PERFECT YOUR STEM RESUME PERFECT YOUR STEM RESUME

Aresume should be no more than two sheets of A4-sized paper, but what information should you include? How can you fit all the information you need into a single document?

Remember that the main purpose of a resume is to not only market yourself, but to show recruiters that you’ll be a great fit for the job role. In other words, a well-written resume is key to landing an interview with prospective employers. Make a positive first impression by crafting an effective resume with our tips and the following sample.

The golden rules

1. Tailor your resume to each employer. Keep a master copy on hand, but tweak it accordingly for each application.

2. Ensure your resume is easy to read – choose a clear font in a reasonable size (such as Calibri, font size 11), word your headings clearly, and consider using bullet points to break up text.

3. Use a skills-focused or chronological format for your resume, depending on what sells you best.

4. Resumes commonly follow the reverse-chronological format, which focuses primarily on work history and education. If you follow this approach, make sure the chronology is clear and there are no major time gaps to confuse or worry employers.

Resumes often follow the chronological format, and are particularly useful if you’ve held a couple of positions in the past. This format is best for highlighting work experience and lessons learned.

Educational history – how much details do companies want?

A skills-focused resume, on the other hand, is useful if you’re applying for a highly-specialised role that requires a specific skill set. It’s also a good format to follow if you have very little prior experience.

Do graduate resumes need personal statements?

Many students start with brief personal statements that outline their abilities and aspirations. It’s also advisable for graduates to include a short profile in their resumes that quickly summarise their motivations for applying to the position and why they would be a good fit for the company.

Be specific and keep it relevant to the position in question. For instance, it’s a waste of space to put down: “Student with great teamwork skills seeks challenging job”. Instead, it’s far better to state: “Final- year mechanical engineering student with particular interest in mathematics seeking graduate role in the defence industry”.

Your educational history from your university years should include your predicted or actual degree class, information on group projects and your dissertation, any modules relevant to the job and related academic awards. Keep in mind that employers don’t need to know the specifics of modules that don’t pertain to them, so be sure to check over which modules to include and those you can safely leave out.

What experience should I include in my resume?

Many employers look very favourably on achievements and experiences outside of STEM. These can be a real boost if you haven’t been able to secure any STEM-related work experience – and can give you an extra edge.

Examples worth mentioning include fundraising, voluntary work, or taking a leading role in a university society. You can also mention parttime work or summer jobs, but don’t go into detail. Instead, summarise your achievements and any transferable skills developed that’ll be useful in your career.

Give contact details at which recruiters can easily get hold of you. Ensure your email address sounds professional.

Include university modules that are relevant to the job instead of listing them all.

Devote plenty of space to relevant work experience, highlighting what you achieved and how it benefitted the company.

Where relevant, summarise what you learned from an experience.

Include part-time jobs, emphasising transferable skills obtained, but devote less space to these and more to relevant experience.

Many employers will be interested in your IT skills, but do not exaggerate your abilities.