Update your Resume

Start with a basic update of your resume - to include what you've accomplished since you last worked on your resume - and a bit of a basic polish.

Resume contents:

• Personal contact details
• Education
• Professional development/training
• Employment history
• Skills
• Hobbies and interests
• Referees (unless requested, a good tip is to say referees can be provided at interview)

Personal details should be kept brief. Laws in Australia prevent employers asking this sort of
information, so it is considered unprofessional to include it in your résumé. Do not include:

• Date of birth / age
• Nationality
• Religion
• Marital status
• Health

Allow plenty of white space on the page when laying out your resume. Keep it simple and professional. This is not the time to show off your creativity with WordArt! If you are posting an application, a 2-page resume, plus cover letter, is a good standard to follow.

Your resume should be tailored for every job application you make. Where applicable, use key words from the selection criteria to define your past experience. Remember, the purpose of a resume is not to get the job. The purpose of the resume is to get the interview!

Support

According to the Holmes and Rahe stress scale, being dismissed from a job is the eighth most stressful life event of the 43 they studied. Retrenchment is major loss in a person’s life and with any loss in life comes grief. While everyone grieves differently, five stages have been documented;
• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
• Depression
• Acceptance

When dealing with retrenchment, and the losses you have incurred as a result, go easy on yourself. Allow time and space to process and grieve as you need to.

Seeking support is a positive and important step. While family might be a ready source of support, they are also processing the changed situation – reduced income, reduced security, increased stress.

Don't expect friends to know what you need. For the most part they are so busy with their own life, they are probably not even aware of the huge impact this has had on your life. But now is not the time to be dejected if your friends fail to respond as you would hope. This is a time to be proactive. State your needs, even if only to yourself, and seek professional objective support and help during this stressful time. It is a positive step forward.

If you worked for a large organisation, part of your redundancy package may include counselling for a short period of time. If you get to choose your own counsellor, try something different like creative counselling.

In many cases, your reduced income means seeing any health care professional is not an option. However, a listening ear can be found at no-cost or low cost through various volunteer and community organisations.

Lifeline 13 11 14
Beyondblue 1800 551 800
Mensline Australia 1300 789 978
WIRE (Women’s Information & Referral Exchange) 1300 134 130

Your local community centre, charitable organisation, or church group may also offer practical assistance and support.