Your resume (or Curriculum Vitae) provides a concise summary of your education, qualifications, skills and experience.

Resumes vary greatly in the way they are presented and the information they include, depending on such factors as personal preference and the amount of experience from which you have to draw.

It is an opportunity to showcase your achievements and successes. Please find some suggestions for an effective resume below:

• Tailor your resume to the specific job you are applying for
• Keep it concise – no more than four pages long
• Organise key sections:
  • Contact information - name, phone and email
  • Professional summary – short overview of skills and experience (optional)
  • Work experience – reverse chronological order, focus on achievements
  • Education – degrees and institutions
  • Skills – relevant technical skills
  • Certificates / Awards – relevant to the position you are applying for (optional)
  • Referees – include names, phone and email of at least two work-related referees within the last 5 years

• Proofread – use correct grammar, punctuation and spelling
• Simple, clean layout – use bullet points and effective use of spacing, bold, underline, uppercase and font sizes

It is said that employers on average spend only about two minutes reading an applicant's resume.

This means that your resume must look presentable and attract the reader's attention. All relevant details must be clear, easy to read and find. 

• Keep your resume concise, preferably between two and four pages long.
• Provide only relevant information in a logical order.
• Present information consistently: headings, order of information, use of words, layout, etc.
• Use bullet point forms rather than long paragraphs.