Home Resume Services and Pricing Samples How to Order Career Support Services Business Services Contact Us

Sample Resumes / CV's

View our resume and cv examples and see for yourself how a Professional Resume Writer

can compile a powerful resume / cv that will get you to the interview.

Four sample resumes / cv's have been provided. Two “before” and “after”. Both  were written by professional Resume Consultants / Writers. You can judge for yourself the differences in the before and after formats. 

The accompanying dialogue shows how each resume was prepared for the individual's specific circumstances. Please read the resumes in context.

Firstly let us clarify the difference between a resume and a curriculum vitae (cv).  

 

Curriculum Vitae

Briefly, the name curriculum vitae (cv) is of course Latin and was used in the 1960s -1970s in the UK, primarily by students, tertiary qualified jobseekers, academics, Doctors and Scientists for example.  It was a very detailed document of all study areas, qualifications, job related activities, dissertations and publications. I rarely saw a  cv from any "non tertiary qualified" jobseeker, so I can't comment on when it became a necessary employment document.  I am sure someone will enlighten me. It is not important. 

 

Resume

Americans, on the other hand, called their work history document a résume. A French word  meaning a short description or a summary.  It was extremely brief sometimes only one or two pages. Resume examples will show they are still fairly brief. In Australia neither document was used by the majority of jobseekers in WA at least until very late  or early 1980's.

 

Are they still different documents?

No not really, although same may argue they are.  In Australia we adopted the word "resume," but not the style. However, today the name is meaningless, and both are used concurrently for the same document.  But the word "curriculum vitae" is still preferred by job search firms /staff with British connections.  Both are the same document (in essence).  In Australia we prefer a longer version of the two page resume, but as brief or as long as the work history demands, (albeit in a technological age, for a shorter period of time than in the past) as long as it is concise and meaningful. This of course is a moot point. For simplicity purposes only "resume" will be used on this page.

Compare our "before" and “after” resumes

Resume four has been written from scratch for a new migrant

for the Australian marketplace and is outcome based.

All company names and personal details have been changed to protect clients who have given us permission to use their resumes as examples on this site.

A script about the clients particular situation has been provided to allow you to judge how problems can be overcome. A brief assessment is made of the “before” samples.

You are unique, and what works for someone else may not work for you. Your resume is completely personalised, based on the probing questionnaire developed by Pro-Active human Resource Management.  We may  followed up by a personal phone consultation. We choose the most appropriate style and layout that suits your occupation, industry, personal work experience and employment goals.

There are different formats for each individual's needs. These are the only resumes  / cv's we have had permission to print. Some of the later resumes we have written have been for high level professionals and are extremely powerful. They are understandably reluctant to place them on our site as sample resumes. Other resumes  will be placed on the site from time to time with alterations.

Over time, employers have come around to outcome based resumes and this is the preferred style used by Pro-Active Human Resource Management.

Resume Example 1  |   Resume Example 2  |   Resume Example 3  |   Resume Example 4  |  

Resume Example 1

This first “before” sample is six pages long and was compiled for a client with vast experience in various high level managerial and accounting roles, which encompassed other disciples such as Human Resource Management . She did not complete any formal qualifications. Before writing her resume, we discussed strengths and career goals. Compare the before and after versions.

 Note: Susanne did not want to quantify achievements in monetary savings or put a dollar value of her portfolio for confidentiality reasons. She was also a bit reluctant to have a real power resume. 

            Brief Resume Critique of Susanne Black’s "Old Resume".

  • You cannot tell her current work skills from the “Professional Experience”, or experience for any of the other positions. Employers are only interested in recent history.

  • No career planning undertaken to focus the resume into a particular area of accounting/human resources etc. Client is looking at accountancy positions or project management for community based organisations, which will utilise her full range of skills.

  • No measurable outcomes or achievements. Level of experience and size of company not indicated, as a result it does not reflect the high level of responsibility the jobseeker has.

  • At accounting level no need to break down the tasks that are necessary to perform as an accountant. This is a list of duties. Handy for client to refer to but that is all.

  • Information too confusing and many of the “duties” or tasks performed may be too old to be relevant.

  • No need to go back so far in work history. Looks as though there is no career goal and completely irrelevant in today’s workforce due to technological advances.

  • Wasted front page – nothing to capture the attention of the reader.

  • No indication of referees connection to any positions Susanne held? Were they former Supervisors and how would they be able to giver a work reference to Susan? The employers wants to know.

  • Format. Apart from problems with the general lay out justified lines are hard to read.

  • Overall very comprehensive but unfortunately has no relevance to high level job the client has performed and is targeting.

New resume

 

Note that there are no outcomes written on the front page, - an outcome based resume is the  style preferred by Pro-Active for a client of this caliber. In this case, the actual accountabilities from the last job will reflect a wide range of experience and has  impact.  If Susanne moves on again her resume will need to be changed.

 

More importantly, It shows that these skills have been utilised recently, so therefore it has relevance from an employer's perspective. It also takes the employer's attention away from lack of qualifications. Another reason an achievements page was not written, was because Susanne did not want to use any private information, as mentioned - $ value outcomes. The first page is a bit too long, However, the client thought all the information was necessary for this format, to show her wide range of skills and the volume of work she was handling. This was really a job for two people. So you can see how personalised the resumes are.

 

Susan was reluctant to have a real power resume.  The following sentence could be made more powerful.

 

Developed new procedure manual and designed new job descriptions for each of the trust accounting staff members that facilitated a successful change management outcome.

  • Facilitated a successful change management outcome by developing a new procedure manual and designed new job descriptions for each of the trust accounting staff members.

     Professional resume written by Pro-Active Human Resource Management
New Resume
Click here to see bigger sample resumes
Click here to see a bigger picture

If the picture is not clear, click on the far left of the document

 

 
Old Resume
Click here to see bigger sample resumes
Click here to see a bigger picture

Resume Example 2

Anne Hathaway’s resume has been written for a community based organisation or “not for profit” organisation.

You will notice that the format is fairly conservative and outcomes have been used instead of achievements. The resume is strong and deviates from the more traditional competency based resume but not too much. It still uses industry terminology.

However government agencies are moving to outcome based resume.  i.e. Tax Department (Australia) have requested outcome based resumes. So in the future your resume may need to show outcomes.

Community based organisations are under a lot of pressure to produce outcomes and are employing PR and marketing people outside community based field. They will need to use a number three resume.

    Professional resume written by Pro-Active Human Resource Management

  If the picture is not clear, click on the far left of the document

 

 
Old Resume
Click here to see bigger sample resumes
Click here to see a bigger picture

Resume Example 3

This resume is for a sales and marketing person who has only had one position. No need for a career summary and no need to point out that there has been a career progression within the company.

This format will vary depending on the position. Key strengths are not necessary  
  Professional resume written by Pro-Active Human Resource Management
New Resume
Click here to see bigger sample resumes
Click here to see a bigger picture

If the picture is not clear, click on the far left of the document

 

Resume Example 4

This resume is for a business analyst from overseas. A personal face to face interview was conducted. Her role and accountabilities are somewhat long due to the fact that the jobseeker has two higher degrees and has used both in her job and produced some high level outcomes. Since she is a new migrant detail was necessary as the market in Perth is more limited than the Eastern States. She did not know the market and had to keep options open. At our interview we talked about targeting and the cover letter became important.  When her  resume is updated she can drop any irrelevant accountabilities.

    Professional resume written by Pro-Active Human Resource Management
New Resume
Click here to see bigger sample resumes
Click here to see a bigger picture

If the picture is not clear, click on the far left of the document

 

   

 

© Copyright Pro-Active Human Resource Management