It’s coming up to our favourite time of the year again – graduate position application time! Ok, so maybe it’s not as exciting as your summer holidays, but the fact is many larger firms will start advertising their 2018 graduate positions in the next few weeks. Jump on to Curtin CareerHub, or register with Graduate Opportunities and GradConnection for email alerts on up-coming graduate programs.

Once you’ve completed your resume, here are a few things to check before you submit. And remember, you can complete the Resumes online module through Curtin Challenge or visit the Careers and Employment Centre for help with your resume – we are open from 8:45am–5:00pm, Monday to Friday over the break.

Take note of company wording

Many larger companies use software to weed out candidates by checking for keywords. Take a look at the job post’s wording and echo the language in your resume. It’s also a good idea to check out the company’s website – especially the About Us and any corporate mission statement pages – for language you could adopt.

Highlight the skills you want to use

There is no point wasting words describing tasks you did in a previous job that you don’t want to do again! Instead, focus on the skills you learnt –if you worked in hospitality while you studied you probably have excellent conflict resolution skills, or the sales assistant job you worked at over summer has improved your interpersonal skills.

Link away!

Don’t make your recruiter type out your email address or search for you on LinkedIn…make sure your email address, LinkedIn profile – and other social media accounts that are fit for recruiters – are all active links.

Consistent branding

If you are sending additional documents, such as a cover letter or selection criteria, make sure your branding is consistent. Use the same headers, font, and make sure your writing appears like it is from the same source. Not only will it make it easier for the recruiter to keep your documents together, you will look professional.

Read, re-read and then read again

Expect to take several hours of editing and rewriting to get your resume into perfect shape. Although you may be sick of it by the time you are finished, don’t forget to proofread! Print it out and read it out loud – it’s the best way to check your grammar and spelling.