Resume Frequently Asked Questions (Faqs)
Resume Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I need to supply my date of birth on my résumé?
Your date of birth should not be on your résumé. You should remove all information such as the following:
- Marital Status
- Sex
- Age
- Salary
- Place of Birth
The recruiter or employer does not want this information, because they are making the decision on interviewing/employing you based on you work skills and experience only. If you do supply these details, an employer may be hesitant to proceed further in case your application is eventually unsuccessful, and they are faced with discrimination suit based on the personal information provided on your resume (eg a mature age applicant)
Should I attach written references to my résumé?
This is not necessary. In most cases, employers or recruiters will not accept written references from an applicant, due to past problems with forgery and other issues. Most employers will request two or more work related referees names and contact numbers for verbal reference checking.
E-mailed or faxed references are often acceptable afterthe employer has verified work details with referees. These types of references are often used in the case of overseas work experience.
Should I provide university transcripts, TAFE or trade certificates?
Again, this is unnecessary – the employer will ask for these items to be brought to an interview if they wish to sight them.
Should I include a covering letter with my résumé?
Yes. The covering letter is your chance to showcase your most relevant experience to the employer. It also adds a personal touch to your résumé and shows that you have thought clearly about the role. Whilst you can have a generic letter ready as a base it is very important that your covering letter is tailored to the specific role.
Can I e-mail my résumé?
Yes. Employers usually will specify in the ad how they would like the résumé delivered, but most will accept résumés via mail, e-mail or fax. If emailing a CV as an application still attach a covering letter, even if it is not asked for.
Should my résumé be done on a computer?
Yes. Unless the employer specifically asks for a hand-written application, always provide a computer-generated résumé and covering letter. You should endeavour to personally sign the covering letter, unless you are e-mailing your application.
The ad in the paper mentioned that a ‘job spec’ is available for the position I am interested in. Should I bother getting a copy?
Absolutely. The job specification will help you to tailor your application to the job. There may be key phrases you can use in the covering letter, or you may find that the job is very different to the description in the ad. There may also be forms that you need to supply with your résumé that are only provided with the job spec. The Job Spec will also be very useful when preparing for the interview. If there are specific skills listed you should be prepared to talk about where you have demonstrated these skills in previous roles.