How To Australian-ise Your Resume For SpotJobs Career Expo Melbourne
Date: Sunday 22 July 2018 1:30pm – 2:00pm
Organisation: SpotJobs Career Expo
Venue: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre 2 Clarendon Street, South Wharf, Melbourne Victoria 3006
Invitation from: Career Development Association of Australia (CDAA)
Topic: “How to Australian-ise your Resume”
PowerPoint Slides:
Audio Recording: (00:31:03 14.2MB) https://web.archive.org/web/20221023024836/https://sueellson.com/downloads/20180722-spotjobs-career-expo-melbourne-how-to-australian-ise-your-resume.m4a
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD2GFFTU4_s
Bonus: Everyone who entered the draw also received the top 20 tips from all three of Sue Ellson’s books and an invitation to connect on LinkedIn and Two Sample Resumes (ATS and One Page Referral)
Event Guide: http://careerexpo.com.au/event-guide/view.html?page=6Archive Linkhttp://careerexpo.com.au/assets/2018-Expo/2018-CDAA-Workshop-Schedule.pdf
Text from slides:
How to Australian-ise your Resume
SpotJobs Career Expo
Sue Ellson BBus MIML MAHRI CDAA ASA MPC
1:30pm
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
22 July 2018
https://www.cdaa.org.au/find-a-practitioner/search/?command=viewEntityContact&entityType=0&entitySerial=8293&membershipSerial=8293
#1 Are you getting interviews?
. if you aren’t getting interviews, your resume isn’t working for you
. if you are getting interviews but you are but are not getting a job,
then it is a question of ‘fit’ for the role and the organisation
. consider adding Ms or Mr to clarify
#2 Is it easy to pronounce your name and identify if you are male or female?
. consider an ‘Anglo’ name for the job search process
. generally, do not include a photo
. the skills need to match the job description in a similar order
#3 Is your resume tailored for each specific role?
. everything needs to be in the resume (not just the cover letter) as some Applicant Tracking Systems do not include the cover letter
. opinion varies on length (but keyword opinion doesn’t)
#4 How long is your resume?
. describe achievements, particularly for senior roles, next to each specific job
. consider a one page version if you receive a referral
#5 Don’t start with foreign information
. not education from foreign countries
. not experience only from foreign countries
(start with skills and recognisable information)
. put this information on page 2 or beyond
#6 Don’t include a passport photo
. especially a photo where you are not smiling
. most resumes in Australia do not have a photo
. most resumes in Australia do have a LinkedIn Profile link
#7 Don’t include unnecessary personal information
. no need to include marital status, age, date of birth,
details of referees, other languages before English
#8 Make it scan friendly
. does it look good on a mobile device?
. is it easy to read, particularly the first page (short bullet points)
. keep the formatting simple – plain and bold text – no underlining, text boxes, fancy fonts or images especially if going into an Applicant Tracking System
#9 Does it include a career summary?
. this can help make it easy to review quickly, particularly if it is
on the front page of the resume
. whilst functional resumes are suggested for career changers, most people prefer chronological resumes where they do not have to interpret information
#10 Consistent Formatting
. write your mobile phone number as +61 402 123 456
so that it can be clicked and called or messaged
. do not have use an unprofessional email address
. your address details are optional
. do not include a landline number as you will appear ‘unemployed’
#11 Never lie
. do not, under any circumstances, provide false information
. you can massage the message, to help explain gaps or personal circumstances – it is better to go from a job than from no job
#12 No spelling mistakes
. if you need a proof reader, get one
. keep formatting consistent – tabs, bullet points, no need to have full stops on the end of bullet points (stops the eye)
. use both full name and acronyms to appear in more search results
#13 What are the standards in your industry?
. find out from people or experts in the industry
(for example, medical is very different to graphic design)
. don’t forget to include professional memberships and certifications and possibly secure the Australian equivalent
#14 Explain your Qualifications
. you may need to have them ‘converted’ to an
Australian equivalent and be professionally translated
https://liveinmelbourne.vic.gov.au/work/overseas-qualification-unit
#15 Make it Memorable
. what can you do to make it stick in the minds of the reader
(not a Poker playing Accountant)
. include something about your interests to help humanise your resume
#16 Include your LinkedIn URL
. make sure you have already personalised it to your own name
https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/settings
#17 Put like information together
. all of the individual items can be
added at the end for easy reference
(ie Education, Certifications, Interests, Work Rights, Multiple Languages, LinkedIn URL, Mobile Phone, Email,
Referees Available on Request)
#18 Provide brief descriptions for all companies
. established in XXXX year, XYZ Company provides…..
. also include website URL for reference
#19 Remember, it MUST match the job description or organisation requirements
. If you are looking for a role within an organisation, make sure you include additional information suitable for other roles if you are going to be ‘kept on file’
#20 Triple CHECK everything
. Including clickable links that they actually work,
spelling, grammar (be consistent) – don’t cram too much onto one page
https://www.cdaa.org.au/find-a-practitioner
Email sueellson @ sueellson.com or
SMS +61 402 243 271 and include your
first name and email address and receive
. These slides and recording
. An invitation to connect to Sue Ellson on LinkedIn
. Top 20 Tips from all three books
120 Ways To Achieve Your Purpose With LinkedIn
120 Ways To Attract The Right Career Or Business
120 Ways To Market Your Business Hyper Locally
You can see all of other Melbourne Career Expo Presentations here.