These are dark times for the global hospitality industry.

The Covid-19 pandemic has reached every corner of the world and hospitality has been one of the worst affected industries. Hotels, resorts, bars, restaurants, cafes, all closed or if they are operating, are trading at unsustainable levels. Hotel employees have either been stood down indefinitely or laid off completely as no-one can predict when this problem will end.

We know that our industry is resilient and will eventually bounce back, so with all this extra time on your hands, what can you do to help make sure you are one of the first back into the workforce?

Well a good place to start might be to polish up your resume…

We see thousands and thousands of resumes in our profession and of those, only a small percentage would be considered adequate, whilst even fewer would be exceptional.

The lack of effort put into this important document by the vast majority of people is mind-numbing. Most create a resume when first entering the workforce and then just continue to add their most recent job on the top, often without thought to format, content and relevance.

I can’t tell you how many GM resumes I see, with in depth details on their first position as a Commis waiter or shelf-filler at the local supermarket (although currently the latter looks to be a promising career option!) …

No wonder a recruiter only spends an average of 6 seconds reviewing a resume.

With all this time available for many people, how about utilising that and consider a complete overhaul of your resume?

This is your first opportunity to make a good impression so surely you want to maximise this and produce a quality document?  A poorly written or constructed resume is certain to have the opposite effect, so what are the simple things you can do to ensure your details get a second look?

Well, look on the internet and you will see an ocean of information – some conflicting, so here are 5 items most agree on…

1 Format
Keep your resume clear, structured and ordered
Use a good readable font 11 or 12 point size (Times New Roman, Ariel or Calibri are some of the more popular)
Do not use pictures, logos, tables or other things that might impair readability
Use headings and bullet points to draw attention to key information

2 Main Headings
Use clear simple headings – this is not an essay so make it easy to find information
Personal & Contact Information
Education & Training
Languages & Computer Skills (if relevant)
Career History in reverse chronological order from most recent
Interests

3 Other Headings
There is differing opinion regarding the use of other headings and also what information to include, for example; using ‘Career Objective’ at the start of your CV might be fine if this is a first job, is but of little relevance after that…
My preference is to see a brief introductory paragraph – this is an opportunity to sell yourself and highlight key skills, achievements and abilities. Think of this as a bio and think FIGJAM (look that up if you don’t know J)
In career history, briefly outline your role, responsibilities and achievements. Do not just take your job description from HR and regurgitate it here

4 Length
Think Goldilocks – just right – not too short and not too long
Ideally keep the document to 3 or 4 pages – max 5! – longer and it’s not going to be read
Too short, say 1 or 2 pages, and it may be insufficient to provide enough information
Remember, most CV’s only get scanned by the reader and a professional recruiter may spend as little as 6 seconds before moving on

5 Language and Grammar
Saying you are professional and have great attention to detail doesn’t really cut it if your CV is full of spelling and grammatical errors. Take time to check and double check – get a couple of other people to read it and if English is not your first language, have it read by someone whose it is – even if you have to pay a few dollars to have a professional resume writer to review. Think also about relevant keywords as many employers use databases and these keywords help you be found in a mountain of data

Take some time to do your research and construct a dynamic, readable and relevant resume. This is a great first step to get back on track once this current situation and the world returns to normality.

Once you have done this, don’t forget to upload your details into the Elite Search database and register for job alerts for future positions by visiting https://www.elitesearch.com.au/ and clicking on the login/register button.