When It Comes To Resumes, We Don’t Pray Pray | Phua Chu Kang’s Resume Sample
Phua Chu Kang is EVERYWHERE – first appearing on our TV screens in the 90s, during the SARS epidemic in 2003, and most recently, in those jingly Shopee ads on YouTube and at MRT stations.
He’s a permanent fixture in Singaporean culture. I mean… are you really a true-blue Singaporean if you don’t know who Phua Chu Kang is?
Well, following the massive success of his Shopee 9.9 ad (which has racked 1.4M views in just 2 months), he’s no longer a subcontractor with yellow rubber boots.
He’s now a regional social media star.
And he wanted his resume to reflect his new career narrative.
So he’s come to us, the best resume writing firm in Singapore, Malaysia and some say Hong Kong.
We took an in-depth look at his original resume. To be fair, it wasn’t too bad, but it definitely could do with some improvement!
Here’s what we thought about it:
PCK’s Original Resume
PHUA CHU KANG
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Tel.: +65 9100 9100 | Email: phuachukang@gmail.com | Nationality: Singaporean
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Confident, capable, driven, handsome, stylo-milo construction expert and contractor with >20 years’ experience in performing renovations for retail, commercial, and residential spaces across Singapore and Malaysia. [That’s a lot of adjectives, Chu Kang! The opening lines of your resume should be concise and encapsulate only the most relevant, most impressive bits of your career.]
- Proven track record of delivering complex construction projects, with access to networks of specialists and architects. All kinds of projects also can. Strong reputation as best contractor in Singapore, Johor Bahru, and some say Batam. [All kinds? Best to be specific about your expertise here!]
- Part-time musician, rapper, and performer, having appeared in music videos as part of campaigns on public health and transportation sponsored by Singaporean government and ministries.
Achievements include:
-
- Successfully foiled retirement-home fraud scheme, saving elderly welfare donations from embezzlement and exposing main culprit while working on contract in Malaysia. ~ PCK Pte Ltd
- Saved client’s life during emergency medical situation while fulfilling toilet contract, transporting client safely to hospital. ~ PCK Pte Ltd [Well done!!]
KEY SKILLS
| Consutruction and Renovation | Porject Management | Strategic Planning |
| Team Leadership | Contract Negotiations | Home Improvement Projects |
| Safety and Compliance Management | Resource and Budget Planning | Rap |
| Music Production |
[Typos are a big no-no! Review your CV in detail to catch errors like these, before you send your CV out!]
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
PHUA CHU KANG PTE LTD, SINGAPORE
- Lead team of 5 employees, including award-winning toilet architect, in building renovation projects for new clients, completing ~30 projects yearly for residential homes and retail spaces. Directly oversee construction projects across full lifecycle, from initial assessment to full installation.
- Manage network of partners and vendors to source extra-high-quality components for building projects, services for company website, and materials for advertising. Negotiate all contracts, ensuring fair rates and best prices in town while competing with clearly inferior Frankie Foo Pte Ltd construction firm. [“Clearly inferior” isn’t a nice thing to say… remember that you should always keep the tone of your CV objective!]
- Mentor and guide younger employees. Improve morale with regular tau huay breaks, and coordinate efficiently with lovely, charming, and beautiful wife who handles client relations and is not looking over my shoulder now at all. Ensure that nerdy brother and terrible sister-in-law do not make things difficult. [These are loooong bullet points. Keep them brief, or split them up, to drive greater impact.]
Significant Achievements
-
- Successfully foiled retirement-home fraud scheme, saving elderly welfare donations from embezzlement and exposing main culprit while working on contract in Malaysia. Also met estranged grandfather who abandoned family. [How much did you help save? As much as possible, use metrics to demonstrate impact and substantiate your claims]
- Saved client’s life during emergency medical situation while fulfilling toilet contract. Transported pregnant client to hospital in pick-up truck and wheelbarrow, ensuring smooth delivery of client and baby.
WONG TUA KEE PTE LTD, SINGAPORE
- Built renovations and extensions, under guidance of employer and covering up for useless co-worker, Frankie Foo. Did all work assigned by manager, unlike Frankie, completing up to 20 projects yearly.
Significant Achievements
-
- Married my wife while facing competition from inferior lover Frankie Foo, fending off all seduction attempts. Too late already Frankie, Rosie is mine! [Again, substantiate your achievements with metrics :-)]
VOLUNTEER WORK, APPEARANCES & OTHER EXPERIENCE
- Performed in rap video to boost public health awareness regarding COVID-19 outbreak. Sang, danced, and advised younger generation on using their brains to combat pandemic and stay healthy, achieving 1.3M views on YouTube.
- Appeared in music video to share good public transport practices, sponsored by Singapore Land Transport Authority. Demonstrated proper manners and safety rules when boarding trains and busses, and scolded young people for not adhering to etiquette.
- Starred in hit music video to improve national morale during SARS pandemic. Launched rap career with personally-written song encouraging Singaporeans to “minus the virus” and encourage good hygiene and healthy lifestyle habits.
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s Degree, School of Hard Knocks, Singapore | 1979
MISC. INFORMATION
- Nationality: Singaporean
- Languages: Fluent in English, Mandarin, Hokkien
- Availability: Any time can also [You can simply state “Immediate” here :-)]
REFERENCES
- Rosie Phua Chin Huay, Wife, rosielovemahjong@gmail.com [No need to list your references here! HR will ask you for them, if they want to. (Please also ensure your refereer is someone who can attest to your capabilities in a professional setting!)]
We chuckled when reading his resume. It’s so PCK.
But, as you can see from the notes we left him, we don’t pray pray when it comes to resume writing!
We spotted specific areas in PCK’s resume that can definitely be sharpened. So, we did – while retaining key elements of his career narrative and voice.
Here’s the revised version… which we daresay is the best contractor’s resume in Singapore, JB and some say Batam!
Phua Chu Kang’s New Resume
Isn’t Phua Chu Kang’s revised resume more professional now?
It’s bound to make Hiring Managers go wow… and forgive his appearance in that Shopee ad.
We kid.
But we aren’t kidding when we say that writing a resume is unique for every single jobseeker… including you.
What about your CV? If you need a second opinion on your resume, you can just send it to us for free CV analysis – no strings attached!
We can even help you re-write your CV completely if you’re struggling to perfect it for your next batch of applications. Just reach out to us and we’ll help ensure your CV is the best it possibly can be.
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Outside of his professional pursuits, he enjoys road cycling, diving deep into biographies, and devouring copious amounts of dumplings.
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