Three Changes to Make to Your Audit Resume

Three changes to make to your audit resumeIn this time of such a competitive labour market and faceless, virtual job applications, time-poor audit recruitment managers do not feel themselves obliged to studiously consider each résumé from the relentless torrent they receive for their job advertisements. You have a limited amount of time in which to make a good impression and this makes it essential that your CV is in the best shape it can be to get you past the first hurdle and onto the 'shortlist'.

Your resume must be accessible and easy to read, requiring no further effort on the audit recruiter's behalf than essential. It must be concise and simply demonstrate that you have the skills and experience to do the particular audit job that they are hiring for. Also, it is imperative that you eradicate simple spelling and grammatical errors, as the first spelling mistake can give recruitment managers cause to move your application to the 'unsuccessful' pile.

Of course, different audit recruitment managers will have their own style and therefore different 'boxes to tick' but there are rules you should always apply to achieve your purpose. But what purpose are you seeking to achieve when submitting your application? You are not writing your personal memoirs, nor are you expecting your prospective employer to call saying the job is yours without looking at any other candidates. No, you are pursuing a job interview; an opportunity to ply your audit wares in a personal setting and hopefully get your next audit job. Curricula vitae (CVs) and résumés are sometimes rife with simple mistakes, from spelling errors, grammar gaffes and formatting faux pas to including superfluous information. So what are the major resume blunders and how do you avoid them?

 

Typographical Errors

We have all been guilty of the odd typo; the missing letter in a word (that you actually do know how to spell!), the incorrectly placed possessive apostrophe, or the simple mistake of mixing up your there, their and they're. You are an auditor – prospective employers will not look favourably on a lack of attention to detail or sub-par work standards. Read your finished resume aloud, edit it yourself only after a break, and have someone else’s fresh eyes check your work.

 

The Resume Novel

So you were school captain in primary school? That’s excellent. You volunteered at a retirement home during your A Levels? Highly commendable. Unfortunately, this kind of information about your pre-working life is highly unlikely to be relevant to the audit job you are applying for. This may mean the recruitment manager quickly decides to pick up the next résumé that will hopefully garner more applicable information and stop wasting their time trying to find useful information in yours. Your résumé should contain information that is relevant to the job you are applying for in an easy to read and concise manner. The generally accepted format is one to two pages of your work experience, skills and academic and professional accomplishments that directly align to the job description and requirements.

 

Generic Applications

A recruitment manager looks at résumés all day. They will know if you have used the same resume for fifty vacancies. Invest your time in reading the requirements of the job you are applying for and researching the company for whom you wish to work. Address how your personal attributes and tangible skills make you the best auditor for that particular job and company in your application and the recruiter will see that you have made the effort to tailor your application to meet their specific requirements.

 

Time is precious to all of us and job applications can take hours to complete. Increase the chances of your hard work being worthwhile and making your way through to the next step in the recruitment process by presenting your very best self in your audit résumé. Your CV is your key to getting invited to interview for the role, so make sure it's the best it can be!

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