Tips For Writing Your Resume and Cover Letter

Have you ever read your resume and cover letter over and over thinking that looks perfect, then you wait and wait and do not receive any phone calls or emails to come in for an interview. Here are some quick tips on how to ‘perfect’ your resume writing skills!

1) Tailor your resume!

You get bored reading the same generic story repeatedly. This is the same for a cover letter and resume! Hiring managers are looking for that outstanding candidate who can demonstrate their abilities specific to the role advertised. Read the job requirements and outline your experience to address each of these points. Don’t wait for the interview to sell yourself, the resume and cover letter is your first point of contact!

2) Check the hiring manager’s name and address it to the right person. Check any reference numbers or titles.

Every job ad has a contact name, make sure to address your cover letter to them instead of madam/sir etc. Imagine someone referred to you as madam, but you are in fact, a sir! You would be quite offended! Specify the job reference in your cover letter, it does not look professional if you don’t know what job you’re applying for.

3) Format your resume.

It takes a few minutes to tidy up your resume and to check for any grammatical errors. Use clear bullet points and chronological order to ensure your resume is easy to read. Check the acceptable file format that the hiring manager requests, there’s no point sending a document that they can’t open! Use professional email addresses, do you think someone applying for a senior management role with the email address ‘r0ckch1ck_59@hotmail.com’ looks serious?

4) Double check your contact details.

Make sure the hiring manager can contact you. Is your email address correct? Is your phone number correct? Do you have the country code if it’s an international phone number?

5) Relevance… again!

Relevance is key! Relevant job experience, relevant qualifications, relevant skills. Remember that!

On average, the hiring manager will look at a resume for 6-8 seconds, and if you don’t grab their attention in the intial preview, then better luck next time!