Many employers are struggling to keep people with specific skills for the job, this is making it easier for Emeritus to either stay or look for new jobs. Over the years, resume formats have changed to become briefer, livelier, and more customized to the job.

Modern technology has added a new twist to preparing résumés and cover letters. The availability of personal computers and laser printers has raised employers’ expectations of the quality of résumés and cover letters applicants produce. Electronic mail, Internet postings, and software that “reads” résumés help some employers sort and track hundreds of résumés.

Impactful Cover Letter and Resume Suggestions

• Keep the CV brief and concise. With a few exceptions – most notably in academic fields – the length of a resume should not exceed two pages.
• Since Emeritus likely have a lot of work experience, you should not try to include every qualification, job, skill set and interest. Be selective and include only the most relevant skills and work experience in the resume or curriculum vitae from the last 15 to 20 years.
• Resumes are skimmed, not read. Use action phrases.
  • For example: “Charged with increasing sales in major accounts”. Also try to include quantifiable and specific achievements
• Fill in the gaps with education, volunteering/training and professional memberships. Job shadowing is also great way to gain experience and show interest.
• Grab potential employer's attention by using buzz words, especially industry-specific ones.
  Example of general buzz words:
  • Communicating clearly
  • Problem-solving
  • Leadership
  • Goal-setting/achieving
  • Self-motivating
  • Organizing
  • Conceptualizing
  • Negotiating
• Modern resumes are upbeat. Talk about teamwork, communication and leadership skills. Instead of labeling as duties and experience, use "accomplishments" and "achievements."
• If applicable, include any computer skills even if it is the Microsoft Suite, software experience and software training to demonstrate computer literacy
• Do not disclose your health, disability, marital status, age, or ethnicity.
• References are most likely not needed in a resume. You typically have to fill this out in an application.

To Ensure Your Resume is Readable by Computers and People:

Because computers read scannable resumes differently than people do, you have to follow certain rules to be fairly sure that your scannable resume will be read as you intended.

• Choose a well-known font such as Helvetica, Arial, or Courier.
• Pick a font size of 10 to 14 points, and do not condense spacing between letters.Do not underline or italicize text, and do not use asterisks or parentheses.
• Avoid boxes, graphics, columns, and horizontal or vertical lines.
• Use a laser printer so that the print is sharp, especially if using smaller fonts.

Resume Format

• Chronological - This résumé type is the most common. It organizes your experience around the jobs you have held. This format is an excellent choice for people with steady work histories or previous jobs that relate closely to their career objective.
• Functional - The functional résumé organizes your experience around skills rather than job titles. To create a functional résumé, identify three or four skills required for your target job. For each skill, identify three to five concrete examples to demonstrate that ability

Employers will be looking for:

• Contact details
• Career strengths
• Employment history
• Education and training levels

Use this website for more info: www.qld.gov.au/jobs/finding/pages/resume.html