Stand Out
When you apply for a temp job, you may be up against lots of other applicants. Plus, hiring managers may only have a few minutes to look through each resume they receive. So, you’ll want yours to attract their attention. For the right reasons.
Get that temp job! Here are some top tips to make your resume stand out.
Start with a template
A decent template can help you organise your content into a neat, concise resume that can be quickly read by a busy hiring manager. There are heaps of templates online. Aim for a simple Word document that you can easily edit. Think font, too. Good options include Aptos, Calibri and Arial in size 11-point. Any template you choose should include clear headers. More on these in our next tip!
Use clearly headed sections
Your resume should be divided into sections with relevant headers. This structure will make life easier for you. And hiring managers will be able to find the information they’re looking for.
Section headers can vary, but the following are widely used:
- Professional Profile: a short summary towards the top of your resume that can include a broad job title, years of experience, key skills, what you are looking for next and where
- Core Competencies: a list of 4-5 key skills and a brief explanation of each one
- Career History: a list of the roles you’ve held, locations, dates, core responsibilities and any achievements
- IT Skills: Microsoft Office suite, Xero, Salesforce, etc.
- Education & Training: your qualifications and provider/college/university details
- Other: you could include driver licence, first aid certificate, visa status, or other in this section
- Interests: optional and should be short
- References: optional
Tailor your resume to the job
One simple way to catch a hiring manager’s eye is to customise your resume to the role. This doesn’t have to mean hours of work. If you’re going for a sales consultant role, you could change your professional profile to read ‘Motivated Sales Consultant with 5 years’ experience across a range of industry sectors, including retail, food services and construction’. If the role requires certain key skills e.g. communication, relationship management and teamwork, you could include these in your core competencies section. Obviously, you need to have the relevant experience and skills to include them in your resume.
Keep it short
No hiring manager is going to wade through a 6-page resume. Two pages max should be enough for most job applicants. You don’t need to list every job you’ve held or all the duties you undertook. Start with your most recent role, list key responsibilities, and work backwards from there. If you had multiple short temp assignments over a year or two, consider grouping them together under a single role.
Run a spellcheck
Multiple typos and poorly worded resumes can ruin your chances of securing an interview, Especially if you’re expected to draft emails, letters or reports as part of the role. Running a spellcheck through your resume will help. But it might not pick up every error and it won’t rewrite whole sections for you either. Which brings us neatly to the next tip . . .
Ask for input
Ask a friend or family member to take a look through your resume. If they have experience as a hiring manager or HR professional, so much the better! They’ll be able to provide feedback on what works and what doesn’t. And they might be able to pick up on typos and help with wording, too. You can always approach a professional resume writer if you think your resume needs additional input.
When you apply for a temp job, you only have a few minutes to make a good first impression. So, it’s worth spending time on crafting a clear, concise resume that has all the information hiring managers are looking for.
Are you resume ready and looking for your next temp job? Contact the professional team at Optimal Workforce today on admin@optimalworkforce.com.au or 02 8077 7030.
