Kirsty Stewart

Kirsty Stewart

Having worked in recruitment I can tell you that when you hear that it takes 30 seconds or less for a recruiter to decide if they are even going to read your resume, is an understatement!

While I dont like the American trend of one page resumes, Australians can go too far to the other extreme. Six pages are not going to impress someone - believe me! Cover letter and a two to three page resume is ideal. This will give me a better idea of what your experience has been but will also allow for plenty of white space and wide margins, which is important for a number of reasons.

Interesting cover letters and a professional presentation and design would have to be the most important things for me as a reader, initially. This is what draws me in to reading your document. Of course, well-written content needs to follow.

One of the key points you will always hear me say in my articles and blogs over and over again is the phrase - Make it easy for the recruiter.

I have seen so many bad resumes, you would not even believe it. And, really, most of these were from people who, by their job titles, really should have known better. Ask ANY recruiter and I guarantee they willl tell you the same thing. It is not like recruiters are sitting around all day going - Wow look at all these awesome resumes, how will I possibly decide who to choose?

Everything I do for my clients from including a cover letter in the price of our resume writing service, to strongly advising against not sending a photo with your resume through to the formats and general layout I use, is done for a reason. That reason, above all else, is to make sure your resume gets read.

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