Writing the Resume

You have found a suitable job advertisement, and you know you meet many of the
requirements! Are you ready to write a resume that will get you shortlisted for an
interview?

For a quick review of how to write an effective resume, you could:

1. Refer to some great tips at: Jobscan. 2018. Resume Writing Guide. [online]
Available at https://www.jobscan.co/resume-writing-guide

2. Check out: Resume Template Word [online]. Available at: http://bit.ly/2Rj6adE

3. Go through the rest of the slides for a quick lesson on ‘Writing the Resume’.
Let’s review: What’s a resume?

• An efficient compilation of qualifications, professional experience and

skills that makes the applicant stand out as highly suitable for the job.

• It is what and how an applicant presents his/her merit and skills to the
recruiter.

• The contents of the resume should be clearly and concisely presented in

1-2 pages.

• An effective resume should grab the recruiter’s attention in 6 seconds.

How is a resume different from a CV?
 Key sections to INCLUDE in a resume

1. Contact information
2. Personal Profile / Executive Summary
3. Work experience
4. Qualifications/Education
5. Skills
6. Community Service / Engagement

Omit any information that is irrelevant to the job.

CONTACT INFORMATION
should be updated and with appropriate email address,
e.g. ‘bennywong98@gmail.com’
(but not ‘iluvlucy@gmail.com’)

PERSONAL PROFILE / EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

describes the applicant, the skills and
experience he/she possesses to appear as a
suitable candidate for the job.
WORK EXPERIENCE / EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
• state relevant past work experience, including internships
but excluding volunteer/charity work
• Place before “Education” since the information is most
relevant to employers
• highlight measurable accomplishments e.g. “increased
profits by 20%”
• Keep descriptions of responsibilities brief (elaborate during
the interview).
• For each job, state name of organization, position held,
employment period (months and years) and briefly describe
in 3-4 bullet points the technical skills, accomplishments,
promotions (if applicable)
• List the most relevant and important experience first, to
immediately grab the attention of the recruiter.
QUALIFICATIONS / EDUCATION
• Start with the most recent,
e.g. list degree before diploma.
• Include month / year the qualification was attained.
• With tertiary qualification, no need to include
secondary school education.
• For fresh graduates, include GPA (if higher than 3.5
on a 4 point scale) and honours or awards
• If attended a tertiary institution, but did not finish
studies, list the number of credits obtained.
SKILLS
• Use Key words specific to the job description so the application stands out
when put through an online applicant tracking system which sorts, searches
and ranks applicants.

• Customise the resume for each job application, incorporating the specific skills
in the work experience, where possible.

• Include skills that can be demonstrated based on experience (e.g. computer

programing, wordpress, language fluency, etc) and briefly indicate the level of
proficiency or competency where possible.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES/AFFILIATIONS
• Include this information only if it is relevant to the job applied for, the company or
industry, and that the hiring manager should know about.
• Exclude those that are irrelevant and potentially conflicting, such as political or
religious connections.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
• Include this information only if applying for a position with a voluntary welfare
organisation or for a leadership or management position.
• Highlight only experience that is relevant to the position applied for, e.g. marketing
and the applicant has volunteer experience in social media
• Applicants can share their passions and volunteer experience during the interview
What sections to EXCLUDE in a resume?
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT
With the current practice of online applications, the objective statement has become
unnecessary. This statement tends to focus on what the applicant hopes to get from
the company.

REFERENCES
Include only if required in the job ad. Otherwise good to observe personal data
protection.

SOFT SKILLS
Qualities such as “diligent”, “strong work ethic”, “positive attitude” are difficult to
assess from the resume compared to hard skills. Demonstrate soft skills in the resume
by listing past achievements, promotions, etc.
To recap, here are some Dos when writing resumes …
• customise your resume keywords to the job description.
• include skills that are specific and essential to the job.
• select font that are easy to read, e.g. Cambria, Garamond, Calibri and
Helvetica.
• Include at the beginning of the resume a personal profile or an
executive summary to show up as a suitable candidate
• indicate period in a job under ‘Work Experience’ (e.g. October 2015 to
October 2018).
• Avoid mere description of duties; use percentages, time, and dollars to
show measurable accomplishments
• choose appropriate / professional email address and file name of
resume by using first name and last name.
… and here are some “DON’Ts’ when writing resumes
DON'TS
• Use the same standard resume for different job applications.
• Include a “References Upon Request” section.
• Include a photograph in your resume (unless requested in the ad job).
• Include an objective statement.
• Use buzz words just to get attention; keywords should be job specific.
• Copy and paste the entire job description from the job ad.
• Include false or fake information about skills, accomplishments, etc.
• Copy and paste long descriptions of the job from the ad or company
website.
• Use fanciful designs and fonts that are hard to read.
• Submit the resume without first reviewing and checking for errors.
References
JOBSCAN HOW TO SERIES. 2018 [online]
Available at https://www.jobscan.co/how-to-pages [Accessed on 21 October 2018]

Images:
Resume Template Word [online]. Available at:
https://www.google.com.sg/search?q=resume+template+word&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved
=0ahUKEwj9iKv4-qncAhWDTn0KHXuQA4cQ7AkIkwIoAQ&biw=1280&bih=588
[accessed on 24 October 2018]

Pexels: Free Stock Photos. (Online). Available at https://www.pexels.com/search/job/