RESUME PREPARATION

We always present our clients with the resume you have given us. There are two reasons for this. Firstly you can be assured that no misinterpretation of your resume has occurred due to retyping. Secondly, and most importantly, it is a valuable tool that helps the client assess your analytical ability for the position(s). Your resume should leave nothing to doubt.

Your resume is your personal brochure, used to sell your skills and background to prospective employers. As such, it needs to be clear and unambiguous, outlining your work history and IT experience, along with other relevant information.

Write your resume as a generic document so that it does not require specific alteration each time you present it for a position. When writing your resume keep in mind that it may be presented to various levels in an organisation from IT Project Manager to the Human Resources department.

Careful planning and thought should be put into preparing your resume, which can often mean a significant investment of your time and energy. As you construct your resume, you are building a portrait of yourself. By focusing on the task, you will attain an increased self-awareness and confidence in your abilities.

Review your resume carefully and where possible ask our representatives to critique it to obtain some constructive feedback.

An effective resume should include the following main characteristics:

· provides information that is relevant, clear and to the point
· it sends the right signals to prospective employers
· highlights and gives evidence of your strengths and achievements
· is a selling document
· inspires confidence
· is a truthful representation of your abilities and the tasks you have performed
· forms an agenda for the interview

When forwarding your resume to seek employment, it is beneficial to include a covering letter outlining your area of specialty, the type of position you are seeking,

Your income expectations, along with your main strengths. Always ensure you have the correct spelling of the person and company you are forwarding your resume to.

Remember, this is the first impression a client will have of how you present yourself. It is also a representation of your written and report writing skills, which are generally an important part of any role.

Rule for Preparing your Resume

· Layout is important √ use adequate spacing so your resume is easy to read
· Minimize the use of tabs and other indentations, to avoid unnecessary layout mistakes
· Avoid excessive personal or educational details
· Always proof read and spell check your resume for spelling and grammatical errors
· Ensure you only type or print on one side of the page
· Do not date your resume
· Your resume should be out with the most recent held position first (reverse chronological order)
· Headings can be capitalized, bolded or underlined to emphasize information. Avoid excessive use of different fonts and graphics throughout the resume
· Short statements, set out in bullet point form are quicker and easier to read than lengthy sentences or paragraphs. Having too much information will cause the reader to lose interest.
· Along with duties performed, include significant achievements

To help you with your preparation, we have attached a sample layout of a resume. This can be used as a guide and tailored to suit your individual needs.

For further assistance please do not hesitate to contact IBSN representatives.

Name:                  Your full name
Age:
Date of Birth:     DD/MM/YYYY
Availability:

Address:             Your current residential address

Telephone:         Home number
                             Business number
                             Fax number
                             Email address

Citizenship:       Country

Year commenced in it:   Year

OBJECTIVES:    Optional

EDUCATION:    Starting year to ending year
                             Educational institute
                             Course completed

TRAINING COURSES:   Relevant to your work history

OTHER SKILLS/INTERESTS:

MAJOR STRENGTHS/ ACHIEVEMENTS:

TECHNICAL SUMMARY:

Using a table format include all relevant categories along with how you rate your skills, number of years used and year you last used it. Remember to explain the rating scale you are using. We use a simple but effective internal rating for your skills based on a scale of 1-4 , with
1 =  Theory Only: 2 = Limited Use; 3 = Competent; 4 = In-depth Use.
 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

COMPANY NAME    e.g.XYZ Holding Ltd

Start Date to End Date   e.g.Jan 96 to Present or Jan 96 √ Jan 97

Position Held:    e.g.   Analyst Programmer

Environment:    include H/W, O/S, S/W etc used in this position e.g. UNIX, C++, OOD, etc

Give a brief explanation of the company and project or the environment you worked on. This will indicate the size and magnitude of the project/environment you are involved in. Keep this brief and to the point. Avoid internal terminology and acronyms, these are meaningless outside of the organisation. It should be clear, simple and precise. Do not waffle and add only details which are relevant to YOU √ not to the team or others around you.

Ask yourself the following questions to help you prepare your resume:

 ·   did you work as part of a ream or on your own?
 ·   did you deal with customers/users;
 ·   what were your major responsibilities?
 ·   were you involved in decision making?
 ·   did you have reporting responsibilities, if so, what were they?
 ·   did you lead a team, if so, how many people reported to you?
 

Along with the above questions, you should also ask yourself questions relevant to your skill level. E.g. for an Analyst Programmer:
·   what % of your role involved coding?
·   were you involved in maintenance/development/both?
·   for what % of your role did you have different responsibilities, what were they?
 

Using the past tense e.g. While with [company name], Mr Brown (you) was responsible for the following:

·   list your main responsibilities and in point form
·    where a paragraph or point flows for 2 lines of text or more, ensure that each line of text is aligned to the first line indent.

Major achievements should also be included, but these must be demonstrated.
 

REFEREES:

A LIST OF REFEREES SHOULD BE INCLUDED AT THE END OF YOUR RESUME. THE REFEREES SHOULD BE YOUR IMMEDIATE SUPERVISOR AND SHOULD BE NO MORE  THAT 4 YEARS OLD √ PREFERABLY THEY SHOULD BE PEOPLE YOU REPORTED TO IN THE LAST 2 YEARS.

When including referees, you need to detail the referees name, title, company name, contact phone number and your reporting relationship.