Your resume and application are often the first introduction an employer has to you. They don’t need to be complicated, but they should make it easy for an employer to understand your experience, skills and why you’re interested in the role.

Start with the job advertisement

Before updating your resume, read the job advertisement carefully.

Look for the skills, experience, qualifications and responsibilities the employer has highlighted. These give you a good indication of what they’re looking for and what you should focus on in your application.

Rather than sending exactly the same resume for every job, make small changes so the most relevant information is easy to find.

What to include in your resume

A clear resume will usually include:

• Your name and contact details

• A short professional summary

• Employment history

• Education, qualifications and relevant training

• Key skills

• Licences, tickets or certifications where relevant

• Referees, or a note that referees are available on request

List your most recent experience first and keep the layout simple and easy to read.

Describe what you actually did

Job titles alone don't always explain your experience.

Under each previous role, include a few points describing your responsibilities, skills and achievements.

Instead of:

Customer Service

Try:

Assisted customers with enquiries, processed transactions and resolved customer concerns in a busy retail environment.

Specific information helps an employer understand what you can actually do.

Don't overlook your transferable skills

Your relevant experience doesn't have to come from an identical job.

Skills can come from previous employment, education, volunteering, community involvement, caring responsibilities, sport and other experiences.

Depending on the role, this might include communication, leadership, teamwork, organisation, problem solving, working with people or managing competing priorities.

Writing your application

Some employers will ask for a cover letter, written response or answers to specific questions.

Use these as an opportunity to connect your experience directly to the position.

Rather than simply saying you're a hard worker or good communicator, give a brief example that demonstrates it.

Keep your response relevant to the role and follow any instructions in the advertisement, including requested documents, word limits or selection criteria.

Before you submit

Take a few minutes to check:

Have I included the correct contact details?Is my employment and education information current?Have I addressed what the employer is looking for?Have I checked spelling, dates and formatting?Have I attached everything requested?

It can also help to save your documents with clear file names such as:

FirstName_LastName_Resume.pdf

rather than something like ResumeFinal2NEW.pdf.

Application ready?

Keep a copy of everything you submit, including your resume, cover letter and the original job advertisement. If you're invited to an interview, these will help you prepare.