Resume writing is easy to learn, but difficult to master. Fortunately for you, Job Majestic strives to provide easy-to-digest resume writing guides, while offering unique tips to help you stand out from thousands of job applicants in Malaysia.
If you need a one-stop directory of all resume writing articles we’ve curated for working professionals in Malaysia, you’re at the right place! Here’s our ultimate guide for professional resume writing in Malaysia.
The Best & Easiest Guide for Resume Writing in Malaysia
1. Use The Right Resume Format
There are three (3) main resume formats for resume writing in Malaysia, each comes with its own benefits and use cases.
The chronological resume is a traditional format that everyone is familiar with. It emphasises recent work history, listing job positions with the most recent positions on top and the earliest ones at the bottom (reverse chronology).
A functional resume focuses on the specific, relevant skills to the position that job applicants are applying for. Applicants will showcase a professional summary, their skills and work experience closely the positions related to the job application.
A combination resume combines both formats. This type of resume is useful to showcase professional summary, work experience and skills using the reverse chronology method.
If you need more information about each format on when to use them, what to include, and some best resume format tips, visit our resume format guide now. Once you have decided on the format you’d like to use, it’s time to start populating the resume content.
2. Above The Fold 101
The top section of your resume (also known as ‘above the fold’) is extremely valuable when it comes to resume writing in Malaysia in order to obtain the hiring managers’ attention within 6 seconds and land a good impression.
Generally, including a professional photo in your resume is highly recommended when applying for jobs in Malaysia and other countries in Asia. Be sure to use professional photos instead of selfies and group photos.
Next, follow up with the contact information section. This section functions the same way as working professionals exchanging business cards, and it is crucial for recruiters and hiring managers to contact you later on. Some examples from Novoresume and Zety:
Novoresume: Below the Resume Objective
Zety: At the Top-left Side of the Resume
What is the resume objective section? Also known as the “About Me” or resume introduction section, it acts as your 30-second elevator pitch and tells about yourself, your educational background and experience, your career goals and a value proposition for the job and organization you’re applying for.
In short, the About Me section on the resume answers “Tell me about yourself” and “Why should we hire you?”. Bonus: Here are some resume introduction mistakes you should avoid at all costs.
3. Work Experience Section
The fact is, potential employers will usually place more focus on your Work Experience when it comes to deciding whether you’re the right person to hire.
The Work Experience section must be written strictly in reverse chronological order only. This means you should always start with the latest work experience first regardless of which resume format you use.
You should also prioritise full-time employment, followed by your part-time jobs and internship/freelance/volunteer experiences (if applicable).
Must-have items in your Work Experience section include:
- Job Title
- Company Name
- Employment Tenure
- Responsibilities/Job scopes
- Achievements
- Strengths (if applicable)
- Skills and proficiencies (if applicable)
Instead of just outlining your duties and responsibilities, you’ll need to convince potential employers using numbers and achievements. With careful and skilful planning, you can turn boring job descriptions into your job-landing weapon and stand out from the crowd.
4. Education Section
The location of this section depends on a few scenarios. For fresh graduates with little to no professional experience, the Education section should be placed above the Work Experience section, right after the Resume Objective section.
For working professionals with a few years of experience, this section should come after the Work Experience section as working experience is oftentimes more relevant and important to companies out there. However, for academic-related jobs, the Education section would be more important.
Here are some of the dos and don’ts you should know:
- DO list your education in the reverse-chronological order – starting with your highest qualification
- DO start by mentioning which institution you’ve graduated from
- DON’T insert irrelevant information – they don’t need to know hobbies that are irrelevant to your academia and the applied position
- DON’T change or “beautify” the numbers – increasing your CGPA for example. Employers can instantly and easily confirm the facts
Need a detailed guide and step-by-step instructions? Visit our Education section guide now.
5. Skills Section
The Skills section on your resume is a summary of what you can offer to the organisation you are applying for. It should highlight your marketable abilities and matches your profile with the organisation’s ideal candidate.
Skills are generally separated into hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are teachable abilities or skills that can be measured, and specific to the job and/ or industry that you are applying for. Examples of hard skills include:
- Languages
- SEO/ SEM
- App and Web Development
Meanwhile, soft skills are interpersonal skills or personal attitudes that determine your work ethic and how you work with others. It is also known as “transferable skills”, meaning that they are transferable to almost every job that you do. Examples of soft skills include:
- Communications
- Critical Thinking
- Creativity
To create the best skills section on your resume, you should list skills that are highly relevant to the position or career field that you are interested in, especially to pass the – Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
Always research the job advertisement before applying for it. Job advertisements would most likely state the skills that are required or preferred for the job. Take note of any required skills that match your skill sets and consider the company culture as well.
One crucial tip – DON’T include obvious, outdated skills that are not relevant to the job and company. For a completed guide and majestic tips for the Skills section, head on over to this article now!
6. Other Ways to Stand Out Majestically
When it comes to writing the Work Experience, Education and especially the Skills section, you should usually complement these items by including your achievements on your resume.
There are two ways to list your achievements – you could list them down in a separate “Awards & Achievements” section if they are not related to the job application, but we’d recommend inserting relevant achievements in your Work Experience section.
- Every work experience typically has 5 – 6 bullet points
- Fill up at least 3 points for your job description
- Slot your achievements in the remaining spaces
When crafting your achievements, use the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) formula. Think about quantifying in terms of percentages, money, and time.
We’ve always been adamant about quantifying everything we possibly could. As mentioned earlier, it’s not enough to just list down your job duties and achievements plainly – you should also include some numbers to enhance them. Here are some examples:
- President of the Business Club from 2017 to 2018
- DEF Bank Sustainability Business Competition Finalist 2018
- Reduced our customer retention rate by 20% in just 6 months
- Solved over 100 customer issues in a month, 50% above the company average
To stand out from the competition even further, consider including the extra-curriculum, interest & hobbies, and language proficiency sections in your resume – only if they are relevant and helpful for the job that you are applying for.
It’s much better and safer to prioritise your Work Experience and Skills section. Since a resume should be short and concise, you should strategise accordingly when it comes to resume writing in Malaysia.
7. Best Way to Communicate Expected Salary
When it comes to the expected salary, we’d advise candidates to show their passion and expertise instead of emphasising money on a resume. The “Expected Salary” section should be placed last on the resume, usually right before the Referral section.
All kinds of expectations are generally welcomed, but it depends on how you JUSTIFY your expectations, i.e. why do you deserve x amount of salary. Support your claims with adequate research and evidence. Use a salary calculator website to understand the industry average salary for the role you’re applying for. Here’s how:
- State your current/previous monthly salary. Only include your BASIC salary and do not add in additional benefits and bonuses.
- State your expected Salary Range. Instead of stating a single figure, insert your expected salary range to provide flexibility.
- Always leave a space for negotiation. Mention that your expected salary is negotiable based on the position and the benefits. For example:
“My current salary is RM3,000 per month. Based on my recent research on job type, location and industry average, my salary expectation is in the range of RM3,300 to RM3,700. The expected salary is negotiable based upon job responsibilities, work arrangements, other benefits and advancement opportunities.”
For more crucial advice on the expected salary for resume writing in Malaysia, visit our guide now.
8. Proofreading Resume
Ever wondered why proofreading a resume is so important when it comes to resume writing in Malaysia? Resumes must be proofread to ensure that your resume passes the initial stage and land on the “Interview” section, here’s why.
The main idea of proofreading resumes is to correct and/or remove grammatical and spelling errors in your resume – a resume that is messy and is full of these basic mistakes may result in losing your dream job as it jeopardises the initial professional impression.
You may have typed each word carefully when creating your resume. However, a few mistakes such as awkward phrases or careless spelling mistakes may have slipped your eye. It’s always good to ask your family members or friends to proofread your resume.
Lastly, proofreading helps your resume to be ATS-compatible. ATS is more unforgiving than humans regarding grammatical and spelling errors. A slight spelling error would render the entire keyword or even crucial phrases useless because misspelt keywords would completely get ignored by the system.
Thus, it is crucial to proofread resumes before sending them to an ATS. Alternatively, you may use an ATS simulator like this one. If you need more guidance on creating an ATS-compatible resume, visit our ATS-compatibility article today.
Additional Guides for Resume Writing in Malaysia
Need even more guidance to create majestic resumes for all kinds of jobs in Malaysia? We got you covered! Here are some of the articles we’d recommend for resume writing in Malaysia, regardless of your industry or seniority:
- Referral Section on Resume
- Strength on Resume
- Resume Font 101
- Computer Literacy on Resume
- Availability on Resume
- Job Recommendation Letter
- How to Polish Resume
Land Your Dream Job Today
We hope that this guide has been useful in your job hunting journey. The truth is, writing a resume is only one part of the overall journey to land your dream job in Malaysia. There is more work that needs to happen before AND after resume writing in Malaysia.
Aside from learning about resume writing in Malaysia, we’d highly recommend you to visit our guides on writing a cover letter, creating your video resume, sharpening your interview skills and much more on our Job Majestic Blog and Youtube Channel.
Ready to start your journey? Sign up for an account with Job Majestic today, the No.1 multilingual job site in Malaysia to help job seekers build successful and happy careers.
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