Proven HR Tips: The Ultimate Guide on Writing an Effective Resume For Administrative Workers

Back in the old days, resumes are only needed for “high paying” and “white collar” jobs. Administrative or clerical jobs hire through recommendations. E.g. Uncle Tan says Tan Ah Kow is a hardworking young man who can work well as a clerk. Recruitment is mainly conducted through connections.

However, the good old times have passed. In Singapore’s hyper-competitive job market, even part time jobs require a resume. Some of the companies even hire recruitment agencies to handpick their candidates.

As such, it is important for you to be equipped with a professional resume, which can greatly boost your chances for a job interview.

What Employers are Seeking?

Technical skill is a plus for any job application. Employers are looking for candidates who are multiskilled. To cut costs, small medium enterprises (SME) want their candidates to be able to cover different roles. For instance, an admin assistant may only be required to do simple clerical duties in the past. Today, many admin jobs require their staff to perform some accounting responsibilities. A job seeker who wants to be a top candidate should show his/her versatility; the ability to perform duties outside of his/her specialisation.

Employers seek candidates who can communicate effectively. As a famous proverb mentioned “communication is key”. A conducive work environment is normally one that has few arguments. Employers look for candidates who can talk in a decent and civilised manner. You should include qualities of a good team player to illustrate good communication skills.

3 Tips for Writing an Effective Resume

If you really want to be shortlisted for an interview, please take note of the 3 key factors to beef up your resume.

1) Include industry-relevant skills

Many of you may reply “DUHHH” right now. It is basic knowledge to include industry-related skills when applying for a position. However, we see resumes that totally omit the skills section.

You need to understand that the others are including all of their relevant skills in their resume. Do yourself a favour by listing down all the hard and soft skills you possess.

A simple guide would be a quick scan of the job advertisements. Normally, employers include the type of worker that they seek in the job description. For instance, “we want a responsible and energetic worker …”. You can roughly guess what kind of person they are seeking through the job description. Some companies directly state that they need someone who can work certain hours and possess a certain quality. Therefore, design your resume based on the job description section.

2) Use a good structure

You will need to be aware of the importance of parallel listings in your resume. Each item in your list should follow the same grammatical structure. For example, if you start your list with a verb like “playing computer games”, the next item in the list should also start with the verb “reading storybooks”. This makes the resume easy to read. A readable resume is significant for employers to understand your message.

We also recommend you include these action verbs when writing your resume:

Remember to always adopt good grammar in your resume. You need to understand that a hiring company can read up to 100 resumes a day. It is highly appreciated if you can write using simple sentences. For example, you can simply list a bullet point called “modified machine” rather than “I have scrutinised and explored all the parts in the machine…”. Keep it simple and convey the most important message.

3) Promote your Achievements

Many job seekers mistook the achievement section as “work experience”. Surely, both are somewhat related to one another. However, the achievement section focuses more on your previous contribution to a company/organisation.

For example, events like “boosted sales”, “ organised corporate event” and “earned the company…” should be included in the achievement section. Employers love to know what you can do for their company. Your previous milestones can briefly indicate your work attitude. The more achievements you can include in your resume, the more likely an employer is going to be interested in you.

Always remember that your work experience is not everything. Your competitors are likely to have amassed a large number of work experiences as well. It all comes down to your suitability for a company.

Still Need Help?

WorkClass.co has our own resume builder to help you create an effective resume.

Be sure to keep up with the latest salary trend in Singapore for those who are looking for a part time job.

Back in the old days, resumes are only needed for “high paying” and “white collar” jobs. Administrative or clerical jobs hire through recommendations. E.g. Uncle Tan says Tan Ah Kow is a hardworking young man who can work well as a clerk. Recruitment is mainly conducted through connections.

However, the good old times have passed. In Singapore’s hyper-competitive job market, even part time jobs require a resume. Some of the companies even hire recruitment agencies to handpick their candidates.

As such, it is important for you to be equipped with a professional resume, which can greatly boost your chances for a job interview.

What Employers are Seeking?

Technical skill is a plus for any job application. Employers are looking for candidates who are multiskilled. To cut costs, small medium enterprises (SME) want their candidates to be able to cover different roles. For instance, an admin assistant may only be required to do simple clerical duties in the past. Today, many admin jobs require their staff to perform some accounting responsibilities. A job seeker who wants to be a top candidate should show his/her versatility; the ability to perform duties outside of his/her specialisation.

Employers seek candidates who can communicate effectively. As a famous proverb mentioned “communication is key”. A conducive work environment is normally one that has few arguments. Employers look for candidates who can talk in a decent and civilised manner. You should include qualities of a good team player to illustrate good communication skills.

3 Tips for Writing an Effective Resume

If you really want to be shortlisted for an interview, please take note of the 3 key factors to beef up your resume.

1) Include industry-relevant skills

Many of you may reply “DUHHH” right now. It is basic knowledge to include industry-related skills when applying for a position. However, we see resumes that totally omit the skills section.

You need to understand that the others are including all of their relevant skills in their resume. Do yourself a favour by listing down all the hard and soft skills you possess.

A simple guide would be a quick scan of the job advertisements. Normally, employers include the type of worker that they seek in the job description. For instance, “we want a responsible and energetic worker …”. You can roughly guess what kind of person they are seeking through the job description. Some companies directly state that they need someone who can work certain hours and possess a certain quality. Therefore, design your resume based on the job description section.

2) Use a good structure

You will need to be aware of the importance of parallel listings in your resume. Each item in your list should follow the same grammatical structure. For example, if you start your list with a verb like “playing computer games”, the next item in the list should also start with the verb “reading storybooks”. This makes the resume easy to read. A readable resume is significant for employers to understand your message.

We also recommend you include these action verbs when writing your resume:

Remember to always adopt good grammar in your resume. You need to understand that a hiring company can read up to 100 resumes a day. It is highly appreciated if you can write using simple sentences. For example, you can simply list a bullet point called “modified machine” rather than “I have scrutinised and explored all the parts in the machine…”. Keep it simple and convey the most important message.

3) Promote your Achievements

Many job seekers mistook the achievement section as “work experience”. Surely, both are somewhat related to one another. However, the achievement section focuses more on your previous contribution to a company/organisation.

For example, events like “boosted sales”, “ organised corporate event” and “earned the company…” should be included in the achievement section. Employers love to know what you can do for their company. Your previous milestones can briefly indicate your work attitude. The more achievements you can include in your resume, the more likely an employer is going to be interested in you.

Always remember that your work experience is not everything. Your competitors are likely to have amassed a large number of work experiences as well. It all comes down to your suitability for a company.

Still Need Help?

WorkClass.co has our own resume builder to help you create an effective resume.

Be sure to keep up with the latest salary trend in Singapore for those who are looking for a part time job.