Resume Australia

Writing a Resume

Personal Statement

The main objective of your resume is to get to the interview stage. Without downgrading yourself it is important that your resume is factual, to the point and honest. As previously stated most Australian employers are honest straightforward people so it is a good idea to start off on the right foot.

It is very easy nowadays for a prospective employer to check on the accuracy of your resume so you really don’t want an employer finding that you have somewhat exaggerated truths on your resume. First of all take time to read and understand the position advertisement.

Make sure you know what qualifications or qualities are being sought after. Summarise your strong points and in a short paragraph list these points in relation to the job you are applying for and why they will help you to be successful in that job.

This is your opening or personal statement. You use this statement to draw your prospective employer in and actually make them interested enough to read the rest of your resume.

Employment History

Most travellers will work in a totally different field to what they have been used to at home. Therefore their previous work experience will quite often have little bearing on the positions they are applying for. However your employment history should show successes you have had in your previous employment. You must show how these successes are relevant to the position you are applying for.

If you are applying for a hospitality position such as bartender or waiter but have never worked in these positions before, highlight the areas of your previous employment where you have had to use a lot of face to face communication as this is the number one skill required for these positions. If you were applying for a fruit picking or farm position but have never worked in either of these, describe roles where you have worked diligently and have not minded getting your hands dirty to make sure the job was completed.

Make sure that when you list the companies or businesses that you have worked for and the roles that you have had include a brief description of both so that interviewer gets more of an idea of your skills. Education – Include details of your education but this is not an integral part of your resume. Skill, qualities and attitude is what the employer will be looking for.

Skills

As mentioned list the skills that you have demonstrated in previous roles that are relevant to the position you are seeking. Hobbies and interests – Once again list the hobbies and personal interests you have that will relate to the position you are seeking or the personality traits you think the employer may be looking for.

References

Even though you may think that the employer may not be bothered checking on your references make sure they are factual and honest. It is a good idea to include a photo on your resume. Be straight up and tell the employer you are on a working holiday visa and how long you will be available to work.