Resume Writing

Guide

Elizabeth Lenihan | www.elizabethlenihan.com

ATS Compatible Resume Template

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Hello!
Elizabeth is an experienced career advisor and coach with
extensive practice defining areas of career interest,
progression, and development. She loves to help others
succeed and leads through compassion & empathy.

She has supported clients, particularly those working in the

Technology industry, for over fifteen years.

She has been recognised for her excellence and contributions

within the industry being awarded the Woman4IT
Ambassador Award in 2022 and in 2019 when nominated for
the Women in Technology—Mentorship Award.

She is highly motivational and supportive, with the ability to

bring clarity and direction to anyone seeking to review or
consider their career journey.

You can learn more about Elizabeth and follow her on LinkedIn
and Instagram.

Elizabeth
Lenihan
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CONTENTS

1
RESUME WRITING

2
RESUME FUNDAMENTALS

3
RESUME SECTIONS

4
TIME TO APPLY

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 1
C H A P T E R

RESUME WRITING

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 RESUME WRITING
The purpose of your resume is to act as the gateway to you in
the application process. It is your tool to showcase your
suitability for a position of interest, with the aim of being
shortlisted for further assessment.

You are unique, your perceptions and outlook are different

from your peers and although someone may have similar
experience, once invited to interview, you have the opportunity
to elaborate on your skills and abilities while also sharing who
you are.

The goal of your resume is to bring you closer to that interview

opportunity, therefore it is imperative to put the time and
energy into its development.

I appreciate the prospect of reviewing and re-writing your

resume can feel arduous and overwhelming, but it’s worth it
when you finally have a pièce de résistance that you know
represents you at your best. The end certainly justifies the
means when you make the effort.

Over the years, many resumes have crossed my desk. I have

seen applications from helpdesk engineers with six months
experience that included their summer bar work abroad, span
three plus pages and Senior Technical Architects who did not
outline any of the systems that they worked with nor the
technical environments they worked in…

This is the never

ending Jerry Maguire
moment where I’m
saying ‘Help me help
you’!

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 RESUME WRITING

This is precisely why I have Why is this important? We

written this resume writing want to ensure that your
guide to help streamline the resume is optimised for your
process and empower you to application so whether being
take the necessary steps in screened and shortlisted by
developing your standout an ATS, recruiter or hiring
resume. manager, you are giving
yourself the best chance of
When writing your resume it progressing to stage 2.
is also beneficial to
understand the application Things to be aware of that
and selection process of the can influence the screening
recruitment cycle. of your resume:
An ATS can be fussy about
At a high level; applications the file type it receives as
may come through many well as the formatting of
different channels, whether the document itself
internal, external or referral; (headers and footers,
all applicant resumes and tables and columns all a
details are then centralised no no!)
and saved into a company's An ATS can perform the
applicant tracking system initial screening of your
(ATS). This is followed by resume through keyword
selecting candidates which identification &/or
involves two main processes: If a person is screening,
1. Screening & Shortlising they may not be technical
candidates to determine or have a deep
who has the necessary understanding of what
skills to proceed to the you do or are applying for
assessment stage
2. Assessing candidates to
find out who is most
suitable for the role

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 RESUME WRITING
Due to this, I recommend the KISS principle - Keep it Simple
and Straightforward! ”The KISS principle states that most
systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made
complex; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design
and unnecessary complexity should be avoided!” Wikipedia

Based on this principle I have developed best practice

guidance for putting together your resume. Provided is an ATS
friendly, editable and customisable template that you can work
from which outlines this recommended format.

Presentation, format, content

and structure have an impact on
applications. Getting your
resume right is just the first of
many steps in the recruitment
process.

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 2
C H A P T E R

RESUME
FUNDAMENTALS

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Let’s explore the basics. The following is an overview of the
initial elements we look at when building your resume. You’ll
notice this format is followed in the accompanying template.
Remember, our aim is to keep the design simple, to ensure
your resume can be found, easily read, and the keywords and
content absorbed and processed by either ATS or recruiter.

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 1
File format

Word/Google documents are

easier to transfer into systems,
templates and edit where
appropriate.
FORMAT
A lot of recruitment or
company databases (ATS), will
not be able to do a keyword
search on .pdf or other file
types, consequently, although
on their system you CV may
Font never be found!

You don’t need anything fancy,

the key here is to ensure your Tables
resume is easy to read so the ATS,
recruiter and hiring managers Do not write your resume in a
can easily find the information table format. ATSs may not be
they need able to process these formats.
ATSs typically read from left to
Easy to read fonts: Times New right so any content within tables
Roman, Helvetica, Calibri, Arial, or columns can be distorted or
Tahoma or Garamond (10, 11 or 12 not parsed correctly affecting the
size) system's ability to appropriately
screen your resume.
Spacing
Keeping content specific to
Remove needless spacing,
the job will help. No one is
reduce it to single line or
interested in filtering through
1.15 spacing - this will assist
8-10 pages of content. If
with keeping your resume
Executives with 30+ years
to the desired 2 pages.
experience can do it, so can
you.
Length

Keep your resume to 2-3 pages Picture | Graphics

Do not reduce your font to 8 to No thank you - avoid heavy
facilitate keeping the pages graphics or visuals - they distract,
down, if the content is relevant, as opposed to making your skills
they still need to be able to read and experience jump off the
it. page.

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 2
Tailor your resume for each
application

Review the requirements and

skills necessary for the position in
the job specification.
CONTENT
In your skills matrix and job
descriptions, make sure you
make your aligned skills and
experience evident – if you know
you can do the job – make sure
they know to!

Keep in mind, HR or Recruitment

Personnel, may not have a technical
background or be an expert in what
you do. Make the appropriate skills
obvious. This will greatly increase
you chances of getting a call and
having the opportunity to elaborate
further.

Do not lie Spell Check

You will get caught, it’s not worth It is a simple click of a button.
it and it is a waste of everyone’s Grammar and spelling mistakes
time, just don’t do it. are a big ‘NO’ on resumes. There
is no reason for them, so don’t
Keep your experience real, there skip this step..
is no point ‘fluffing’ a resume to
get the job you want but are not Spell check the document in full
suitable for. Your reputation with and ensure your comma and
your recruiter will be in disrepute word spacing is correct.
as well as with the company.

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 3
Resume Sections

a. Personal Details
b. Summary (discretionary)
c. Certifications/Training & Education
OUTLINE d. Skills Matrix – core strengths
e. Professional Experience/ Career
History
i. Previous Career History (optional)
f. Hobbies (discretionary)
g. Reference (make note to availability)

The above provides the overview of my KISS principle for resume

development. This format is also strongly supported by the 2018
Eye-Tracking Study. Ladders Inc. revealed that the time recruiters
spend on the initial screen of a resume is on average 7.4 seconds.

Resumes that captured recruiters' attention featured simple

layouts, with clear sections and heading titles, especially when they
utilised bold titles and bulleted accomplishments.

Resumes that did not fare well, were hindered by cluttered layouts,
a lack of white space on the page, multiple columns and long
sentences. A lack of section or job headers also turned off recruiters,
as did text that didn't flow or draw the eye down the page.

You now have a strong understanding of what we’re looking to

develop and why. Next, let's explore each resume section and walk
through how to approach them and what content you should
prioritise within each.

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 3
C H A P T E R

RESUME SECTIONS

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 RESUME SECTIONS

In each of the resume sections, our aim is to promote and

emphasise your key skills and experience as it relates to the job
requirement. We want to showcase your experience clearly
and make it evident to the reader by also utilising their
keywords and terminology where appropriate - drawing a
direct link between your experience and their role.

Let's delve in, exploring each of the resume sections while

keeping this in mind. I recommend opening the resume
template and updating it, as we work through each section.

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 1
Your Name - in bold,
centralised, and larger font at
the top of your resume

Address - just the city,

PERSONAL DETAILS state/province is necessary, no
need for full addresses or
postal codes - you can also
add country abbreviation if
warranted
Mobile/Cell - share the number that is best for contacting you on -
ensure you have an appropriate voicemail message set up to
catch missed callers

Professional email address

Use a professional/appropriate email address, something
simple like firstname.lastname@gmail.com or similar

Personalise your LinkedIn Profile

URL
Login into LinkedIn
Go to your Profile page
On the right side of your page
click "Edit public profile & URL"
Click the blue pencil and update

Visa Status & Work Eligibility (Optional)

Do you have the right to work in the country you are applying
to? If not, get informed on Working Visa policies/schemes and
start any necessary processes. Include your eligibility to work
status in your application and if required, clarify from the onset
if the employer sponsors working visas.

Languages (Optional)
If multilingual, outline and include your language proficiency
(Native, Professional Fluency, Conversational, Learning). Avoid
self assessment ratings but include actual accreditations if you
have them e.g. Cambridge results, IELTS or similar.

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 2
The summary section is a concise
snapshot of your experience. It is
the first section the hiring
manager sees. Your goal is to
convey what you do, and how
SUMMARY your current experience relates to
or matches their requirements.

In short, it is your elevator pitch!

You want to keep it succinct and
brief, highlighting your skills and
experience that are most relevant
Key Components to the position you are applying
for.
Present job title, core
responsibility and years of
experience

1-3 key achievements that may Soft skills include leadership,

have relevance to the job, communication, teamwork,
ideally, quantifiable. These are time management and
more credible and likely to adaptability. Hard skills are
leave an impression than those that are gained through
simply claiming that you hands-on experience, training
achieved something. and education.

1-3 of your core key skills that

are relevant to the job - this
includes soft skills as well as
hard.
You want this tailored to the position, showcasing your key
experience, accomplishments and skills as they relate to the job. The
aim here is to entice the reader to continue reading your resume, by
ensuring they see a match between their requirement and your
skills. Consider mirroring their keywords and terminology (action
verbs and descriptors) as outlined in the job specification that align
to your experience when writing this section.

There are two formats that can be followed for the Summary. First,
the paragraph format and secondly, the bullet point format.
Examples for both are presented below:
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 Short Paragraph Format Examples:

Level 2 Server Support Engineer with 8+ years experience

1
supporting Microsoft environments. Currently working in the
Server Support Team in CompanyX, administering Windows
Servers 2012, 2016 and 2019 to ITIL standards. Adaptable and
a quick learner looking for project work in Windows Server
2022 enterprise environments.

Meticulous Technical Writer with 7+ years experience in

2
writing end-user documentation, specialising in product
help guides. Excellent writing, analytical thinking, research,
and time management skills. Rewrote over 80% of user
guides for 30+ products at Company X, resulting in a 42%
decrease in product-related customer support calls.

3
Product Manager with 9+ years experience driving brand
strategy, evaluating product performance and
implementing strategic marketing aimed at finding
opportunities to maximise revenue. Led 8 teams to ensure
on-time product delivery, increasing revenue by 15%, while
simultaneously saving 10% on product development costs.
Possess a certified Product Management Certificate from X.

Bullet Point Format:

The key components remain the same for this format, it is more
suitable, in my opinion, for more seasoned job seekers, as it allows
the writer to outline a greater number of achievements or soft /
hard skills as necessary. When considering this format, I
recommend that you not exceed 6-8 bullets, again keeping the
points succinct.

Example:
IT Operations Manager working in the Tech Industry for 15+
years
8+ years team management - 6 globally dispersed teams - 18
direct reports
Managing X IT infrastructure, X Networks and X Systems
environments
Ability to manage multiple projects - Certified Associate in
Project Management (CAPM)
Improved efficiency of….
Reduced manual effort required…
Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), and Risk and
Information Systems Control (CRISC)
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 3
You are looking to outline any
relevant education,
certifications and training in this
section of your resume, ordered
EDUCATION, chronologically, starting with
CERTIFICATIONS & the most recent first.
TRAINING
Keep in mind expiry dates. If
you have certifications that are
no longer valid and you are no
longer working in that area,
leave them out. If they are
expired but still relevant,
include them providing the
dates.

Format example:
Date (if appropriate) Course Title Accrediting Body
In progress CCNP Cisco
2020 - 2024 CCNA Cisco
2018 CompTIA Network+ Udemy
2018 Microsoft MCP Microsoft
2015 - 2019 Degree in IT Systems University of X

Professional and technical

certifications can help to
differentiate you from your peers
while also showcasing your
Have your certifications initiative and interest in your area
scanned and saved for easy of expertise and personal
access should they ever be development.
requested.

They also add significance to the

skills you list - If you say you are an
expert with AWS and Azure, but
don't have any accreditation listed,
recruiters will look to clarify your
self assessed rating.

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 4
The skills section on your
resume is to highlight the
relevant skills you are most
competent with based on
commercial experience.
SKILLS MATRIX
When it comes to an interview,
you will be asked to talk
through your experience and
can be queried on any of the
skills and techologies you have
outlined.

A common mistake I see among more junior job seekers, for

example, is noting Windows Server XX, when what they are actually
doing is password resets via Active Directory. Or those who
predominantly work with Windows Servers and add that they are
strong with Linux without context, this can be perceived as
buzzword inclusion. Provide clear context regarding the experience
you have.

Overreaching your experience will leave you vulnerable should you

progress to the interview stage.

Be honest and transparent regarding the experience and skill

level you have.

Within the Skills Matrix do not list everything you have ever worked
with, rather, focus on outlining skills that make you a competitive
candidate. Showcase key, note-worthy skills and/or technology
1. Relevant to the role you are applying for,
2. Those you have strong proficiency with, and
3. Those you have engaged with that may compliment the job
environment

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These skills include all computer
programs, systems, databases, coding
tools and platforms with which you are
comfortable working. It can also be
helpful to the hiring manager if you
include your skill level.

Software Developer example:

Expert: TFS, HTML, JDBC, C/C++,
Hudson, CSS, SOAP, J2EE, Eclipse
Intermediate: C#, ASP.NET, SQL,
Visual Studio, Java, Ruby on Rails,
VB.NET, Hibernate
Learning: Jenkins, Python, REST,
Spring
If you are a graduate, you will want
to amend this heading to Lab
Based/Educational Training or
similar. Think about what programs,
systems, or technologies you scored
highest with or feel most confident
with, and focus on outlining these
rather than listing everything you
have studied/practiced in your
course(s).

Some companies use keyword

scanning tools to initially screen
resumes to pare down applications
and eliminate those that do not
include their required skills. To give
your resume its best chance of
making it through the first screening
round, it can be helpful to outline
your level of expertise with each of
the required skills listed in the job
description.

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 5
The professional experience,
work or career history section
(whatever your preference), is to
PROFESSIONAL outline the key skills used,
EXPERIENCE responsibilities held and
impactful projects or
achievements within a specific
position.

It is these job descriptions and experiences that give credibility to

your application. Once again, you want these listed in reverse
chronological order - starting with the most recent first.

Re-read the job description. Prioritising relevant experience will

make it easier for the company to assess your suitability for the
position. You might also consider mirroring any of their keywords
and terminology to recount your own experience.

You want to keep these descriptions concise and uncomplicated.

Bear in mind, someone who is not an expert at what you do may be
doing the initial screening.

Bullet points are best utilised in this section providing short, brief
statements.

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INCLUDE AVOID
Your most impactful Explaining what the
contributions in each role - company does.
employers are interested in
the value you demonstrated
The basic requirements of
Quantifiable achievements, your position.
results & facts. Numbers
stand out on your resume.
Did you impact the business
through task, process, or
vs Smaller irrelevant
responsibilities that do not
revenue efficiencies/gains? relate to the job you are
applying for.
Action verbs - show readers
you accomplished
Too many descriptive words
something, you weren't just
- keep things short and
“responsible for” it. Instead
punchy.
you “streamlined” or
“coordinated” or “executed”
it.

Soft skills as well as hard

skills and reference any new
certifications, awards or
honours gained.

Core tech, methodologies,

&/or frameworks
used/followed in each
position.

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The Technical Environment (Optional)

Outside of any core tech or systems engaged within your position,

it can be advantageous to share the additional secondary systems,
programs, databases, coding tools or platforms you used or
interacted with in each position. These are the less relevant tech
you deem worthy of mentioning.

I recommend outlining these just under your job description; drop-

down your font size by one or two, depending on how many you list
(example provided in the resume template).

Including this section will also amplify the number of keywords

your resume holds.

Previous Career History

You can include a Previous

Career History section to
showcase career continuity if you
so wish, or simply just continue to
outline the Company Name, Job
Title and Dates of Employment,
following the Resume Template
format, without providing job
descriptions within your
Professional Experience section.

Due to these positions being held

some time ago, the skills are
likely dated or no longer relevant
therefore they have little bearing
on your current application.

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 6
References

References are typically sought

for each new employment
once an offer is being made. It
is important that you source an
REFERENCES appropriate referee from
previous employment. Typically
employers will look for
references from your last one
or two employers.

This can vary for contractors or freelances as more references may

be sought to cover a particular period of time or for particular skills
or projects.

On your resume, simply state they are available upon request.

Sourcing Referees

Ensure when finishing a contract, project or employment that you

determine the most appropriate person who can speak to your
calibre of work and contributions noting both soft and hard skills
within that role.

Once you have shortlisted who you feel can best speak to your
experience - ask them if they will act as a referee before sharing
their details.

It has happened more than once, where referees details were

shared, firstly, they were unaware, but secondly, they did not view
the person's work within their role as positive; did not recommend
the job seeker and queried why they were chosen. Poor references
can end a potential offer.

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 REFERENCES

1 2 3
Shortlist suitable Ask if they are willing Get relevant written
referees who are to be a referee & testimonials when
informed and can provide a testimonial leaving a job, rather
speak positively regarding your work. than trying to source
about your Confirm you have at a later stage. As
contributions and their permission to time passes people
work within a share their personal may forget things or
particular position. details for this lose motivation.
reason.

4 5 6
Ensure you reach out When leaving a Testimonial requests
and contact any position, request on LinkedIn opens
referees, advising testimonials from greater opportunities
them when they can colleagues and peers to target individuals
expect a call once regarding noteworthy you may have worked
their details have contributions to be with on short term
been shared. Remind shared on LinkedIn. projects, or people
them of key skills and that can speak to a
achievements that particular skill or
are of interest to the project.
new position.
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 4
C H A P T E R

TIME TO APPLY

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 TIME TO APPLY
If you have followed along with the resume template and updated
your sections as you progressed through this guide,
congratulations, you should be truly happy with the result. You now
have a resume that is targeted at your desired job and represents
your skills, experience and key achievements as they best relate to
the position on offer.

This method will draw the reader in, using their key words and
terminology for recognition and correlation - aligning your skills to
their needs.

Do a double check on all sections - use the checklist below and

don’t forget to spell check.

Once complete - it's time to apply!!

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 1
CHECKLIST

Mobile/Cell - review or set up an appropriate voicemail message

Email - appropriate email address

Personalise your LinkedIn URL

Summary - showcase tech, accomplishments and skills as they

relate to the job

Education - outline any relevant education, certifications and

training

Skills Matrix - outline technologies and key skills that make you a
competitive candidate

Professional Experience - outline key skills, responsibilities held and

impactful projects/achievements

References - determine the most appropriate person who can

speak positively to your calibre of work and contributions

Spell Check your resume :)

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Thank-you!
I'm so excited to continue supporting and working
with you. Please visit my website for further
career guidance and services to help you take
control on your career journey.

Contact:
www.elizabethlenihan.com
hello@elizabethlenihan.com