Tailoring your resume as a HDR student

Ask yourself:

What kind of position am I targeting - academic or industry?
What is of most interest to the employer? Use the selection criteria in the job description as a guide.
Where should the emphasis be, for example, on academic, technical or transferable skills? This will determine the length and structure of your resume.

Emphasise:

Academic qualifications – level of achievement and subject specific knowledge
Research interests – past, present and future. Consider a “Research Profile” as opposed to a “Career Objective” section.
Research reputation and impact – publications, citations, conferences, public engagement. If a very long track record consider an appendix for less relevant content or organise into sub headings around relevance
Your ability to apply for and attract funding – include grants, scholarships, prizes and awards (make clear what they were awarded for if that’s not clear in the title)
Teaching experience – lecturing, tutoring, mentoring, supervision & any formal teacher training
Administrative experience – marking, course coordination, program management, committees, outreach like Open Days
Technical skills and subject specific knowledge
The academic language and terminology of the discipline, but don’t abbreviate (spell it out before using acronyms)
There is no set length for an academic resume but still follow the principles of tailoring your content for relevance and conciseness

Emphasise:

Relevant research experience, technical skills & publications (summarised)
Any commercial applications or industry research partnerships
Quantifiable outcomes and where possible translate the language of your research field to equivalent terms in your target industry
Interests or extra-curricular activities can make you appear well-rounded

Emphasise:

Relevant transferable skills – focus on what you do, not what you know
Demonstratable knowledge of the industry/commercial awareness
Key words in job advertisement - use the language of the industry to describe your skills set
If a full time HDR student, include that as a “job” in your experience section
Focus on outcomes as a general indicator of achievement orientation. Quantify and qualify eg: “3 refereed articles in leading international science journal” rather than a detailed publications list
Depending on the length of your work history consider dividing into “Relevant/Industry Experience” and “Other Employment”
Join an industry relevant professional association to include on your resume. Membership will demonstrate your commitment & interest in the new profession you are entering
Keep your non-academic resume between 1-4 pages in the Australian context.

For more detailed advice look out for the following Careers Centre workshops during semester:

Writing an Academic Resume and Cover Letter: Higher Degree Research Students

Writing an Industry Resume and Cover Letter: Higher Degree Research Students

Search and register for workshops on Careerhub

See also the Careers Centre web site for links to a wide range of HDR job search resources, including sample resumes and cover letters.