CCA Skills Series: Day 1 – Resume Screening Day
Published by Anujah Muthukrishna Selvam
Source: CCA - Fumi in the resume screening process
Image by Trang Anh Le
After completing a Commerce and Computer Science degree, Fumi embarks on the next step in the career journey: building a standout CV. Eager to apply for a Data Consultant role at dream company Cyber Cloud Analytics, Fumi learns that a CV is more than just a document—it is the first impression made on recruiters and needs to balance professionalism, clarity, and personality.
Read through this article to discover how Fumi’s journey can guide you in crafting a polished and compelling CV!
Structuring a CV: The Basics
An effective CV has a clear and logical structure. The following outline was followed:
Name & Contact Details
Summary
Education
Professional Experience
Academic Projects
Extra-Curriculars & Achievements
References
With this structure in mind, Fumi began to bring the CV to life, section by section.
If you would like a guide on how to structure your own resume, check out these Monash Sourced professional resume templates here!
1. Summary: Telling Your Story
The summary of your CV is your employer’s first impression—a recruiter’s portal to understanding your career story. Let us examine Fumi’s initial attempt at crafting a personalised CV summary.
Bad Example:
“A hardworking, team-oriented individual with strong technical and analytical skills. Seeking to join a company to grow professionally and contribute to its success.”
Why this does not work:
—> The language is vague and overused (e.g., “hardworking” and “team-oriented”).
—> It fails to showcase any specific skills or career goals that are unique to Fumi’s skillset and experiences.
—> It is generic and could apply to anyone.
When crafting our CV summary, we are essentially condensing all our assets and experiences into a couple of sentences. The reality is many recruiters simply reject an entire CV based on the contents of its summary. Perhaps the rest of your CV is truly compelling for the title, but a vague summary may be the unfortunate pillar to the rest of your application’s neglection. Our goal is to form a summary that is concise, magnifies our accrued skillsets and is targeted at the specific role we are applying for.
Good Example:
Role: Data consultant
“Commerce and Computer Science graduate from Monash University with a passion for transforming data into strategic insights. Drove a Data analytics project, where my team analysed operational bottlenecks in a logistics company, developed a predictive model for demand forecasting, and automated reporting dashboards, leading to a 20% improvement in process efficiency. Skilled in data visualisation, statistical modelling, and bridging technical solutions with business needs. Eager to apply analytical expertise and business acumen to drive data-driven decision-making in a consulting role.”
Source: Indeed - Resume summary vs. objective
Why this works:
—> It is concise (five lines) and tailored to the role Fumi is applying for.
—> It highlights relevant skills and specific achievements, with a particular focus on the most crucial project that highlights Fumi’s skills best.
—> It reflects Fumi’s career goals and authentic interests without relying on generic buzzwords.
—> It showcases skills and experiences that have yielded tangible results. Notice how the description of Fumi’s involvement in the Analytics Project weaves in key tasks that clearly apply skills relevant to the role.
Fumi’s lesson: “Take your time writing your summary. It’s your elevator pitch on paper.”
2. Professional Experience & Academic projects: Turning Tasks into Achievements
Further delving in to tangible results, in the real-world, recruiters value measurable impact. With that in mind, we have reached the stage where we write the crux of our CV- an abridged reflection of our professional and academic experiences. Fumi has written a draft below.
Bad Example:
Data analyst intern at XYZ
—> Reviewed data to identify potential trends for consideration.
—> Contributed to the creation of dashboards to display relevant metrics.
—> Engaged with teams to discuss data and their implications in order to generate actionable insights.
Why this does not work:
—> It is too inexplicit, and task focused.
—> It fails to show the employer Fumi’s equipment of the relevant skills for the role.
—> Additionally, specifically for data analysis-related roles, the vernacular “generate actionable insights” is vehemently overused. Even more pressingly is the manner it is simply stated without a reference to the data being analysed or the insights being generated.
The above is merely a cold list of Fumi’s tasks at the firm, and whilst such tasks are related to the Data consultant role, the skills underlined by them are incomplete.
Our goal in formatting these dot points is to crisply identify the most valuable skills relevant to the role we are applying for and neatly follow with its palpable impact within the firm. The best mindset we can adopt whilst casting such dot-points is one with the end goal in mind. If we are fortunate enough to land this role, we will be in a position where we are involved in the operations of the firm. Thus, it is vital for them to be able to recognise the success your skills will bring to their business. After all, if your skills are truly as apt as you are selling them, they must have yielded some form of concrete results.
Source: iMocha – Resume screening
Good Example:
Data analyst intern at XYZ
—> “Optimised client data pipelines, reducing processing time by 40% through SQL query optimisation and automation.”
—> “Led A/B testing initiatives to optimise pricing strategies, website layouts, and email marketing campaigns, resulting in a 25% increase in customer engagement and conversion rates.”
Why this works:
—> These points showcase measurable results and success derived from the applicant’s contributions in the role.
—> Furthermore, they emphasise the usage of key platforms that firmly underpin the applicant’s skill-competency. Such soft skills imperative to proficiency in these platforms are clearly transferrable data analysis skills attractive to an employer recruiting for a data consulting role.
Fumi’s lesson: “Quantify your impact and highlight relevant platforms—make your achievements sharp and undeniable”.
As we have witnessed through Fumi’s journey, a strong CV strikes a fruitful balance between a convincing summary, and an overt depiction of relevant skills. Every section should flow in harmony to answer one key question: What makes you special?
For further help on building your personal CV, check out these Monash resources below:
Build your own CV with Monash’s advice!
Resume check with instantaneous AI-generated feedback!
This article is published by CCA, a student association affiliated with Monash University. Opinions published are not necessarily those of the publishers. CCA and Monash University do not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of information contained in the publication.