Contact Details
Begin with your name, centered at the top of the page. Remember your name should be bold and one font size larger than all other information written on your resume.
Summary
Stating a career summary at the beginning of your resume is optional. It enables employers to quickly view a brief summary your career history. However, this may limit your appeal.
Education
Your formal education and any further education you are currently undertaking should be included on your resume. Education can be placed either before or after your experience, depending on its relevance. You should include the institutions name and location, your major, dates, and any other relevant information that would highlight your educational experiences and successes.
Experience and Skill Summary
Your skill sets are as important as your work and educational background, as they highlight what makes you special – this is true particularly in the international job market where language skills can be the difference between getting an interview and not. Your skills section should include:
- Language abilities
- Computer skills
- Technical abilities
- Job skill summary
- Any further relevant and specialized skills you wish to highlight
State your level of ability (beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc.) in each skill set if possible.
Work Experience
You should clearly state the companies’ name, its location, your position and job title, dates, responsibilities, skills utilized and any accomplishments. To make it easier to read it can be formatted using bullet points or simple sentences. Any awards or citation you have received should also be included.
If you are a new graduate or have no work experience, you should substitute other experiences that will illustrate your skills and abilities to employers, such as projects, volunteer activities, courses, student organization activities, and etc.
Other Information
You can also include further areas that you wish to highlight or are relevant to the particular field you wish to apply for. This may go at the top or at the end of your resume. Some examples are:
- Membership of clubs and societies
- Leisure activities and hobbies
- Contacts and networks
- Other honors and achievements
References
You should have contact information of references on hand just in case the employer asks for them, but it is not necessary to include them directly on your resume unless asked to do so. Either way, references should include one personal reference and one work or school reference, and they should have known you for a minimum of two years. You should include their title, position, telephone, address, and email address.
Always get an individuals permission before citing them as references.