• DON’T use multi-coloured text or too many different font sizes. Italics, underlining, shading, graphics and vertical/horizontal lines or boxes are also best avoided. DO keep your resume length to a minimum – two or three pages is ideal.Verdana, Arial, Calibri or Times.
• DON’T include personal details such as your date of birth, marital status or photo (unless you are applying for a job where these are relevant).
• DO include a link to your website, if you have one (and if it’s related to your work). Whether it’s a website or blog, or a Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram account, an online presence can really boost your image and get you taken more seriously, especially for careers in the media, creative industries and IT.
• DON’T make vague statements. Give facts context by backing them up with real examples. For instance, don’t just say, “I have excellent communication skills”. Instead, say: “My excellent communication skills have been fine-tuned by… and proved invaluable when…”
• DO, wherever possible, quantify your achievements. If you can say, for example, “increased sales by $50,000”, “reduced turnover by 34%” or “increased website traffic by 125%” rather than making a more general claim, that will give your assertions more weight and clarity.
• DON’T use a PDF format for your resume, especially for less IT-heavy industries, as some software won’t be able to read it easily. Most companies prefer Word (.doc/.docx) files wherever possible.
• DO use testimonials from previous employers. Consider adding them to your resume as hyperlinks, linking them to an employer testimonial on your LinkedIn profile or website (if you have one).
• DON’T forget to tailor your resume for each job application. The more precisely you address each of the criteria for the particular job, demonstrating how you fit and satisfy the criteria, the greater your chances of making the shortlist.
• DO proofread and spell-check – and check again. A recent CareerBuilder survey found that 58 per cent of resumes contain typos. Make sure yours isn’t one of them! If you’re often going back and tweaking or updating your resume, typos, spelling mistakes and formatting issues can creep in. Doing so can easily create a mismatched subject and verb or knock a sentence out of alignment. Re-read the resume in its entirety each time you make an amendment.

What to Wear to a Job Interview

Nothing says ‘Hire me’ like a Polished Interview Outfit – think Classic, Tasteful and Tailored, and you can’t go wrong, For men that often means a suit and tie, and for women a skirt/dress pants and blazer or dress. But dressing for an interview is not always so simple. But dressing for an interview is not always so simple.

putting together a killer interview outfit needs to take into consideration the culture of the organisation you’re interviewing with and the message you want to send. Someone interviewing to be a programmer at a tech start-up would probably dress a little differently from someone interviewing for a financial manager’s role.

Choosing your interview outfit: find out what is appropriate

Choosing your interview outfit is all about appropriateness for the role and the company. Dress codes are cultural, and they shift with the seasons and change over time – but as a general rule it’s wise to err on the side of caution. Interviews are not the place to push the sartorial envelope unless you really want to make a bold statement.

One of the best ways to clarify what to wear to a job interview is the simplest: ask beforehand.

Email or call the employer’s HR manager before your interview, and ask them about the appropriate dress code for interviews with their company. It’s a simple strategy, but it can help you to avoid overdressing or underdressing and ensure you hit the right note.

You could also do some company research on LinkedIn or Facebook. Check out employee profiles and office photos to see how they dress and present themselves. Whatever the dress code appears to be, the rule of thumb is to take it up a notch when you decide what to wear to the interview.

General guidelines for what to wear to an interview

More than anything, you want to present as a consummate professional with impeccable grooming – and impeccable grooming is defined by attention to detail. You need to consider every aspect of your appearance, and don’t leave it to the last minute.

Here are some details to consider when planning your interview outfit:

Style:

• • • Think of the message you want to send: are you going to go full ‘power suit’ or do you want to give a more relaxed vibe with chinos/slacks and a nice shirt and blazer (this applies equally to men and women)?
    • Wear colours that suit you and give some thought to the message they send: blue is considered a safe and ‘dependable’ colour, while bright colours make a bold statement that might be more appropriate in creative roles and industries. Avoid overly busy or shiny clothes.
    • Choose breathable fabrics that will keep you cool and dry.

Doing All the Right Things

Starting Your Job Search Over