Does your résumé/CV do its job?
Here are a few tips to make sure your résumé/CV gives you the best possible chance of the new role you’ve set your heart on
It’s often forgotten that your résumé/CV can make all the difference between securing an interview and narrowly missing out
Here are five dos and don'ts to make sure yours is as good as it can be.
DO shout about your achievements
Your résumé/CV needs to position you as the best possible candidate for the job. So without waxing lyrical, let your potential employer know what you’ve achieved in your current role.
For example:
Company name * Pipeline Engineer * 2011 – present
Successfully coordinated, planned, scheduled and managed a $200M pipeline under budget and within time scope.
It’s also a good idea to outline your achievements at the top of your résumé/CV as a ‘career summary’ or ‘career highlights’. Recruiters or hiring managers may have lots of résumés to wade through, and if they can immediately see your accomplishments, this can only be to your advantage.
DON’T use short statements or bullet points to detail your experience
Recruiters and hiring managers will need sufficient information to make a judgement on whether you have the experience they are looking for.
For example:
Instead of saying "Design work on jack-up rigs", say
Designed and installed six concentric injection wells for simultaneous water injection in two distinct reservoirs at different pressures.
Try to include three to eight responsibilities you had in a role. If your résumé/CV becomes too long, remove the responsibilities that are less relevant to the job you are applying for. And do say how you overcame particular challenges.
For example:
I am the supervising manager of four subordinate project managers with responsibility for 300 on-site contract staff. Under my leadership, we improved performance from continuously exceeding project schedules, with 90% budget overruns to completing work ahead of schedule and 40% under budget.
Quick tip: managers will want to know how you overcame challenges both personally and as a team member.
DON’T include acronyms or in-house jargon
You might know that WSL stands for well site leader or that MPD means managed pressure drilling, but will a recruiter or hiring manager? Avoid acronyms and abbreviations; instead, spell out the key words in full – and remember that every company has its own jargon that is not understood in the wider world. The last thing you want to do is confuse the person you want to impress!
DO include at least two contact details
Think how frustrating it would be if an interview invitation went to spam – and let’s face it, how often do we check our spam or junk folders? Certainly include your email address on your résumé/CV but also give your mobile or landline number as a back-up.
DO check your résumé/CV thoroughly
Put your résumé/CV through a spell/grammar check. Then read it thoroughly to see if any words have been omitted or are in the wrong context – spell check doesn’t pick these up. This is vitally important. Spelling errors or repetition say a lot about your attention to detail and you may not get a second chance if you make too many errors. It’s also good practice to ask a family member, friend or agency to review your résumé/CV before it goes out to an employer.
Whether you’re going for an internal promotion or a career change we hope our tips have helped.