Writing Resume

Your written application provides a summary of your education, qualifications, skills and experience relevant to the duty statement of the position for which you’re applying. To successfully gain a new position you must clearly demonstrate in your written application that you meet all the selection before you will be short listed for an interview.

The written application is important because it is probably the only information that the selection panel has about you. The selection panel does not have access to your file (for current employees) or to details about you from previous applications, and they will normally contact referees after interviews have been held. Even if there are some members of the selection panel who know you, there may be others on the panel who know nothing about you.

A written application also indicates the following things about you:

• how clearly you are able to express yourself
• your ability to be brief and to the point in describing your skills and experience
• your ability to exclude irrelevant information
• your use of grammar, spelling and punctuation, and appropriate use of language
• your ability to present information neatly, logically and clearly

For these reasons it is important to prepare your written application as well as possible. Your aim is to persuade the selection panel that you are the best person for the job and worth interviewing. Suggestions on how to do this are outlined below.

What is included in a written application?

A written application consists of a number of documents, some of which are usually requested by the organization and others which are optional.

You are expected to provide the following items:

• cover letter
• a résumé/curriculum vitae – including details of referees
• a statement addressing each of the selection criteria for the position

Optional items that you may also need to include are:

• written references
• work samples
• copies of qualifications

Writing Skills

When the Appointment Committee will receive your application, they are not only looking at your range of skills and experience, but will also assess your written communication skills. The Committee may examine any of the following:

• how well you structure written information
• how well and how clearly you express your ideas
• how well you target your communication to your audience
• your grammar and spelling ability
• your understanding of document formatting
• your attention to detail in regards to types and information

In order to show that you have high quality written communication skills, your job application should use of action words (verbs) to indicate the range tasks you can achieve, and use of a positive tone to demonstrate your abilities. This will indicate that you are proactive (rather than passive) in your job, and focuses on what skills you do have rather than anything you might not have as much experience in.

Action Words

When putting together your written application, you will need to describe your skills and competencies.

In describing the skills you have and use, it is important that you describe them accurately. Often we undersell our skills by using “inactive” words, such as “do” (do the mail, do minutes).

Sometimes we go to the other extreme and use terms that come across to the reader as bureaucratic jargon (’utilise interpersonal communication’). Occasionally we give an inflated indication of our level of responsibility for a task and use “manage” and “control” when we actually “administer” and “monitor”.

View a which may be helpful in labeling your skills, together with some examples of how they could be used.

Positive Tone

How you phrase what you say and the words you use in your written application can convey either a positive or a negative message to the selection panel.

Try to avoid including what you can’t do; avoid phrases such as:

• “I don”t have any experience in…’
• “My knowledge of… is limited.”

or adjectives such as:

• unfortunately
• only
• quite

Use of such words and phrases may convey a negative message to the selection panel that you either do not have the necessary skills and experience, or that you lack self-confidence.

Instead, focus on positive statements about what you can do, such as:

• “I have experience in…”
• “My knowledge of… includes…”

and adjectives such as:

• very
• several
• many
• good /excellent

Such positive words and phrases convey to the selection panel that you do have the skills and experience, and that you have confidence in your own abilities.