The Sunday Times guide to

WRITING A GOOD RESUME

The Sunday Times pieces together a template for an ideal resume, culled from tips provided by
eight recruitment firms and HR directors across various industries. To use this guide, simply replace
the examples below with your personal details.
Personal particulars (I) From the HR experts
▪ Photo: Not necessary unless
required or when applying for
a position where presentation is
important, such as in sales or marketing.
Should be an indoor shot no bigger
FIVE THINGS
than passport size. No provocative EVERY RESUME
poses or party or holiday pictures.
▪ E-mail address: E-mail account
SHOULD HAVE
with one’s name and surname as
a user ID to seem professional.
No funny userids like jellybean,
1 A clear career objective
as one Sunday Times reader had. A short sentence outlining your career ambitions would
help an employer understand what positions you are
best suited for, and show that you know what you want.
Career objective It should of course be an objective that is related to the
▪ Short sentence describing your job you are applying for.
career goals and how you hope
to develop professionally. 2 A concise career summary
A career summary, or a short paragraph summarising
Career summary your work history and strengths, helps a prospective
▪ A few sentences summarising your employer understand at a glance what you are capable of.
work history and achievements and
personal strengths.
3 Focus on achievements on the job rather
than responsibilities
▪ This is basically one chance to sell
Job responsibilities are similar across different companies.
yourself to recruiters at a glance.
What is different are your achievements, which will
differentiate you from other applicants.
Work experience
▪ Reverse chronologically listed. 4 Use of action words and active sentences
▪ No gaps in between. Travel breaks, Your achievements should be listed in short, clearly
entrepreneurial stints or career gaps written phrases. Use active words such as directed,
should be explained. managed, planned or increased. For example, instead of
saying you were ‘part of a product design team’ you
▪ First list the position and the company
then the dates. could say you ‘facilitated meetings for the product
development team which led to cost savings due to
▪ Explain reasons for leaving the company.
reduced miscommunication between departments’.
Avoid stating that it is for personal reasons.
5 Chronologically arranged and two to
Educational background three pages long. Five pages is the
▪ Do not have to list all the subjects
maximum
taken at each institution. Your work experiences and educational background
▪ List achievements if possible, ie, should be arranged in a reverse chronological order,
awards, scholarships, distinctions. starting with the latest job held and with no gaps in
between. The period when you weren’t working should
▪ Remove those that are irrelevant.
be explained. List the information in bullet points.
▪ Fresh grads could do well to list Recruiters are busy people and often have no time for
referees if they have done reseach
long-winded resumes.
work with renowned faculty.
▪ Fresh grads should list CCAs because
employers want to see team work
and leadership qualities.
FIVE BAD POINTS
Hobbies or personal info EVERY RESUME
▪ Do not list too many – only those SHOULD
relevant to the position applied for.
STEER CLEAR OF
Referees
▪ Say can be provided on request, 1 A generic resume
as some industries are so niche that A pet peeve of recruiters are resumes that do not highlight
listing it directly may have you what qualities or qualifications the candidate possesses
judged even before you get the that are relevant to the position being applied for.
chance to be interviewed.
2 Grammatical errors and typo mistakes
Overall If you are sloppy in your resume, employers will assume
▪ Type font 12 in common font like you are a careless person or that you will lack
Times New Roman. enthusiasm for the job should you be hired.
▪ Save in the lowest version of Word 3 Lack of personal details and contact
document to ensure that all parties can information
open it.
Personal particulars and contact information should be
▪ About two or three pages long is fine, clearly indicated at the front of the resume.
no longer than five
▪ No fanciful formatting or coloured or 4 Poorly presented photographs
scented paper that can distract the reader. A picture can speak a thousand words. One showing
you looking sloppy or sexually provocative may
Personal particulars (II) indicate you are not serious enough about the job.
Avoid holiday snapshots too.
▪ Age: Unless the position is
a physically demanding one where 5 Expected salary
age matters, it can be left out. This should not be mentioned until the final stages of
▪ Nationality: For job vacancies the recruitment process. Recruiters with a budget in
that make a distinction between mind may skip candidates who overstate their
locals or foreigners. expected salaries.