How to Build a Resume

As more candidates begin to actively explore new opportunities, we thought it timely to share some resume guidance that may support your preparation. The intention here is not only to help you craft a document that effectively integrates your skills and experience, but also to guide you through a reflective process that will enhance your interview readiness.

For many of you whom Richard has met with over the past 12 months, the points outlined below will likely sound familiar—we’ve covered similar ground in our conversations. However, it’s always helpful to revisit these fundamentals with a fresh perspective.

Understanding the Purpose of Your Resume

At its core, your resume is a sales brochure—designed to present you as an asset to potential employers. One common misstep is trying to document your entire career from start to finish. Your resume should be selective, structured, and purposeful. Its key objectives are to:

• Showcase your ability to present information clearly – this includes grammar, spelling, and efficient communication.
• Enable comparison – recruiters often scan multiple resumes, and yours needs to stand out in structure and content.
• Support a risk assessment – employers are assessing whether your background aligns with their risk appetite.
• Demonstrate alignment – it should be clear how your skills and experience match the role on offer.
• Act as interview rehearsal – this is often overlooked. Your resume should serve as a foundation for articulating your experience under interview conditions.

While points 1–4 is generally understood, point 5 is critical. It’s not just about what you’ve done—it’s about how well you communicate it. The best candidate is not always the one with the deepest experience, but often the one who can clearly articulate their skills, decisions, and achievements in a compelling way.

How to Think About Resume Writing

When preparing your resume, imagine you are writing a presentation for an audience. It needs:

• A logical flow of information
• Clear, relevant highlights
• Engaging content that holds attention

Success comes when your resume and interview tell the same story—when the written document aligns with how you verbally present your experience.

Resume Pitfalls: Buzzwords vs. Substance

We’re seeing a trend, possibly influenced by AI tools, of resumes overloaded with keywords like “sourcing,” “contract management,” or “cost reduction.” While this might help pass an initial keyword screen, it often lacks depth and context. The word “Sourcing,” for example, could mean vastly different things across 50 resumes.

What separates a strong resume from the rest is the detail behind the labels. For example:

• Why was sourcing required—was it to resolve an issue or seize an opportunity?
• What was the business context or strategy?
• What products or services were involved?
• Was it a domestic, regional, or global effort?
• What was the spend involved?
• What were the subcategories or key risks considered?

A useful structure to follow is Problem/Opportunity → Actions Taken → Results Achieved

This narrative not only strengthens the resume but also primes you to speak confidently during interviews.

Professional Summary As a dedicated Category Manager with a robust background in procurement, David brings over 10 years of professional experience. With a foundation in chemical engineering and hands-on experience across diverse portfolios, David offers strategic insight and proven results—even without formal tertiary qualifications.

He is actively seeking new opportunities that leverage his expertise in sourcing, stakeholder engagement, and category management, with a preference for collaborative environments.

David has managed portfolios ranging from $50M–$100M across Marketing, Recruitment & Labour Services, Travel, Utilities & Energy. His experience spans Pharmaceuticals and Banking & Finance—industries where he’s driven measurable outcomes under pressure.

David is both an enabler and a driver of continuous improvement, with team leadership experience, advanced Excel skills, and proficiency in JD Edwards, Oracle, and SAP ARIBA. His ability to foster strong stakeholder and supplier relationships is a standout.

Key Achievements

• Pharmaceuticals – Category Management In 2021, managed an $80M marketing spend (covering media, print, advertising, and events,) addressing vendor reliability risks and cost creep. David developed a 36-month category plan yielding 6% cost savings per annum, and shared outcome equity via long-term agreements, while improve ROI by 3%.
• Pharmaceuticals – Stakeholder Management In 2020, David addressed stakeholder misalignment across a $30M labour spend. Business was decentralised (3 P&Ls). David initiated targeted workshops for a period of 1 month while improving data promotion highlighting benefits of synergy. David improved P&L collaboration across the labour utilisation, which optimised project delivery outcomes by 17%.

Each of these examples follows a clear structure and provides meaningful detail that elevates the resume beyond generic descriptors.