Which of the following documents contains a summary of your education skills accomplishments and previous work experience?

‘Resume’ is a word you’ll hear a lot during the job-hunting process. A resume, sometimes called a CV or curriculum vitae, is a document that lists your work experience, education, skills and achievements.

You’ll need a resume for almost any job application. It’s considered essential information to give to an employer so they can weigh up whether you’re suitable for a role, and if they want to invite you to a job interview.

What should my resume include?

• Personal details 
  Start by listing your full name and contact information, including your phone number and email address.
   
• Career objective or summary 
  These are short statements to help you pitch yourself. If you’ve recently left school or university and don’t have much professional experience yet, begin your resume with a career objective – a sentence or two outlining your skills and your work ambitions. If you have experience in the workforce, you might want to include a short career summary instead, describing your experience and where you’re aiming to go next in your career.

Next, include your education or work experience – start with whichever is more recent.

• Education 
  List your latest education experience first and work backwards, this includes courses or qualifications you’ve completed at university, TAFE or other institutions that relate to the role you’re interested in applying for. Include your high schooling if it was less than five years ago. For each experience, include the qualification you received, where you studied, when you started and finished, any special areas of study, plus awards or other achievements.
   
• Work experience 
  List your most recent jobs including the title of your position, the name and location of the company or organisation, and the dates you worked there. Place them in order with the most recent job first. Under each job, use bullet points to give a brief overview of your responsibilities and achievements, weaving in the skills you used. You can also mention relevant internships and volunteer work in this section – just make sure you identify that you volunteered or interned.

After this, it’s a good idea to add some more information to reinforce or add to the picture of what you’ve got to offer.

• Skills, strengths or interests 
  You could create headings for these topics and list information that’s relevant to the job you’re applying for. Highlight any relevant professional memberships, too.
   
• References 
  Most employers will require references from people you know professionally who can vouch for your skills and abilities. You could include contact and company details for a former employer, manager, or an academic advisor if they agree to be your referee, or you might wish to write “references available on request”.

How long should my resume be?

Keep your resume short and to the point, so you can make a good impression when an employer takes a quick glance at it. Consider making your resume one or two pages if you have less than 10 years of professional experience. Senior executives or academics may like to have resumes that are three or more pages long.

What should it look like?

It’s important to make sure the design and layout of your resume is neat and makes it easy to read. Use one or two clear fonts and use headings, bullet points and paragraphs to split up the text. While you’re at it, make sure your spelling and grammar are correct.

What to leave out

Your resume is meant to give a summary of your skills and experience – so there’s no need to include every detail. Some information isn’t necessary in a resume:

• Leave out personal details such as your home address, religion, age or marital status
• There’s no need to list every job you’ve ever had – especially if a job isn’t relevant to the role you’re applying for now.
• Don’t include your salary expectations or previous salaries you’ve received – you can list this information in your SEEK Profile.

Still not sure where to start? Download our free resume template and make it your own.

A resume and cover letter are your first introduction to a potential employer. These documents contain all the information an employer requires to decide whether to invite you to an interview for the job. When writing a resume and cover letter, you should summarize your training and experience relevant to the requirements of the position. Your resume and cover letter should also give the reader a picture of who you are as a person and what characteristics make you a strong and passionate HCA.

Writing Your Resume

When writing your resume, be sure to include the following main components: personal data (name, contact information, address); career summary; employment experience; education/training/certifications; additional information (e.g., volunteer experience).

Career Summary

Many jobseekers begin their resume with an “objective statement.” A far stronger way to begin your resume is with a career summary: five to seven bullet points stating your most important qualifications (e.g., HCA training; BC Care Aide Registry Number; years/type of experience; certifications; skills). This summary gives the employer an overview of the most important aspects of your application first.

Employment Experience

In the employment experience section of your resume, list all your work experience relevant to the role to which you have applied, starting with the most recent. For each position, be sure to include the name of the employer, your job title, and your dates of employment (including month and year).

For each position listed, provide a brief summary of your roles and responsibilities. However, instead of listing all your duties and tasks, such as “assisting clients with activities of daily living,” highlight your accomplishments. Accomplishment statements demonstrate how you have used your strengths, knowledge, resources, or authority to improve a situation or to benefit your clients, peers, or employer. Such statements demonstrate that you are someone who can get the job done, and they make your resume stand out from other applicants who may have a similar experience.

When writing accomplishment statements, consider the following format:

• Action verb to attract the employer’s attention
• Background information and actions you took

• Results achieved, including how you helped make the situation better and skills demonstrated

Example: “Provided person-centred care to clients with varying needs within a community home support environment.”

Quick Resume Tips  

• Always ensure your contact information is up to date. Include both an email address and telephone number at which you can easily be reached.

• Highlight key requirements for the role, such as your BC Care Aide Registry number, in both your resume and cover letter.

• Do not include personal information such as your age, marital status, social insurance number, or a photo of yourself.

• Tailor your resume to the job. For example, if you are applying for a role in which you will work with older adults, be sure to highlight if you worked with older adults in a previous role. If you don’t have experience working in a similar setting or with a similar client population, highlight the skills and characteristics you will bring to the role you think will make you successful.

• If you find it challenging to decide what to include in your resume, put yourself in your potential employer’s shoes and think about what information will demonstrate you are a good fit for the position.

• Include keywords from the job description to attract hiring managers and applicant tracking systems (ATS).

Writing Your Cover Letter

Think of the cover letter as a supporting document to your resume. It should expand on your resume, not summarize it, and it should clearly and concisely connect your experience to the position you are applying for. Your cover letter, like your resume, should be tailored to the job. It needs to stand out from the crowd, so use it as an opportunity to demonstrate who you are as a person and as a professional.

Demonstrate You Have Researched the Employer

Your first paragraph should express excitement about the employer and provide some insights about why you have applied for the role. Do your research! Make this section unique to each employer. This paragraph should also include the title of the position you are applying for and the job posting number, if one has been given.

Go Beyond your Resume

In the paragraphs that follow your introduction, provide additional detail of how your qualifications match the position, and the skills and the experiences you have that make you a suitable candidate. Your cover letter should go beyond your resume—emphasize your strengths and provide relevant examples from your work. Use real examples that demonstrate your personal approach and the passion you bring to your work.

In the closing paragraph, reaffirm your interest in the position, include a request for an interview, and thank the employer for their time and consideration.

Both your resume and cover letter should be clear and concise. Try to keep your cover letter to one page and your resume to two pages. Carefully proofread both documents before submitting your application and submit it in the format requested by the employer. If the employer does not specify a format for submitting your application, combine your cover letter and resume into a single PDF file, which most software programs can easily open.

If you’re ready to take the first step toward becoming a Health Care Assistant, find an HCA job opportunity near you.

What document is a summary of your education skills and work experience?

What is a CV vs resume?

What do you call the document that provides a summary of your background including your education work history and other qualifications for a job?

What document is being used and created to present an applicant's background skills and accomplishments?