Adulting 101: The Résumé Edition

Excerpt from Chapter 3: Crafting Your First Résumé

“You don’t need a pay slip for something to count as experience. If you’ve helped out at school, been part of a fundraiser, coached a younger sports team, or served sausages at a Bunnings BBQ, you’ve already developed the kinds of skills employers want. Volunteering shows: Initiative, community spirit, responsibility, and  the ability to do something without needing a reward. But let’s keep it real. You didn’t end global poverty by running a cake stall. What you did do was give up your time, organise something with others, deal with people, and make a small difference. That counts”.

There are a few points early in life where a résumé suddenly becomes necessary—and not always at the most convenient moment.

Adulting 101: The Résumé Edition walks through three of them: your first job, part-time or casual work while studying, and the transition from study into something more permanent.

Rather than assuming experience, this book focuses on how to recognise and present what you already have—school projects, early roles, and developing skills—in a way that feels credible and easy to understand.

Inside, you’ll explore:

• How to structure a résumé at different early career stages
• Ways to present school, study, and part-time work with clarity
• How to move beyond listing tasks and begin showing contribution
• Practical examples that illustrate what works—and what doesn’t
• Simple checklists to guide you through the process

The tone is intentionally straightforward, with enough lightness to keep things readable without losing clarity.

You don’t need to overstate your experience.
You just need to present it in a way that makes sense.

This book shows you how to do that—step by step.