GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS RESUMEA resume acts as your representative in your absence. It is a traditional business document designed to present, clearly and quickly, information about your work and education history to prospective employers. The following information describes a format which Bloomfield Tremayne & Partners have established which we find the clearest and concise way to present your information.
First Impression
The resume is often the first impression given to a prospective employer. Since clarity and brevity are equally important, careful writing, editing and organising is required.
Formats
There are many successful resume formats. The best one for you depends on the amount and variety of information you need to include. We have selected one that will serve most people very well. Before beginning to write, think about the variety of people who will read it and what they want to know about you. The audience for the resume can range from the partner of a large company to the human resources director, a manager of an in-house design group, the director of marketing, a general recruiter in a corporation or a designer running a small office. It must provide information that people with many different needs and backgrounds will be able to understand.
Identification
The most important information should be on the first page: your name, how you can be reached, what you want to do and what you have done.
Your name, address, home, mobile and office phone number and e-mail address should be on the top of the first page. If your current address and telephone number are temporary, indicate how long you'll be there and also provide the permanent address and a telephone number of someone who can take messages for you. Don't forget to provide area codes. Distinguish daytime or office numbers from evening, home, mobile or message numbers. Make it as easy as possible for the reader to reach you or to leave a message during business hours. That's when most calls are made to schedule appointments for interviews.
Descriptive Titles
After or underneath your name, it's helpful to provide a descriptive title, such as Architect, Interior Designer, Draftsperson and so on. (Architects put registration information here.) This gives the reader a quick clue as to what you're about. It's a good idea to follow this with a brief summary of your skills, interests, experience and objectives. The summary/objective should be brief, at most three sentences, and should have substance. Don't be too specific or too general. For example, everyone is "looking for a challenge." And, to emphasise your preference for working in a consulting office may eliminate your chance to consider an extraordinary corporate position. Include a summary/objective only if you have a clear and meaningful one. You can have different ones for different kinds of situations or positions.
Education
Outline your education in reverse chronological order (last degree first). Include the name of the university, dates of attendance and dates of degrees, honours and awards received, if any. Recent graduates may want to include thesis subject and description, if relevant to their professional objectives. Do not list courses. Include high school only if it was geared to your professional objective. List any additional courses you have taken since receiving a degree. And remember, all information you provide is easily checked. Don't claim a degree you don't have or say you worked somewhere you didn't. Personal information is optional. It is against the law for prospective employers to ask questions about age, marital status, religion, sex, race, or health status before hiring. If there is cause for question, indicate your citizenship or visa status.
Computer Skills
Make a list all of the computer skills you have including your proficiency level ie: basic knowledge, intermediate, expert etc.
Professional Experience
Outline your professional experience, in reverse chronological order (last job first). Include dates of employment (month and year), name of employer, location and your position. Then include a detailed description of projects that you have worked on including location, scale and dollar value of the projects and then list exactly what your duties involved for each project.
Describe your reporting relationships, team structure, the numbers and duties of people you have supervised. Do not assume that everyone knows the companies you have worked for, they don't - describe them: "furniture manufacturer" or "small design office", for example. Potential employers should not have to guess about what you did or where you did it. As a general rule, describe the positions according to the time spent in them and their relative importance to your career. You need to list but not describe earlier positions held unless they add something important to your qualification in relation to your current objectives. If you had a wide range of responsibilities, but only want to retain some of them in future jobs, talk about those you wish to continue in detail. Only mention the ones you want to shed. If you have held several positions of equal importance, simply balance the information accordingly.
Put yourself in the position of a person looking to hire someone and tell him or her what they need to know about your work experience to enhance your own candidacy in general. List temporary / contract employment only if it's relevant to the position you seek or in some way enhances your candidacy in general. Clearly indicate your status if you have been freelancing or working as a project consultant. Recent graduates should describe participation in professional situations appropriately describing them as summer, part-time or freelance experiences. If you have travelled or had long periods of unemployment include these dates and detail what you were doing during these periods.
Easy Reading
Design your resume for easy reading and handling when printed, but don't over design it - it's a business document. Do not use tiny, unusual or script typefaces, select type for readability. Try to use standard A4 paper as small resumes can get lost; large ones will get folded and dog-eared.
Design your resume for legibility and ease of opening in all formats when e-mailed (Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat formats are preferred).
Additional Information
This can be headed Career Highlights, Awards, Exhibitions or Affiliations and can be used to include information such as awards received, exhibitions entered or professional affiliations. Include dates and a one-line description.
