How to make your resume stand out: tips from Canva’s recruitment team — Part II

Part Two: It’s All About the Content

By Harriet Templer, Recruitment Lead — Product & Design

We know that having an awesome resume is the first step towards landing your dream job, but how do you decide what to include if you’ve got years’ worth of experience to showcase? And what do you add if you’re new to the workforce and feel like you don’t have much to share? In this series, we’ll take a look at how to master the art of building the perfect resume to win your next gig.

The Basics: It goes without saying, but don’t forget to clearly add your name, location, contact details (email and mobile) and any other key information about visas, citizenship, and/or relocation details. If you’re applying for a technical or creative role and have websites or work that you would like the recruiter to see and click into, make sure to add this clearly in the front and center at the top of the page. If they need a password to access, don’t forget to include that too!

To Summary or Not to Summary: If you choose to include an introductory summary, think about including the key skills or achievements that differentiate you from everyone else. Everyone will say that they are ‘a hardworking individual’ or have ‘good communication skills,’ so instead use this space to call out where you can truly add value. Instead of titling it ‘summary’, maybe title it ‘why I’m right for the job’ and make it super relevant to the role you are applying for.

Education and Experience: If you’re a student or recent grad — education should always be listed at the top of your resume with your internships or work experience underneath. If you’re struggling for content, think of any achievements or experiences outside of the workplace that could still be valuable and showcase your skills, like time spent volunteering for non-profits or involvement in university societies or clubs. If you’re experienced, education can come at the bottom, jumping straight into your experience first. I love to see experience listed to outline key achievements for each role, rather than a bullet point list of responsibilities. Brief is best, so give more space to detail about your current or most recent jobs and less about the distant past.

Other considerations to keep in mind: Take a pass on any unnecessary info that won’t relate to the role you’re applying for and instead use the space to make yourself findable! Recruiters are often keyword searching for talent in large databases so writing a list of keywords on your resume and LinkedIn will make sure that you appear in searches.

As a nosy recruiter, I actually quite like reading about people’s hobbies and interests, but it has never helped me make a decision on who I speak to for a role or invite to interview.

Lastly, make sure to run a good solid spell check for any errors — a big mistake that is so easy to avoid. I suggest reading the document out loud slowly to yourself so you spot any typos you might otherwise have skimmed past.

What Not to Include: Avoid including unnecessary information that will take up space better utilised to detail your achievements. That includes age, marital status, religion or nationality. This information should never play a role in hiring decisions. Here’s a few more things to leave out:

• References available upon request. Forget this. It’s outdated and unnecessary. If you get the job offer and references are required as part of the hiring process, you’ll be asked for the details then.
• Driving license information. I still see this on so many resumes! There’s no need to write about having a clean driving license unless you’re applying for a job where driving is a key requirement of the role.
• A headshot or photo. Your appearance doesn’t (and shouldn’t!) matter for hiring unless you’re applying to be an actor or model. Most employers are eager to avoid unconscious bias in their recruitment and including a photo can make the quest to have a bias free process more challenging. If you really want to show your lovely smiling face, add a link to your LinkedIn profile instead.

Make it pop!

As I said before, your resume is a reflection of you. So use any and every opportunity to bring your true authentic self, style and personality into the document. Recruiters review thousands of resumes every single week and we want to see you — the real you — shining through.

When you’re thinking about how to do this, think of all the things you would tell your family and friends about if they asked about your work experience. What are all the things that make you proud? If you were going to your current boss to ask for a promotion or a pay rise, what are the things you would highlight to them to convince them you should get the gig? Talk about the particular business you supported, the projects you’ve led, the tangible results you had, the impact you had on the team and business, your promotions… all the juicy good stuff!

We’re always on the hunt for amazing talent to join us at Canva. For more details on our current job openings, visit Canva’s careers page here.