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In today's recruitment environment with a large focus on equal employment opportunities, many organizations (both large and small) are streamlining their recruitment procedure to complete transparency.

This means each applicant must go through the exact same process as the next, even if they are a 'friend of a friend', and this includes presenting an up to date Resumé.

Whilst there is no such thing as the perfect formula to writing a Resumé, you have 30 seconds to impress a potential employer with this sales and marketing document. To give yourself the best chance of securing an interview, you need to make sure your Resumé works for you. By following a few simple rules, you can maximize your chances and stand out from the other applicants.

Firstly, make sure all the information on your Resumé is current and correct. Many employers utilize the services of third party organizations to do thorough background checks on potential employees, which includes Resumé checks. If you 'fabricate the truth' no matter how insignificant it may be, your credibility has gone down the drain.

Electronic format is now expected, and although Microsoft Publisher may look great, not everyone's computer has the capability to open these types of documents. Use either Microsoft Word or PDF and a simple easy to read font.

Start with your contact details. Full name, address, email and contact phone numbers.

Details such as marital status and age are unnecessary, as are photos (unless of course you're applying for a modeling job)! Next you may like to include a career objective. This is a short paragraph highlighting what you are looking for in your next role.

The next thing to list is your work experience starting with your most recent position first. Include company name, location, job title, from and to dates (including month/year) and a summary of key responsibilities and achievements. Don't leave any time gaps in your Resumé. If you spent three months traveling or doing up your house say so. Include any tertiary qualifications (and where you attained them) as well as any relevant industry memberships or courses you have attended.

Add personal interests or hobbies also. It shows your 'human side' and other aspects of your personality i.e. if you play football you're most probably a team player and if you enjoy macramé you more than likely have good attention to detail.

Try and keep it fairly succinct - a ten page Resumé has the potential to lose the reader's interest and be seen as a cure for insomnia rather then an introduction to a potential star employee!

Now this is the big one. Nothing says 'bottom of the pile' like spelling mistakes in a Resumé. Spell-check doesn't cut it, as many words can be spelled correctly but have the incorrect meaning.

You also need to provide at least two verbal referees from your last two jobs. This should be someone that you reported into, not a colleague. As a courtesy, contact referees and advise them that they may be contacted by potential employers. This way you can ensure that you have up-to-date details for them.

Once completed, ask a third party to cast a critical eye over your Resumé. It is a very important document; with it rests your next step up the career ladder, new challenges, a better position etc. Therefore it has to represent you in the best way possible.

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