Your resume; it is the first (and often tallest) hurdle standing between you and your dream job. The task of producing a resume can be a daunting one, to say the least. With little-to-no idea what the employer really wants to see, writing a resume can be as difficult as getting an Arts student to a nine o’clock lecture. There are also a plethora of mistakes people tend to make, mistakes that can cost you the job. Luckily, there are a set of rules that can ensure your resume doesn’t end up on the office pin board alongside a Fred Basset cut out. Firstly:

• Everyone is aware that you need to pop in your contact details at the top of your resume, but for some reason unknown to us here at the Careers Service, many people don’t adjust those details for their job search. Let me draw your attention to the following three exhibits:

  • hotchick69@hotmail.com 
  • givememoremoney@hotmail.com
  • snuggelywuddely@hotmail.com


What is wrong with this picture? Now let me assure you, each one of these examples is real and was put in prime position on the top of a resume. Trust me, there’s always a bin pile for employers who are looking through resumes and an address of equal or less stupidity to the aforementioned will ensure your resume ends up there before it’s even read. Including a photo can have the same effect:

• Think about how your resume will be received by a fifty-year-old, balding blue collar manager if there is a facebook picture on you on it looking a little seedy, sexual or downright drunk. The application process is brutal and you will be judged on everything you hand in. A picture provides a thousand insults and any conclusion or stereotype that can be drawn from it, will be. So unless it’s specifically requested, don’t include your picture. Save your ego and let them find out what you look like at the interview.

• Spelling is yet another potential window for the binning of a otherwise perfectly good resume. It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to hand in your resume proudly emblazoned with Batchelor of Law. Check your Office dictionary and language settings - the use of American spelling can also alienate your future employer (‘s’ is your friend while ‘z’ is a dirty foreigner!) The bottom line is, get someone else to read over it before you hand it in. Remember, the most common typing error, ‘teh,’ is actually a word according to many spell checkers, so you can never be too careful. Needless to say, leave the text-speak in your pocket or expect to get a big “C U l8r” from any potential employer.

• The inclusion of hobbies and interests is a must have in your application, but herein lies another potential trap, so beware. You must keep them wholesome and completely devoid of controversy. The following are some examples of both good and bad hobbies or interests:

Good:

  • Learning a musical instrument.
  • Playing sport (especially a team sport – unless you are looking at getting into banking, in which case make sure “Golf” appears somewhere in there)
  • Computers and Technology (not to be confused with online gaming, general computer skills are a must for almost all jobs in the current market)
  • Bad: 
  • Pulling the wings off of bugs or frying ants with a magnifying glass.
  • Roleplaying in the World of Warcraft or “pwning” your mates at Team Fortress 2 (while it is increasingly popular, online gaming is still a no-no for your resume).
  • Being a member of the University Atheist Club or Young (or old?) Liberal Party. 


Okay the first two were not serious, but the last point is important. Do NOT include your political or religious affiliations and keep it brief, clean and relevant. Sharing the knowledge that you take pole dancing classes, are a healthy non-smoker or that you like walks on the beach and tequila will not assist you in any way. Above all else, don’t go to the effort of making something up so you seem interesting. If it stands out you will be asked about it, so while it seemed like a good idea at the time, bear in mind you probably will be asked about your new passion for beekeeping during the interview.

• It’s also a good idea to include your soft and hard skills and graduate attributes. Yes, that’s right, all of us who graduate from this fine establishment have a list of attributes we have gained form our course work and to put it bluntly; you’d be a fool not to include them in your resume. Just make sure you personalise the dot points.

o Soft skills are the skills you get from being a member of your netball team or Spanish club, such as interpersonal skills or the ubiquitous “works well with others.”
o Hard skills are the tangible skills you have gained from your degree or outside activities – if you think it is useful information, your ability to hang upside down on a pole whilst gyrating to Brittany Spears would go here.

• Your referee list is possibly one of the most important aspects of your resume. Go for quality over quantity and make sure you include at least two. Touch base with them every now and again to let them know what jobs you’re applying for and make sure they’ll actually say good things about you. Employers usually ring the referees once they know they want you for the job so an average review could mean you’ll lose the job to someone else.

• Finally try to keep the resume length to no less than two pages and no more than five. Remember, the employer could be sorting through hundreds of resumes exactly like yours so don’t assume they will read the whole thing. This means keeping your most important information on the first page and keeping it as simple as humanly possible. If it’s too complex or difficult to understand at first glance, they won’t even bother.