Crafting Effective Resumes

Here is a guide to writing effective resumes and putting together applications that work.

Resumes can come in a variety of formats, such as the chronological, skills-based, combination and alternative resumes. The most commonly used format is the chronological resume as it is reader-friendly and easily customisable. Each format has its pros and cons, so do your research and find out which one can best serve your needs before deciding on one.

Regardless of which type of resume you choose to use, the idea behind its presentation remains the same. What is more important is to adapt the various elements of the format and tailor its contents to highlight your skills and distinguish yourself from other applicants.

GOOD SAMPLE

Mobile: +65 8765 8903 CAROL SUM

1

E-mail: carol.sum@gmail.com

EDUCATION

University of London

Singapore Institute of Management • Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics (Hons) • Projected CGPA: 3.5/5

Treasurer, Economics Society

Singapore Institute of Management • Led a group of eight committee members to publicise society events, which successfully increased club membership by 20%. 3 • Encouraged club members to actively participate and help out in club events. • Was in charge of the society’s budget, and managed resources.

Aug 2018 – May 2021

RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Customer service officer, FeynM Company Jul 2019 – Dec 2019

• Project support in several investment projects. • Liaised directly with customers in order to assist in better understanding their needs. • Assisted customers with relevant queries on products. • Conducted research on client portfolios. • Prepared service and product recommendations reports for clients.

May 2020 – Nov 2020

MNF Company, Intern

• Assisted on customising investment analytics suites for clients. • Coded programmes to filter and analyse gathered data. 2 • Communicated directly with senior management during the customisation process.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Aug - Dec 2019

Feb 2020 – Present

Soccer Team Captain, Singapore Institute of Management

• Currently playing on university team's first division. Led team to win the inter-university Lion Cup in 2015. • Responsible for selecting and motivating team members, and organising and conducting bi-weekly training sessions. • Liaised with team captains at other universities to coordinate practise matches. • Liased with team captains at other universities to coordinate practice matches.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 4

• Proficient in Microsoft Office. • Languages: Fluent in English and Mandarin (both spoken and written). • Enjoys outdoor sports, particularly soccer and Ultimate Frisbee. • Regularly participates in volunteer work.

REFERENCES 5

• Dr. Edwin Wong, senior lecturer, School of Business, Singapore Institute of Management Tel: 9085 6721 Email: edwin.wong@sim.edu.sg • Mr. Thomas Kumar, operations manager, MNF Company Tel: 9983 7832 Email: kumar.thomas@mnf.com

1

Make your name stand out

Carol used a different font for her name, and enlarged and bolded it. This ensures that it is the first thing a recruiter sees when they pick up her resume. Putting it in uppercase was a good move too, as it will make her resume easy to find amidst a stack of other documents.

2

Verbs are your best friends

Carol used action verbs and focused on her role and the results she achieved.

3

Results speak for themselves

Carol’s resume is effective in that it lets her results speak for themselves in solid terms (i.e. numbers and percentages).

4

Be more than a worker

Carol also used her resume to reveal the breadth and depth of her skills, interests and hobbies that frame her positively. She also did not let her resume exceed two pages.

5

Check with your referees

Carol included references to showcase her credibility as well. Take note to be absolutely sure to consult all your referees before you nominate them, though! Nothing ruins an application like an unprepared referee or an unfavourable reference.

BAD SAMPLE

Mobile: +65 8765 8903

CAROL SUM

1

E-mail: carol.sum@gmail.com

EDUCATION

University of London

Singapore Institute of Management • Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics (Hons) • Projected CGPA: 3.5/5

Aug 2018 – May 2021

RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Customer service officer, FeynM Company Jul 2019 – Dec 2019

• Project support in several investment projects. • Liaised directly with customers in order to assist in better understanding their needs. • Assisted customers with relevant queries on products. • Conducted research on client portfolios. • Prepared service and product recommendations reports for clients.

May 2020 – Nov 2020

MNF Company, Intern

• Assisted on customising investment analytics suites for clients. • Coded programmes that helped in filtering data. 2 • Communicated directly with senior management during the customisation process.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Treasurer, Economics Society Aug - Dec 2019

Singapore Institute of Management • I worked closely with some society members to successfully increase club membership. 3 • Encouraged club members to actively participate and help out in club events. • Was in charge of the society’s budget, and managed resources.

Soccer Team Captain, Singapore Institute of Management Feb 2020 – Present

• Currently playing on university team's first division. Led team to win the inter-university Lion Cup in 2015. • Responsible for selecting and motivating team members, and organising and conducting bi-weekly training sessions. • Liaised with team captains at other universities to coordinate practise matches.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 4

• Proficient in Microsoft Office. • Languages: Fluent in English and Mandarin (both spoken and written).

1

Name fails to stand out

Carol’s name does not stand out on her resume, so there is a chance employers will either overlook it or miss it altogether, especially if it is in a stack of other documents.

2

Lack of verbs

Carol displays some uncertainty, and shows a lack of action and achievement.

3

Unsubstantiated claims

This is just blatant self-promotion on Carol’s part. There is also no solid indication of results.

4

Lack of interesting additional information

Carol is more than just a potential employee. In this case, she could have used her resume to reveal the true breadth and depth of her skills, interests and hobbies, and use it to frame herself positively.

5

No referees

To boost her credibility, Carol should have included references.

Other elements you should consider: Personal statements

Using the right font

While you may think a unique font will make you stand out, it may put off employers instead, unless you are going for an alternative resume. Here are some examples of fonts that you should use and some that you avoid.

Fonts to use: Fonts to use:

Arial: The standard sans-serif font. Arial’s clean, easyto-read feel makes it ideal for a resume. The font sizes 10 to 11 work just fine. Tahoma and Calibri are decent substitutes too. Times New Roman: The standard serif font, Times New Roman is another safe bet that looks slightly more elegant than Arial. Some of the more ‘easygoing’ industries, like IT and media, might find Times New Roman to be too formal, however.

Verdana: Another common sans-serif font. If done correctly, Verdana can be used for a very classy effect even if you plan to create an alternative resume.

Fonts to avoid: Fonts to avoid:

Comic Sans MS: The red-headed stepchild of modern fonts, the quirky but dreadfully overused Comic Sans has no place on a resume.

Monotype Corsiva: Unless you are applying for a job as a dramatic actor, Monotype Corsiva’s fancy flourishes are difficult to read and are more likely to annoy than impress a recruiter. Graduates are often in doubt about personal statements (also known as a career aim, profile or mission statement). What purpose does it serve and should it be included in their resume?

Our answer: A graduate’s resume typically does not need a personal statement because an effective one requires details that fresh graduates cannot provide.

Usually limited to only two to three sentences, good personal statements summarise your career goals as well as unique experiences, achievements and knowledge or skills that you can offer to your prospective employer. These are details that you can only provide after having been in the workforce for some time.

Bridging offline and online

With job search processes and recruiters increasingly moving online, it is a wise move to link your offline resume to your online profile – especially your LinkedIn profile or sites containing your work. It allows you to start interacting with potential employers even before the job interview, giving them an early overview of your past achievements.

When including the link of your LinkedIn profile to your resume, make sure to use the public profile’s URL address instead of the link in your browser’s usual URL box when you are logged into your account.

You can also customise your LinkedIn profile’s URL address to build your personal brand and make it more memorable to recruiters and networking contacts. You can do this through the “Privacy & Settings” section of your LinkedIn homepage.