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Resume writing tips, career advice and interview strategies to help you get the job you want!

Be Prepared When Your Ideal Job Or Promotion Is Advertised!

Are you ready for when your ideal job or promotion gets listed? Or do you leave it to the last minute?

I’m Kathryn Burke, and I have the privilege of leading a fabulous team of Career Consultants across Australia under the banner of Résumés for Results.

We often come across this issue when clients come to us, and they have nothing prepared to help us write their resume, a professional resume. Whether you are writing your resume or asking a resume writer for help, you need to be prepared and not reactive if you’re serious about getting that job or promotion.

Tips To Prepare For Your Resume Writing

So what can you do? Well, I’ve got three simple tips for you today. Maybe a bonus one – let’s see how we go.

Tip 1: Have A Master Resume!

I can hear you saying, “What! What is a master resume?”

A master resume is your whole career – from the first job, or maybe just the last 10 years. It depends how long you’ve been in work. It is everything that you have done – the role titles; the dates; the key things that you did in each role; and, what you’ve achieved. Then you use parts of your master resume for each job application you submit.

Tip 2: Create A Brag Book!

Create a brag book to showcase all the things that you have done in your current job and previous jobs. For example:

Write these down as they happen. Write down the situation, what tasks you did, the impact of what you did, and the result. They’re the things that are going to get you a job. And then you can pick the relevant ones for each job application that you submit.

Tip 3: Have Your Elevator Pitch Prepared!

What is an elevator pitch?

Well, an elevator pitch is your response to the question, “Why should I employ you? Joe Blow over here’s got the same skills and experiences as you. What’s the difference between you two?”

You have to have your answer set in your mind so you don’t stumble over your response when asked.

Where is the best place to include your elevator pitch? At the top of your resume (i.e. in your summary) and in your statement of claim (letter) as to why you’re the best candidate for the job.

Bonus Tip – How Do You Organise Your Resume!

The way you organise your resume, what you put first or what you put last makes a difference?
Ask yourself, “What are they looking for?” and map/align this to the job description or the promotion? Then, put the most relevant information above the fold. You’re probably wondering what that means. Does anybody read a newspaper? When you buy a newspaper, it is usually folded. Whatever is above the fold gets people’s attention first. Apply this to your resume. Put the most relevant information in the first third (above the fold) of the first page. This will get the attention of the recruiter, the employer, or the reader of your resume.

If you would like to know more about the author Kathryn Burke, click here.

Do you need help putting together a professional cover letter for your resume? 

Contact our Career Consultants at Résumés for Results TODAY to discuss how we can assist you. You can call us on 1800 155 895 or send us an email to find out more. 

 We also provide and specialise in cover letter writing, interview coaching and job search advice. 

We offer services across Australia, including all capital cities and regional areas. Resume Writers bring years of experience to the table, with a full range of career services available. Résumés for Results are here to assist you to succeed.

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