Seems straightforward right? But you would not believe how many applicants do not know the basics. It’s always good to familairise yourself with these
tenets to ensure that you don't miss an opportunity because you failed to provide the details the employer needs to make a decision. Read below to find out about the most important sections of your resume or CV.
Contact Info
This should include your full name, e-mail address and phone number. Your full address is optional, rather, you can include the city and country. Your linkedIn profile can also be included, especially if you have recommendations or other information that you'd like the employer to see. Other web links are encouraged as well if they serve as a portfolio of your work. e.g. GitHub
Profile, Objective or Summary
These are extremely helpful because they draw the reader in. This section highlights the skills and experience you bring to the table or convey your career objective. It’s very improtant to know which should be used and in which instance. (Post on this coming soon)
Skills
You can include technical skills and soft skills that are relevant to the osition and that are demonstarted in the bulet points in your resume. Do not use cliches or buzzwords. Anyone can be a people person. A dog can be a people person. Instead, show how you were able to build rapport in you professional experience section. Always use the job description to ensure you are highlighting the skills that the employer needs.
Professional Experience
This is the most important section on your resume. This is where you convince the employer that you are in fact the best candidate for the job. You should have concise bullet points that not only convey what you did but the value you added to the organisation. Think quantifiable results and achievements.
Things to rememeber:
Use consistent tense throughoout. Past tense for past jobs, present tense for current jobs
You do not have to list all and sundry. Tailor your resume to the vacancy and highlight the most applicable details, however,
If writing a CV then the more details, the merrier!
Use strong action words to start your bullet poits
e.g. Wrote articles for online magazine VS
Authored over 50 articles for online magazine whiched helped to establish a strong social media following
Education
This outlines your educational background. Include the name of the degrees you attained and honours earned. If you are a recent graduate you can also include your GPA. Remidner that your primary school information is not relevant! Think Post Graduate, Undergraduate, Diplomas, Associate Degrees and High School. You do not have to include your high school information if you hold a Master’s Degree. Dop you think the employer cares that you hold 8 CXC passes at this point? However, if you are attempting to leverage an alumae network, then by all means include it.
Other Sections
Depending on your years of experience and training you can include other sections which seek to convince the employer why they should hire you:
Training and Certifications
Languages
Affiliations
Interest and Activities
So now that you've reviewed the essentials, take a look at your document and determine if there's anything that needs to be changed or updated. Need help with this task? Then consider pursuing a resume crafting service with us. Your career story is waiting to be told!
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