Resume Writing Do’s and Don’ts

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• DONu2019T use multi-coloured text or too many different font sizes. Italics, underlining, shading, graphics and vertical/horizontal lines or boxes are also best avoided. DO keep your resume length to a minimum u2013 two or three pages is ideal.Verdana, Arial, Calibri or Times.
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• DONu2019T include personal details such as your date of birth, marital status or photo (unless you are applying for a job where these are relevant).
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• DO include a link to your website, if you have one (and if itu2019s related to your work). Whether itu2019s a website or blog, or a Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram account, an online presence can really boost your image and get you taken more seriously, especially for careers in the media, creative industries and IT.
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• DONu2019T make vague statements. Give facts context by backing them up with real examples. For instance, donu2019t just say, u201cI have excellent communication skillsu201d. Instead, say: u201cMy excellent communication skills have been fine-tuned byu2026 and proved invaluable whenu2026u201d
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• DO, wherever possible, quantify your achievements. If you can say, for example, u201cincreased sales by $50,000u201d, u201creduced turnover by 34%u201d or u201cincreased website traffic by 125%u201d rather than making a more general claim, that will give your assertions more weight and clarity.
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• DONu2019T use a PDF format for your resume, especially for less IT-heavy industries, as some software wonu2019t be able to read it easily. Most companies prefer Word (.doc/.docx) files wherever possible.
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• DO use testimonials from previous employers. Consider adding them to your resume as hyperlinks, linking them to an employer testimonial on your LinkedIn profile or website (if you have one).
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• DONu2019T forget to tailor your resume for each job application. The more precisely you address each of the criteria for the particular job, demonstrating how you fit and satisfy the criteria, the greater your chances of making the shortlist.
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• DO proofread and spell-check u2013 and check again. A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 58 per cent of resumes contain typos. Make sure yours isnu2019t one of them! If youu2019re often going back and tweaking or updating your resume, typos, spelling mistakes and formatting issues can creep in. Doing so can easily create a mismatched subject and verb or knock a sentence out of alignment. Re-read the resume in its entirety each time you make an amendment.
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