CURTIN UNILIFE
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
CURTIN CAREERS CENTRE
02 RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
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TheCurtinCareersCentreprovidesarangeofresourcesforstudentsinterested
in enhancing their career potential. Our services include:
• career counselling with professional career development consultants;
• assistance with job search skills and job applications, resume checks, a mentoring
program and an online jobs board (Jobs & Events Connect);
• employer presesentations on campus throughout the academic year; plus
• workshops and information sessions on a range of career topics.
We also host the Curtin Careers Fair, WA’s premier university-based
fair, along with faculty careers fairs and the Experience Works Fair.
Engage with Curtin Careers Centre today to reach your career goal tomorrow!
Contacting the Careers Centre
Location: Building 303, level 2
Email: careers@curtin.edu.au
Phone: (08) 9266 7802
Skype: CurtinCareersCentre (by appointment only)
Website: www.careers.curtin.edu.au
Access new jobs posted daily, workshop information, special events
and employer presentations through Jobs & Events Connect.
www.careers.curtin.edu.au/jobsandeventsconnect/index.html
Register to attend workshops:
www.careers.curtin.edu.au/calendar/
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS 03
CONTENTS
Resumes.................................................................................................Page 04
Career Objective and Career Summary..............................................Page 05
Education, Training and Certification.................................................Page 06
Highlighting Your Skills.........................................................................Page 07
Work History ........................................................................................Page 08
Other Sections of Your Resume...........................................................Page 10
Cover Letters..........................................................................................Page 12
Sample Cover Letter Format................................................................Page 13
References..............................................................................................Page 14
Notes......................................................................................................Page 15
Explore • Connect • Grow
04 RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
RESUMES
There are many ways to write a resume. The framework provided here is designed to
assist you to write a competitive resume that will capture an employer’s attention.
This workbook highlights some of the
key sections often included in a standard
resume. However, we encourage you
to adapt these suggestions to your
personal circumstances and professional
requirements. Professional associations
within your industry (e.g. the Design
Institute of Australia or The Association
of Professional Engineers, Scientists and
Managers, Australia) can often provide
additional information about current
employer expectations of job applicants.
The Role of a Resume
The aim of your job application is to
convince the employer to shortlist you for an
interview. Your resume plays an important
role in this task. While it lists key facts, such
as contact details and qualifications, you
can also use this document to:
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portray yourself as a professional
person who is enthusiastic about
working with the specific employer
reading your application;
demonstrate your written communication
skills and ability to use computer
software;
show how your skills, values,
knowledge and experience provide
you with the capacity to excel in the
particular role you are applying for, and
with the particular employer you are
applying to.
One way to approach the task of writing
your resume is to consider the analogy of an
advertising agency developing a television
commercial. The agency does research on
their target audience to determine what these
specific consumers need. They then adapt
their advertising campaign to highlight the
ways that the product meets those needs. This
increases the likelihood that the consumer will
purchase the product. Try to to put yourself
in the recruiter’s shoes and think strategically
about what they might be looking for in your
document? How can you best present your
information to match those expectations and
requirements?
Conversations with Human Resources staff
from large organisations such as Deloitte and
Worley Parsons reveal that a job applicant
has anywhere from 20 to 60 seconds to make
a good initial impression with their resume.
It makes sense, therefore, to include the
information of greatest relevance and interest
to the employer on the front page of your
resume.
Your contact details should be clearly listed
on the first page. It is important to include a
phone number, an email address, a home
address, and, if the position you are applying
for requires it, the type of drivers licence you
have.
You do not need to include date of birth,
marital status, health status, nationality, or
visa status.
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS 05
CAREER OBJECTIVE & CAREER SUMMARY
Career Objective
Career Summary
There is some debate among career advisors
over whether or not it is useful to include a
career objective in your resume (Hansen n.d.).
If you do choose to write one it is important to
do it well and with a good understanding of its
purpose. A career objective is an opportunity
to explain what you can do for the employer
you are contacting. It might focus the skills,
knowledge and values that you would like to
apply in your workplace, for example.
A career summary (also referred to as
a career overview or a career profile)
is useful if you have a substantial
work history, if you are making a
career change or if there are gaps in
your resume that you feel need to be
explained (e.g. you have taken time out
of the workforce to care for family).
Your career objective should only be two to
three sentences long. The aim is to demonstrate
that you understand what the employer is
seeking and that you are an excellent candidate
for the position.
Writing a career objective to engage with the
needs of the employer you are targeting can be
a good way to check your compatability with
the organisation and the role. If you read your
statement back to yourself and you feel that
it matches the organisational culture, but not
your personal goals, you may want to reassess
whether this is the right career move for you.
Writing a career objective is completely
optional. You may find it helpful to do some
research on careers websites to make sure that
you have a good understanding of how to use
this resume component effectively.
It is not necessary for recent graduates
who entered university immediately after
completing high school to write a career
summary, unless they have especially
relevant extracurricular experiences
that need to be highlighted for potential
employers.
Effective career summaries are usually
three to four sentences long and focus
on concrete facts. A career summary
may be used as an alternative to a career
objective and can include a statement
about professional goals in the final
sentence (Southam 2010).
You may also like to search online for
some other suggestions about writing
strong career summaries (e.g. Lynch
Simpson 2011).
06 RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION
Formal qualifications often provide the focus
for at least one of the essential selection
criteria listed for professional positions.
Because education is a key priority for many
employers it makes sense to inlcude your
list of qualifications on the first page of your
resume. This is especially true for recent
graduates, and for job applicants in the
process of changing careers with the help of a
new educational qualification.
However, the most important thing to
remember throughout your application, and
your resume in particular, is to highlight the
elements of your experience that are most
relevant to the position you are applying for.
If you have professional experience that is
closely related to the position it is probably
more strategic to list that ahead of education
(Career Owl n.d.).
Education, training, certification and
professional development can be included
under a single heading or listed as separate
categories. It is useful to think about the
core messages that you wish to communicate
to the employer when deciding how to
present this information. Do you want to
highlight some aspects of your education
over others? Do you want to demonstrate
your commitment to ongoing professional
development in a single area or do you want
to emphasise the diversity of your education?
Readability is also an important factor,
especially given that the employer may look
at your resume for less than a minute.
Formal Education: Tips
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List your highest level of education
first. If you have not yet completed this
degree, list it first and include your
expected date of completion.
Include full titles of the qualification
and the institution, duration of study,
year of completion, and any special
honours acquired.
You might also consider including your
course weighted average for your Curtin
degree if it is 65 or higher.
Don’t list specific units unless
requested. If you feel that the title
of your degree does not adequately
describe your expertise, you can
highlight relevant areas of study in your
cover letter.
If you have recently finished
secondary school, you may choose to
include details of the school, notable
achievements whilst there, and your
Australian Tertiary Admission Rank.
If you have completed some of your
education outside of Australia, include
the location of the educational institution.
Professional Development
List conferences, presentations and training
sessions you have attended that may be of
interest to the employer you are targeting.
Include the name of the event, the host
organisation, the location and the date. If
you gave a presention at the event, include
the title or topic. Position this section in
your resume according to its relevance to the
position and its status alongside your other
credentials (Page 2010).
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS 07
HIGHLIGHTING YOUR SKILLS
A ‘Key Skills’ section provides you with
an opportunity to highlight strengths and
experience that are especially relevant to
the position you are applying for. Carefully
analyse the job advertisement, duty
statement and selection criteria so that you
have a clear understanding of the specific
skills your potential employer is searching
for.
It is very important that you do not simply
list your skills. Employers are looking for real
life examples of how you have demonstrated
the skills you claim to have. It is therefore
important to provide evidence of your
excellent communication skills or your
capacity to be a good team player.
The Department of Education, Science and
Training and the Australian National Training
Authority (2002) funded a project to analyse
and report on current business requirements
for ‘employability skills’ in recent graduates.
The results identified the following eight key
skills employers are looking for in recent
graduates:
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Communication skills;
Team work;
Problem solving;
Self-management;
Planning and organising;
Learning;
Initiative and enterprise; and
Technology skills.
You might include evidence drawn from the
following areas to demonstrate your key
skills:
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successful project outcomes;
challenging or interesting projects you
have worked on that may be relevant to
the position you are applying for;
positive feedback you have received
from teachers, colleagues, supervisors
or clients;
documents, presentations or other
products associated with your use of
computers and technology; and
workplace interactions.
Consider placing this section on the first
page of your resume. List your skills and
accomplishments in combination with
evidence from real-life experiences. These
dot points could be grouped under relevant
headings (e.g. Communication Skills)
Here is a good example:
Well developed customer service skills
demonstrated in my role as a Customer
Service Officer at Telstra, where I was
awarded Sales Person of the Year in 2009
and received a number of positive feedback
reports from customers.
Note: Different Resumes Styles
You may come across references to functional, targeted,
chronological and hybrid or combination resumes. We draw
in elements of all these approaches in this workbook. The
You can access the Employability Skills
Framework at www.dest.gov.au.
most important point to remember, however, is to present your
information in a way that communicates as clearly and effectively
as possible, and that reflects the interests of the particular employer
you are approaching .
08 RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
WORK HISTORY
Employment History
This section of your resume focuses on the
paid work you have done previously. If you
have never been employed, if your experience
of paid employment is minimal, or if your
previous employment is not directly related
to the job you are applying for, you might
consider using the broader heading of
‘work experience’. ‘Work’, in this context,
can include unpaid experience such as
professional placements, practicum work, or
volunteering.
Here are some tips for writing the
employment history section of your resume:
• if you have held many paid positions,
select those that are most relevant to the
role you are applying for (including casual
and part time work).
• list jobs in reverse chronological order (i.e.
the most recent first).
• an exception to the reverse chronological
rule can occur if your current employment
does not relate to the job you are applying
for, but your previous employment does.
In this case, the most relevant employment
details should be listed first.
• include the name of the organisation you
are working for and the position title, then
use dot points to describe your duties
and achievements. These should be listed
according to relevance.
• don’t repeat information used elsewhere in
your resume.
• only describe the organisation you worked
for if its title does not clearly indicate its
purpose.
• think strategically about the message you
want to communicate when choosing how
to incorporate dates of past employment,
especially if there are gaps in your work
history.
Unpaid Work Experience
‘Work experience’ could also be used as a
heading to differentiate between unpaid
experience and paid employment. The
sequence of this information in your
resume can be determined according to
its relevance. For example, if you have
completed a practicum that is highly
relevant to the position you are applying for,
you might choose to position this above your
employment history, especially if the latter
includes a series of casual positions that are
not clearly related. If you have substantial
relevant experience you may even choose
to leave the least relevant items out of your
resume altogether.
Volunteer or Community Work
Evidence of volunteer work can demonstrate
to employers that you are motivated and
positively engaged in your community
(Veidelis 2009). Explain your volunteer role
and list key projects you have worked on
so that potential employers understand the
nature of your contribution.
Both these sections can be presented in
the same way as your employment history
section. Use dot points to highlight duties
and achievements, and, where possible,
link these to the requirements listed in
the job advertisement by using the similar
keywords. Use consistent formatting across
all employment related sections of your
resume.
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS 09
OTHER SECTIONS OF YOUR RESUME
Awards
Interests
This section provides an opportunity
to highlight any awards or special
acknowledgements you have acquired in
professional or educational contexts. Here are
some tips for writing this section:
Many people include an interest section
in their resume. The pros and cons of an
interest section are detailed below:
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awards associated with study might be
included in the Education section of
your resume or in the Awards section.
only use awards achieved in secondary
school if you have recently graduated
and if they are clearly relevant. For
example being awarded the role of
prefect or team captain may demonstrate
leadership skills.
include the award title and give a
summary of what it recognises (if not
already obvious).
avoid using jargon and abbreviations.
Professional Associations
Professional associations are representative
bodies for particualr professions or industries
(e.g. The Australian Anthropological Society
or the Design Institute of Australia) . Refer
to graduateopportunities.com for a list
of professional associations in Australia.
Here are some sugggestions for listing the
associations you have membership of :
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list your level membership (e.g. student,
associate or professional) and the length
of time that you have been a member;
include only those that are current and
relevant;
include roles, responsibilities and projects
you have undertaken for your professional
association.
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Your personal interests may indicate
you have skills or knowledge in an area
that may be related to your career. For
example, a journalism student may list
photography as an interest.
this section can demonstrate that you
value variety and maintain a work-life
balance.
shared interests may spark conversation
during the interview or highlight
common ground with your interviewer.
Obviously personal interests are not always
directly relevant to the job you are applying
for. Reflect carefully on what this section
might communicate about your suitability as
an employee. What are your motivations for
including it? How does it fit into your overall
strategy?
10 RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
OTHER SECTIONS OF YOUR RESUME
Referees
Employers often ask for contact details of two
or three professional referees to be included
in job applications. You will increase your
chances of being shortlisted if you meet this
requirement. Here are some tips for choosing
your referees:
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consider using a combination of
previous or current employers;
lecturers or tutors you have developed
a relationship with; community /
volunteer supervisors; and work
experience / practicum supervisors.
think about how well your potential
referees communicate and whether they
will be convincing and enthusiastic
advocates of your abilities (Isbister 2011);
select referees who have worked closely
with you in more senior positions and
who can attest to your skills in areas of
particular relevance to the role you are
applying for (Isbister 2011).
a new industry as a graduate it is also
less likely that you will have concerns
about confidentiality in well established
professional networks.
Remember to ask your referees if they are
willing to provide a report for you before
listing them in your resume. It is also
helpful to provide them with a copy of your
application, so that they will be prepared if
they are contacted.
General Resume Tips
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There are conflicting opinions on whether
names of referees should or should not be
included on a resume. One argument for
only providing this information ‘on request’
is that it allows you to monitor contacts
(Isbister 2011). However, referees are usually
only approached at the final stage of the
selection process, after the candidate has
been interviewed. The interviewer will often
request permission to do this at this point.
We recommend that students list referees
in all job applications for maximum
transparency and ease. If you are entering
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Use consistent formatting and clear
layout so the resume is easy to read.
Proofread your work to avoid errors.
Include all requested information.
Tailor to individual employers.
Highlight strengths (de-emphasise
weaknesses).
Be results-oriented. List successes in
previous positions.
Back up all claims with evidence (use your
iPortfolio to gather this evidence - www.
iportfolio.curtin.edu.au).
Be concise. Include just enough detail
to demonstrate what you have achieved.
Use a professional voice message for the
telephone number on your resume and
check it regularly.
Do not include salary information or
expectations.
Do not discuss reasons for leaving
previous employment.
Do not include names of supervisors
for the jobs you list in your work history
section.
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS 11
COVER LETTERS
A cover letter provides a formal introduction
to a job application. A good letter explains
why the applicant is interested in the position
and highlights the fit between their most
relevant skills and knowledge and the
employers’ requirements. It is usually only
one page.
The cover letter is important. It is a critical
opportunity to make a good first impression
on your reader, so it is usually worthwhile
investing time and effort. You can use
this letter to demonstrate that you have
researched the organisation and matched
your experience carefully to the position.
It may be helpful to think of your cover letter
as a sales pitch that aims to sell your personal
and professional attributes to the prospective
employer. The AIDA formula is used in the
marketing industry to develop effective
advertising campaigns and can be usefully
applied to cover letters (Baker 2010). AIDA is
a acronym for Attention, Interest, Desire and
Action.
by using an unexpected approach (ensuring
that your communication is clear and
concise).
Your second sentence might focus on your
eligibility for the position as a way of holding
the reader’s attention. Here is an example:
“I enclose my application in response to the
position of… , advertised in ... My education,
work experience, and personal values
qualify me well for this role”.
Interest
Maintain the interest of your prospective
employer by summarising your relevant
knowledge and experience. You might
outline your education, work experience
and personal values to alert the reader to
particular information in your resume. For
example: “My five years at…has taught
me much about office administration. For
the past two years, I have coordinated …
projects. My studies at Curtin University
complement my work experience in ...
industry.”
Attention
Desire
Different strategies will capture the attention
of different readers. Communicate your
understanding of the organisation’s values
and operations in the first sentence. If you
are applying to a large organisation with a
Human Resources section, clearly state the
position you are applying for and how you
learned about it. If you are approaching
a small business and have spoken to the
contact person you might begin with
‘Following up on our conversation...’.
For a position that requires a lot of creativity,
you might capture the employer’s attention
Set up the ‘action’; reiterate the qualities
and abilities you would bring to the position
and the organisation. For example: “My
education and work experience have
prepared me for a leadership role in office
administration”.
12 RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
COVER LETTERS
Action
State the action you would like the reader
to take. Request an interview and close with
your contact details. For example, “I would
be grateful for the opportunity to talk with
you about my application … You can contact
me at …. if you would like to arrange an
interview”.
Submitting your application
electronically
If you are submitting your job application
electronically it is a good idea to save your
documents as PDF files to ensure that your
fomatting remains in place. If a different type
of file is specified (e.g. Word), it may be safest
to use simple formatting. It is also useful
to prepare an electronic version of your
signature to insert at the end of your cover
letter if you do not intend to print and scan a
hard copy.
A cover letter is usually attached or uploaded
as a separate document, unless the employer
requests that the application be submitted as
a single document. If you are using email,
write a brief, formal message stating your
purpose and listing the documents you have
submitted (e.g. “please find attached my
application for the advertised position of…”).
Sign off formally with ‘Sincerely’ and your
name.
Cover Letter Checklist
Have you...
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proofread the letter twice to check that
spelling and grammar are correct?
listed a phone number where a message
can be left if necessary?
removed all reference to previous job
applications?
inserted the correct date?
clearly identified the position you are
applying for?
provided evidence for all the claims you
have made about your skills and values?
succinctly demonstrated why you are
genuinely interested in this position and
organisation, and why you are a suitable
candidate?
used formal writing style and
incorporated key words?
followed all instructions specified by the
employer?
attached all necessary supporting
documents?
signed your name?
used adequate margins, single spacing
between lines, double spacing between
paragraphs and 10-12 size professional
font?
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS 13
SAMPLE COVER LETTER FORMAT
Your Address
Date
Potential Employer’s
Address
Dear ________
Re: Position title and reference number
Paragraph 1: Assert your interest in the position, re-state the title of the position and indicate where
you heard about it or saw it advertised and on what date. [Attention].
Paragraph 2: This is where you can explain your relevant technical experience, including education
and training, work experience, and other things you have done in the past that may be relevant and
impressive to a potential employer. [Interest / Desire]
Paragraph 3: In this paragraph, you could outline your related personal skills. These skills are
the employability competencies that employers require. You can use the position description, job
advertisement or company website to help identify the important personal skills you need to highlight.
You are more likely to convince an employer that you have excellent communication or time
management skills if you can back up your statements with evidence (e.g. My work at Coles Myer has
provided me with extensive experience of managing customer complaints. This role has increased my ability to communicate clearly and calmly, strengthened my interpersonal skills and required me to
apply well-developed problem solving skills). [Interest / Desire]
Paragraph 4: You could mention the other parts of your application here (e.g. resume, responses to
selection criteria), state that you would like to talk further about your application and thank the employer
for their consideration. Include your most direct contact details, ideally a mobile number or a home
phone number. [Action]
Yours sincerely/faithfully
Your Name
Your academic credentials (e.g. BA, Honours)
14 RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
REFERENCES
Baker, S. 2010. How to Write Cover Letter Part II- Lessons from the Sales Copy Pros.
One Click Cover Letters. http://www.oneclickcoverletters.com/coverletters/thecover-letter-formula (accessed Februrary 8, 2011).
Department of Education, Science and Training, and the Australian National Training
Authority. 2002. Employability Skills for the Future. Canberra: Australian
Government Publishing Service.
Career Owl. n.d. Education on the Resume. http://www.careerowlresources.ca/
Resumes/Res_Frame.htm?res_education.htm~right (accessed Februrary 3,
2011).
Hansen, K. n.d. Should You Use a Career Objective on Your Resume? Quintessential
Careers. http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_objectives.html (accessed
Februrary 2, 2011).
Isbister, H. 2011 Choosing the right referees. Career FAQs. http://www.careerfaqs.
com.au/resume-cover-letter-tips/535/Choosing-the-right-referees (accessed
Februrary 6, 2011).
Lynch Simpson, C. 2011. Crafting A Stellar Career Summary For Your Resume. Ezine
Articles. http://ezinearticles.com/?Crafting-A-Stellar-Career-Summary-For-YourResume&id=1962 (accessed Februrary 3, 2011).
Page, K. 2010. How to List Professional Development on a Resume. eHow. http://
www.ehow.com/how_7704551_list-professional-development-resume.html
(accessed Februrary 3, 2011).
Southam, K. 2010. Resume writing - the basics: Get the most out of your resume.
Career One. http://career-advice.careerone.com.au/resume-cover-letter/resumewriting/resume-writing-the-basics-39080627/article.aspx (accessed Februrary
3, 2011).
Veidelis, L. 2009. Clean up Australia and boost your career. Career FAQs. http://www.
careerfaqs.com.au/employment-news/1159/Clean-up-Australia-and-boostyour-career (accessed Februrary 4, 2011).
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RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS 15
RESUMES AND COVER LETTERS
Explore • Connect • Grow
CURTIN CAREERS CENTRE
http://careers.curtin.edu.au
JOBS & EVENTS CONNECT
http://www.careers.curtin.edu.au/jobsandeventsconnect/index.html
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