Your Resume

You’re on the hunt for a new job. You might be casually browsing to see what’s available or you might be actively searching. Either way you need a resume on hand to email out when an interesting job comes your way.

Your resume is a first point of contact to a potential employer and therefore must leave a suitably positive impression. Therefore, it’s worth spending time to make sure your skills, experience and talent resonate. At Lloyd Harrington we offer the following advice when crafting your resume.

We advocate the KISS principle - Keep It Short and Simple. Your resume should not simply be a list of job titles and duties, but should also highlight your skills, experience and responsibilities.It should indicate how you can make a difference.

The structure should be clear and easy to understand as well as pleasing to the eye. Bullet points are very effective as they exclude unnecessary wording. The language of your resume should be clear, positive and exciting.

Check out our resume example to the right and feel free to use our template to craft your CV. In general you should address the following points.

Personal details

Begin with your personal details on the top of the front page. Immediately underneath, include address, phone number, age (optional), email and nationality (optional). Include work numbers only if you want to be contacted at work. A personal profile is also very helpful to the prospective employer to give them an indication of your suitability. A personal profile is a very brief paragraph summary of your skills, experience, knowledge and career aspirations.

Education

Your education should include the dates and place of study listed in reverse order, beginning with your most recent qualifications. If you have just completed a degree there is no need to put specific school results. If you're in the middle of a qualification and feel that particular aspects would be of interest to a prospective employer it can’t hurt to include it.

Employment History

Again, begin with your most recent job and work backwards. Include company name, location, position title, your responsibilities and duties, specific dates of employment, achievements, the reason for leaving (optional) and whether the position was full time, part time, temporary or permanent.

Employers like to know how you can make a difference, so pay particular emphasis to your achievements and responsibilities. If possible quantify your achievements with facts and figures.

Gaps during employment history should be accounted for. Employers tend to be cautious - if you account for your gaps it will bring peace of mind to the prospective employer. We don’t recommend listing information about positions that were a long time ago or for a very short period of time.

Other relevant information

In this section highlight anything else you feel necessary to help secure that first interview. You might include skills that you haven’t mentioned already such as software or systems knowledge, typing speed and language skills. You should state your level of proficiency in each (basic, intermediate, advanced). Memberships to professional organisations could also be mentioned here.

Interests

Keep the interests section short, limited to a couple of hobbies, past-times and achievements. Employers are generally looking to gain an indication of your personality, whether you're a team player or work best on your own and whether you would fit into the existing corporate culture.

Referees

We recommend providing two or three referees, of which one should be your most recent employer. Only include your present employer if you’re comfortable with them being contacted. University and school leavers with limited work experience should nominate relevant teachers or lecturers. Include your referee's company, position title, mobile number and direct work contact number. If you don't feel comfortable providing referee details, make clear that you will provide them upon request. Be sure to tell your referees in advance so that they're prepared when contacted.

Always

Tailor to company and job
Use headings and bullet points
Make relevant information prominent
Use positive language and a confident tone
Double check and proof read
Print with quality white paper

Never

Lie
Use elaborate fonts and colours
Include a photo unless specified
Be modest
Use "I"
Exceed three pages - two is ideal

Once you have a resume, the next step is writing a Cover Letter.