In 2022, Australian employers prefer that applicants prepare their resumes using a simple format that’s both logical and easy to read.
Using resume templates can be an easy way to write your resume, but they hardly impress employers these days.
Thus, taking the extra effort to write a winning resume with the ‘wow’ factor will help you stand out to potential employers in 2022. This is especially true at a time when massive lay-offs are prevalent due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Securing a job interview isn’t as easy as it sounds. There’s a huge chance that your resume is preventing you from having a shot at numerous job opportunities.
In this article, we’ll lay down the current trends in Australian resume writing in 2022 to help you increase your chances of being shortlisted for possible roles.
Be specific
Your ‘wow’ factor must convey what you’ve achieved, not what you were responsible for. Include numbers, metrics, figures and quantifiable data as much as possible.
It needs to show action. You can do this by replacing passive language such as ‘Responsible for’ and ‘Duties included’ with action verbs. For example: ‘increased,’ ‘grew,’ ‘enhanced.’
Here’s an example of a vague statement: Accountable for promoting company products and services to meet sales targets.
Here’s an example of a specific statement: Surpassed individual sales targets by 110%, personally contributing to a 20% sales growth through high-impact product demonstrations.
Include a strong resume tagline
A resume headline or tagline is a short phrase at the top of your resume immediately following your name and contact details.
Keep it short. It should be one brief phrase and shouldn’t be a complete sentence. Anything that’s longer than a phrase defeats the purpose of a headline.
Use keywords to demonstrate your skills, experience or positive professional attributes related to the job application. Using keywords directly from the job ad shows that you are a good fit for the position. Also, mention the job title in your headline, if possible.
Customise your resume headline for each job. It’s a little extra work but this will make you a strong candidate.
Sample resume headlines:
Aspiring Social Worker With 100+ Hours of Clinical Placement + Practical Experience in a Hospital Setting
Safety-Conscious Project Manager With 10+ Years’ Experience Overseeing Large Civil Projects up to $10M
National Sales Manager With 20+ Years’ Successful Career, Generating $10M+ Yearly Revenue
Make your resume ATS-friendly
Creating a resume that’s scannable by the ATS (resume scanning software) is still applicable in 2022.
Make sure your resume has keywords relevant to the job you’re applying for.
If there’s not much info available, review similar job vacancies on major job sites such as Indeed or Seek.
Mention the most important keywords more than once, but avoid going overboard. There’s no penalty for repetition and the ATS usually tally points for each mention of the skill.
Start strong with a professional profile
Also known as a personal statement, the professional profile should replace your objective section this 2022.
Your opening statement should talk about what you can offer a potential employer; not about your needs and wants for yourself in a new role.
Personal statements are usually 3-6 sentences in length that talk about your years of relevant experience, types of roles you’re after and your signature skills.
Personal statements also set the tone for the rest of your resume. Employers don’t want to see resumes without any direction. You don’t want potential employers to have to try to guess which skills will benefit them. If they have to spend too much time trying to make sense of your opening statement, you risk being passed over for a candidate who provided a clearer personal statement.
Example of a compelling personal statement:
A CPA-qualified Management Accountant who offers advanced data analysis and research skills, coupled with sound financial acumen. Track record includes championing new systems and processes to streamline reporting and forecasting functions, ultimately maximising cash flow by circa $1.5M. Seeking to transition strong business sense and a genuine passion for sustainability to the clean/renewable energy sector.
Show emotional intelligence and other soft skills
Emotional intelligence (or EQ) is important in the workplace as it helps create positive social interactions.
Those with higher EQ tend to possess other soft skills, such as interpersonal abilities, teamwork, flexibility and leadership traits.
Anyone can claim to have high EQ but it’s one of those qualities that’s shown in actions over words.
To showcase your emotional intelligence on your resume, describe actions that demonstrate you have a high level of EQ. This can be anything from leading a team to juggling various deadlines or adapting to last-minute changes. Incorporate these on your resume’s bullet points under your ‘professional experience’ section.
Final thought
The short amount of time potential employers take to review your resume is also the time your future career gets decided.
These resume tips for 2022 can assist you to keep your ground in the competitive Australian job market. Updating your resume can cost you a lot of time (or resources to some extent). But you’ll soon find that it’s well worth the extra effort as it means getting you next to a paycheque and landing your career goals, in spite of the challenges the pandemic brings.
You may also use this Australian resume checklist to make sure your resume is up to par with the competition.
