Job Seeking Skills

Resume Guide

First you must explore the details of your own life so that you can produce not only names, dates and places, but the skills and accomplishments that you demonstrated in those times and places. You must then translate your skills and accomplishments into the language of the job you are seeking or the industry that you are qualified for/interested in. Under each section of the resumé, jot down all the details you can think of. You will never use them in the final version of your resumé, but you will select out the details which are most relevant to the job you are applying for. A concise, achievement orientated resumé is the most effective - one to two pages at the most.

• Personal Details
• Education
• Employment
• Skills
• Positions of responsibility and interests
• Referees
• Resumé example

Commence with your Personal Details. This section should contain your name, contact address, telephone number/s, email address if you have one, and date of birth (which is optional).

Education. Here, you cite your final school examination (TEE and if you wish, your TES score), your tertiary studies/qualifications (written in full, not just "B.A." of "B.Sc") and any additional studies/certificates/professional development you may have undertaken at TAFE or with private training providers. Always list the years that you have pursued these. Do not list the units or courses you have completed together with the gradings, as employers would prefer to see your academic transcript. Itís a good idea, however, to have a sub-heading on Academic Strengths or Concentrations, ensuring that they are practical and employment related. Please note thatthe enclosure of your Academic Transcript is optional, unless the employer specifically asks for it.

As a graduate or undergraduate, you may not have had any relevant paid or vacation work experience. You may, however, have had experience working in a fast food store or supermarket. Whilst this should be listed in your resume, it has the danger of swinging the main impact of your resumé away from the skills you acquired from your academic study. It is therefore advisable to have a section containing your Related Experience such as consulting, tutoring/training others, your research and team projects which you have undertaken. Perhaps you have been engaged in, or assisted in university (or community) clubs/associations. Your assistance  may have been in the form of active contributions, lobbying for new members, organising fund-raising events, committee work, taking minutes etc. These can go under the heading University Activities. All of this suggests to the employer that you have initiative, that you are a good team member, that you can work independently and that you are capable of making decisions.

The next section,Employment, can support a host of different headings which would be more applicable to you. Part-Time and Vacation Employment; Employment as a Student; Relevant Employment and Other Employment to name a few. List the job title, the name of the organisation, the dates you worked there (months are optional) and a brief duty statement. Unrelated work experience such as "Cashier" at a supermarket is self-explanatory and does not require details (unless you were promoted, trained others or took on more responsibility which could be considered as work transferable). A good idea is to list a major achievement under each relevant job or at least use action verbs to make performance statements such as "Reviewed and edited text for a group field report" of "Designed a market survey for a telemarketing organisation". These action verbs and others such as 'implemented', 'established', 'initiated' etc. make for dynamic resume statements.

Skills. Do you have proficiency in languages, computer applications, special licences? These can go under the heading skills. The section should cover 'technical skills' such as computing or accounting and more general 'generic skills' such as communication or teamwork skills. Click here for more information on skills.

Positions of responsibility and interests. Employers need to know that you are not a one dimensional person with no extra-curricular activities. These can also say a lot about your suitability for particular jobs as well. For example, even playing tennis for your university can indicate a team orientation, an ability to handle a busy life and at outgoing personality. A remarkable array of skills can be evidenced through memberships and active involvement in clubs and community organisations.

Finally, Referees. List the names, jobtitle, organisation and telephone numbers of up to three referees. They can be listed under Academic, Professional/Work, and Character.