travelBulletin

BY Melissa Schembri

As many of us are now home-based, it is time to work on your resume and online branding to get ready for the revival of our industry. Here are a few tips to assist in getting your resume to stand out:

1 Ensure your resume has key contact information

Include your name, address, phone number, LinkedIn profile link and email address. Address is one piece of information that some people feel isn’t relevant however future employers what to know what the journey to work may be for you.

2 Length of your resume

I would suggest maximum three pages. I love seeing resumes that have a career summary table on the front page that gives an overview of the person’s career.

3 Don’t get too fancy

You may want to add lots of creativity, however the simple designs are generally easier to read. Most importantly, lots of businesses are now using an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) which will look for certain keywords on your resume to assess suitability for positions. Having text boxes, images or hyperlinks may prevent your resume in scoring high in suitability for a position, even if you would be a great candidate.

4 Avoid Photos

No matter what role you do in the travel industry please avoid using a photo.

5 Show Achievements

Have you achieved a place on a supplier incentive famil, attended an industry conference or part of a program such as TIME? Include this as it will give you edge over someone else that also may be interviewing.

6 Show your career in chronological order and have all your jobs on your resume

Even if they aren’t relevant or are 30 years ago, you need to add them on them and fill the gaps in your timeline.

7 Re-read and proof read!

Typos are so common. We completed some research last year and found that one in three resumes has a spelling or grammar errors. It is so obvious, but shows lack of attention to detail if you can’t get the resume right.

8 Add in any technical skills you have

Hiring managers want to know what GDS you have used, mid-office system, marketing tools and finance system.

9 Use power words

Try and use these power words when writing a resume: created, influenced, achieved, improved, launched, increased/decreased, and negotiated. They will stand out to whoever is reading your resume and are great to explain clearly some of your particular skills and assets

10 Make sure you avoid words that we see over and over again

Words like go-getter, dynamic, team player, hard worker, go to person, detail-orientated and so on. They are overused and don’t really say anything specific about you.

 

Melissa Schembri is the Director of C&M Travel Recruitment. She joined the travel industry while still at school and started her career working Saturdays in her local travel agency. After working in retail and wholesale travel she decided to head to the UK for a big working holiday. Contracting to various travel companies in the UK, she accidently landed working for C&M in between two contract roles and hasn’t left recruitment since. She loves watching people blossom in the travel industry and career coaching is a large part of her role.

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