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A resume is often the first point of contact you have with a potential employer and the information you provide can often be the make or break of your application. A resume is used to highlight your accomplishments to the employer so that they can assess whether you’re an appropriate person for the position they have advertised.

With so many resumes to sift through, employers will usually spend less than a minute or two on each resume. Because of this, presentation and impact means everything and it is crucial to take the time to create an informative, eye catching and error-free document.

You should split your resume into sections, with clear bold titles and include the following sections: personal information, education, training courses (optional), computer skills, employment history, personal interests and referees.

Now, let’s go through each section of your resume in more detail.

Personal Information
Put your personal information at the top so that the potential employer can contact you easily without having to search through your whole resume for your contact details. You should include your name, full address, telephone numbers (both home and mobile) and email address. Provide as many contact details as you can and have voice mail where possible so that potential employers can leave a message if you miss the call.

Education
In this section detail any qualifications gained (including high school), in chronological order with your most recent qualifications listed first. Also include the institution where you attended and the year you graduated.

Training
This area is for any short courses you may have completed and you can use this as an opportunity to list any skills you might not have already included. These could be skills gained from other employment, studies or volunteer work.

Computer Skills
List any computer programs you have used. Many people seem to forget to include this information in their resume but it is a great selling point, especially in the events industry where computer skills are so important. Make sure to mention any experience gained with relevant event database systems such as Events Pro or Summit as this can be a prerequisite for some positions. If you don’t list your skills in your resume, employers will assume you don’t have that particular skill and will focus on candidates who DO mention this in their resume.

Employment History
You should list your jobs in chronological order starting with the most recent. Include the duration of employment, stating both the month and year you started and finished each role. List your job title and the company you worked for, followed by the responsibilities in the position. You can also mention any special achievements.
When you list your responsibilities for each role, give sufficient detail! Don’t just assume the reader knows what you did just because you worked as an event coordinator. Provide a list of actual things you did on a day-to-day basis. Promote your skills and what you have done but don’t include anything that is not true. The truth will be exposed in an interview or reference check.

Personal Interests/Hobbies
This area is fairly straightforward. Make a short list of your interests, hobbies, any associations and club memberships.

Referees
Referees are generally people you have worked for. On your resume provide at least two professional referees that can be contacted by the potential employer. Include their job title and the organisation they work for. Also, when you do get to the interview stage and are told that references will be taken, it is always courteous to phone your referees and let them know they will be contacted.

General Points to Remember
• The presentation of your resume is almost as important as its content. Use a common, easy-to-read font and avoid italics and underlined words as they are not particularly easy to read.
• Use highlighting and bullet points to make your resume easy to skim through.
• Avoid long-winded sentences - make each sentence short and to the point.
• Ensure that all your education and employment dates are accurate.
• Use correct grammar and spelling. Resumes must be proof-read several times to ensure there are no errors, and don’t just rely on computer spell checks – they are not always accurate. Companies will look poorly on resumes with errors in them, believing that a mistake in such an important document shows poor attention to detail.
• Never tell ‘white lies’ as you will invariably be found out!

Event Recruitment specialises in contract, permanent or temporary assignments for corporate clients, PCOs, event management companies, hotels,venues, associations and exhibition companies. Contact Event Recruitment on (02) 9279 2019 or email mail@eventrecruitment.com.au.