Résumé basics
I receive lots of questions about résumé writing. Here are a couple of recent ones.
Bob asks: “How is a résumé different from a CV?” The answer is it isn’t. Résumé is a French word and curriculum vitae Latin. The important thing to know is that whatever you call it, this is a document marketing your skills and experience in a positive way.
We have a free advice area on the CareerOne website that includes a dedicated section on Résumés. Go to www.careerone.com.au, click on the News & Advice tab and then click on Résumé.
To see sample documents, click on the “Résumé templates” link at the top of the section. Read the article Resume writing Australian style for the basics such as how long to make your CV, what fonts and layout to use, how to cover gaps in work history and more.
Krysta writes: “Should I include a ‘comments’ part at the bottom of my resume where I say it will be a pleasure to work you etc?”
No Krysta. You could include a paragraph in your cover letter explaining why you want to work for a particular employer but make sure your reasons are well-researched and genuine.
Wendy wants to know how to go about finding a professional resume writer. One way is to visit the Career Development Association of Australia’s website - http://www.cdaa.org.au/ - and use the “Find a practitioner” link at the top of the home page.
Other methods include using the Services & Products tab on the CareerOne website, looking at ads in this newspaper or asking people you know for a recommendation.
A couple of things to consider. The internet means you don’t have to restrict yourself to a professional writer in your city or state. You might need a graduate specialist or someone with experience preparing résumés for mature age workers. You can use the CDAA website for this or browse articles that have been prepared by various specialists in our Résumés section. For example, Migrant’s must adapt resumes for Australian employers or Creating the perfect graduate resume cover specialist areas.
Also, by reading through our article Resume writing Australian style you will also get a sense of what to expect. A professional will cost anything from $99 for a document generated by an online service such as www.iresume.net/ to $400 for a specialist writer. I would question any quote above that amount.
And lastly, a comment rather than a question. Darcy points out that I had left the accent off the word résumé in an article in December. He is right of course. Sometimes the production process turns Résumé into Resume (as seen in the titles of some articles I quoted above). Sorry.
