How To Become The Chosen One: Resume Edition

It’s internship season (yet again), so we thought it best to kick off the blog with our insights into the dreaded resume writing ✍️✍️.  

David Brent (UK Office version of Michael Scott) offered his advice to hiring; “Avoid employing unlucky people - throw half of the pile of CVs in the bin without reading them”.  

Recruitment doesn’t quite happen like that... BUT companies do use a similar process: ‘Applicant Tracking System’ (ATS).  ATS is a software that essentially manages and tracks candidates.  It works by filtering and analysing applicants throughout the hiring process.  

So, how to be part of the lucky half in this process? (And no, it's not lucky-girl syndrome).

We’ve compiled our tips and tricks on resume writing so you, at face value, can stand out amongst the homogenous applicants.  

ATS is programmed to identify certain phrases employers specify such as degrees, University, years of experience and skills. You are then given a score and ranked by suitability against a plethora of applicants.

Naturally, you can optimise your application by how you structure, format and word your resume. Think of it as publishing your professional biography; the final product should reflect the most pristine, edited, clean-girl version of everything you’ve achieved so far!

Structure

Starting with the three E’s.

Experience

Experience is an integral part of your resume and while you may feel inclined to list every single job-title you’ve held…Here's what to do instead - sit down, declutter your mind and grab a piece of paper, list out all your positions both past and present then write down one or two reasons on how each of them contribute to your proficiency as a candidate, for the particular role you want of course. Pick the top 3.

One extra tip - professional experiences are not limited to those you are financially compensated for, include both paid and volunteer roles!

Education

The key thing to include here is the degree and University you are studying at - this should be listed first.  Don’t forget to specify the year you started, and the year you plan to finish studying. 

It’s also a good idea to list your high school and graduation year - ATAR is optional!

Extra-Curriculars

There’s no hard and fast rule here. If you can afford the space, briefly describe your responsibilities. Otherwise, treat it like a shopping list, prioritise what you believe to be relevant. These can include: society work, external volunteering, publications, competitions, sport and High School co-curricular activities.

And remember: Grammar check! Spell check! 

Assuming you’ve made it past the scrutiny of the ATS. Your next challenge is:

Formatting

Eye tracking studies show that recruiters spend an average of 7.4 seconds per resume. Are you worth more?

In the world of resumes, one size does indeed fit all for the most part (especially for students). A typical page with 1-inch margins fits around 500-600 words. Seemingly a lot, right? But numbers can be misleading and you’d be surprised at how effortlessly words start sliding onto the second page. So, keep it short and sweet.

Here’s our stance on font size, 11 is the standard, 12 if the words fit onto one page but 10 is risky behaviour - our favourite stylistic choices are Times New Roman and Arial. 

What about colour? We say keep it minimalistic, unless your role is within the creative industry! 

And yes or no to photos? Look, the inclusion of a photo is largely dependent on industry standards and can cause potential unconscious bias. However, it is professional, and increasingly necessary these days, to include on in your linkedin profile. 

Depth

Writer's block is real when it comes to describing your responsibilities and listing out achievements. Your inner critic may obsess over synonyms and struggle to remember achievements. Alternatively, you might sit on the other end of the spectrum, with a propensity to produce verbose essays.

Regardless, 🦸‍♀️action verbs 🦸‍♀️ are your best friend; managed, led, improved, maximised, achieved... - try to use the same verbs specified within the job description.

Keeping it to 3 dot points max per role is perfect and don't be afraid to use quantitative data - now is the time to be your own advocate!

To help out with your own CV, USYD has some great resources and templates available, that we recommend you check out!

Until next time,

The WIF team 💙💙