I have read a lot of resumes over the years, and I have written my own in more than one country. So I know how it feels to send your resume into a job market you do not understand yet, and to wonder if it even reads right to the people on the other end.
Your resume is the first thing an employer sees of you. Before anyone meets you, before you say a single word in an interview, this one page has to speak for you. So it is worth getting right. Here is what I tell my own clients.
1. Do not send the same resume to every job
It is tempting to write one resume and send it everywhere. I understand why, it saves time. But a recruiter can tell straight away when a resume was not written for their role.
For each job, read the job description carefully and match your resume to it. Pull out the experience and the skills that fit that specific role and put them near the top. You are showing the recruiter, in plain terms, that you are right for this job, not just any job.
2. Show what you achieved, not just what you did
Most resumes list duties. “Responsible for managing a team.” “Handled customer enquiries.” That tells an employer what your job was, but not how well you did it.
Instead, show what you actually achieved. Did you grow sales? Cut a process from three days to one? Train new staff who stayed? Use real examples. An employer wants to see that you made a difference where you worked, because that is what they are hoping you will do for them.
3. Keep it relevant and keep it short
What counts as normal on a resume changes from one country to the next. Some things you would proudly include at home can confuse a recruiter abroad, or even count against you.
So I help my clients keep it to what matters in the country they are applying to. Leave out the rest. A short, clear resume that speaks to the local norms is far stronger than a long one that tries to say everything.
4. Look professional in the small things
Use a sensible email address, one with your name in it, like firstname.lastname@email.com. It sounds like a small thing, but a casual or silly email address is the first impression you make, and not the one you want.
5. Proofread, then have someone else proofread
I cannot say this enough. Read it over, then read it again, then ask someone else to read it too. Fresh eyes catch what yours skip over.
This matters even more if English is not your first language. With my clients, we go through the resume together and check it carefully. It is not only about catching mistakes. A clean, careful resume shows respect for the people you are hoping to work with, and they notice that.
A last word
Your resume is the story of your working life on one page. Tailor it to each job, show what you achieved, keep it relevant and clean, and have someone check it before it goes out. That is what gets a resume read.
If you would like a hand getting yours right for your move, get in touch. I am always glad to look it over with you.
