Competition has undoubtedly increased for project roles across mining, energy and infrastructure during recent months. Some projects being scaled back and others put on hold mean a number of project managers, engineers, controllers and construction supervisors are now looking for their next opportunity.
The good news is great positions are still coming up. One key step in getting yourself noticed ahead of the competition for these roles is ensuring your resume makes a positive first impression, placing you front of mind with project resourcing specialists and potential employers.
Often it is the smallest things that can make the biggest difference. Here are six of the most common mistakes we see candidates making in their resumes. Plus, easy ways to correct them and get noticed for the right reasons:
Clear and succinct resumes make the best first impression. If your resume looks like a report, you need to change it. Focus on ensuring the important information is easy to find and remove details that don’t help tell the story about your skills and abilities and demonstrate your suitability for the role. A good example is removing superfluous details such as your marital status, date of birth, nationality and number of dependants. Also, avoid pie charts and graphs that take up space when that information could be easily communicated in a short sentence.
Knowing where you are located is important in helping us understand your potential compatibility with a role. If we can’t find these details, it raises a red flag. That is not to say you need to be located in the area where the position is. But you need to make it clear if there is an obvious disconnect that it will not be a barrier to you taking up the position. For example, if you are based interstate or overseas, but happy to relocate for the right opportunity, share that in your cover letter. This will remove any question mark and give your application a better chance of progressing to the next stage.
If you are applying from outside Australia, also be sure to include details about your working rights and visa status. This will immediately clarify an obvious question the employer will have.
It sounds obvious, but this is a common mistake we often see candidates make. Don’t just submit a standard copy of your resume. Take the time to demonstrate how your previous experience matches the role requirements. Another top tip is to include an overview sentence explaining the focus of each company you have previously worked with. Why? Because the person screening your resume (yes, it’s a person, not a computer program) may not be familiar with that company, particularly if it is a smaller organisation or based outside Australia. Without a short description, the compatibility may not be obvious at first glance.
This is one area where it is easy to make a mistake without even realising it. Due to the connected nature of many technology platforms today, it is common for systems to populate with information pulled from various sources. The profile picture from one of your social media accounts, or an image linked to an account that you have shared publicly, can end up associated with your candidate profile, despite you not submitting that image in your CV. The lesson here is to make sure the images of you that are out there in the digital world match your professional identity and support the impression you want to create.
Assume a potential employer Googles you. What will they find? Companies today are more conscious of their brand reputation than ever before. As an employee, your personal brand can be seen as a reflection on theirs. It’s worth taking the time to check how you show up in the online world and remove anything that may be viewed in a negative light by potential employers.
Attention to detail matters. That minor typo in line four of your resume is not a reflection of your ability or intelligence, but it does leave a negative impression on the reader. It’s very hard to spot mistakes in your own words, especially if you’ve read over it multiple times. Your mind plays tricks, reading what it thinks you have written rather than what is actually there. It pays to have someone else proof your resume before submitting it. A fresh set of eyes will catch those small errors you just can’t see.
28 Oct 2024