of Birth: [Delete line if you prefer]
Career Objective
[Insert your career goals here]
[For example: "My aim is to develop a career in ..... (refer to the kind of position you are applying for). My specific area of interest is ..... (focus attention to a particular interest if applicable)..... . My longer term career goals are ..... (if beneficial to your application add your future career aspirations here)....."]
Education Background
Skills Summary
[List other skills here:] • Describe other skills like Communication, Teamwork, Research, etc. • Use point form and be brief and concise
[If applicable use this space to highlight other skills or accomplishments eg. First aid, community service, etc]
Career Goals
[If applicable use this space to include other Career Goals/Objectives.]
Achievements
[Optional: use this space to highlight any work achievements.]
Employment History
Professional Affiliations
[Optional: use this space to highlight professional organisations you may be a member of.]
Extracurricular Interests
[Give a brief list and description of any hobbies, interests or other activies that you would like to mention.]
Referees
[List your referees and their contact details.]
