question on resume

cena

How would you put your secondary school education down on a resume?

coylemj

I believe it's still called a CV In Ireland, or have we completely surrendered to the march of the Americanisation of the language? I know 'resume' is a French word but in the English language the usage comes from the US.

The answer is: Name of school attended and years e.g. Terenure College 1999-2005

I suspect what you're really asking is: 'Do I need to say how I got on in the Leaving Cert?' If you went on and got a degree of some sorts, you can ignore the Leaving Cert, just name the secondary school as above and leave it at that.

val_jester

coylemj wrote: »

I believe it's still called a CV In Ireland, or have we completely surrendered to the march of the Americanisation of the language? I know 'resume' is a French word but in the English language the usage comes from the US.

The answer is: Name of school attended and years e.g. Terenure College 1999-2005

I suspect what you're really asking is: 'Do I need to say how I got on in the Leaving Cert?' If you went on and got a degree of some sorts, you can ignore the Leaving Cert, just name the secondary school as above and leave it at that.

I would imagine the question use 'resume' as it is posted in the United States section and asking about job applications for there.

To answer the original questions, if you have a college degree, or anything higher than secondary school, you can leave out any mention of secondary school. The people reading your resume will not care about where you went to school, the degree is all that matters. When you get an interview you may be asked to fill out an application form which will ask if you have your GED or equivalent and you can put down the school there.

iusedtoknow

cena wrote: »

How would you put your secondary school education down on a resume?

I don't even mention it...it's assumed that since I have a M.Sc and BA that I would also have high school.The only time I ever see it on a Resume is if someone graduated "valedictorian" or something along those lines

Our secondary school system is so different to the US that putting down LC or anything like that is irrelevant as we don't do SAT's, attain diploma's or GED's.

cena

iusedtoknow wrote: »

I don't even mention it...it's assumed that since I have a M.Sc and BA that I would also have high school.The only time I ever see it on a Resume is if someone graduated "valedictorian" or something along those lines

Our secondary school system is so different to the US that putting down LC or anything like that is irrelevant as we don't do SAT's, attain diploma's or GED's.

What if your eduction is only secondary school level.

iusedtoknow

cena wrote: »

What if your eduction is only secondary school level.

Name of School...Years Attended

zeffabelli

cena wrote: »

What if your eduction is only secondary school level.

It's referred to as "high school." Don't bother with leaving cert they will have no idea what you mean.

coylemj

zeffabelli wrote: »

It's referred to as "high school." Don't bother with leaving cert they will have no idea what you mean.

+1 But it might be no harm to say that you 'graduated' in the year you did the Leaving Cert., that's the term they use in the US for someone who successfully completes high school. Without saying so, they may interpret it to mean that you were a 'high school dropout'.

So you might say 'Terenure College (high school), Dublin. Enrolled 1999, graduated 2005.'

iusedtoknow

coylemj wrote: »

+1 But it might be no harm to say that you 'graduated' in the year you did the Leaving Cert., that's the term they use in the US for someone who successfully completes high school. Without saying so, they may interpret it to mean that you were a 'high school dropout'.

So you might say 'Terenure College (high school), Dublin. Enrolled 1999, graduated 2005.'

I spoke to our Recruitment person this morning and asked - she said that +10 years from leaving school it's an irrelevant piece of information that won't enter into the recruiters mind. From that point it should work experience and 3rd level experience that is called out.

Uno my Uno.

coylemj wrote: »

+1 But it might be no harm to say that you 'graduated' in the year you did the Leaving Cert., that's the term they use in the US for someone who successfully completes high school. Without saying so, they may interpret it to mean that you were a 'high school dropout'.

So you might say 'Terenure College (high school), Dublin. Enrolled 1999, graduated 2005.'

I wouldn't even bother unless it's your first or maybe second job out of college, it would be so meaningless to a US recruiter that it won't be of any benefit to you and that is a bad thing on your resume.

Edit: also if you say high school took you 6 years to complete they will think you were held back twice as High School in the US is 4 years, definitely going on the rejection pile if that happens!

cena

Uno my Uno. wrote: »

I wouldn't even bother unless it's your first or maybe second job out of college, it would be so meaningless to a US recruiter that it won't be of any benefit to you and that is a bad thing on your resume.

Edit: also if you say high school took you 6 years to complete they will think you were held back twice as High School in the US is 4 years, definitely going on the rejection pile if that happens!

I did do two extra years in secondary school. Did the leaving cert applied and went back to the normal leaving cert.

iusedtoknow

cena wrote: »

I did do two extra years in secondary school. Did the leaving cert applied and went back to the normal leaving cert.

Just don't mention it. Mention the year you finished and let it be done. (if you did 7 or 8 of Secondary....it would look bad to Irish recruiters never mind American)

High school in the US is 4 years...anything beyond that is seen as abnormal. A work mate's daughter is actually going to be done in 3 years. People couldn't believe that it lasted 6 years for us.

zeffabelli

iusedtoknow wrote: »

Just don't mention it. Mention the year you finished and let it be done. (if you did 7 or 8 of Secondary....it would look bad to Irish recruiters never mind American)

High school in the US is 4 years...anything beyond that is seen as abnormal. A work mate's daughter is actually going to be done in 3 years. People couldn't believe that it lasted 6 years for us.

That's because the US has middle school, which is Ireland 1st and 2nd year.

BA are also four years, not three.

Uno my Uno.

cena wrote: »

I did do two extra years in secondary school. Did the leaving cert applied and went back to the normal leaving cert.

Hmmm that is difficult to explain to a US recruiter because they would have no way to easily understand it. I would just call it high school and give the last year you did there, leave any explanations about the Leaving Cert and the Irish education system until you are asked about it in the interview.

alexago

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/97215309#Comment_97215309

It makes sense. Thanks for this info! I appreciate it. I need to write a seo executive resume and don't know how to add the info about my school education. The problem is different countries have different educational systems. I finished school in Ireland but now moved to the USA and want to apply for a job.

Fathom

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120708916#Comment_120708916

Mod: Wow! Reply to a 2015 OP. We’ll allow it, as we are not terribly busy, and your reply was useful. Plus, it’s late, I’ve drank too much coffee, and can’t sleep. So please excuse any babbling.

alexago relevant comments:

I cannot address other countries, but am familiar with USA. Resumes vary from 1-page to a short few for businesses, NGOs, and governments. CVs are typically for academic and research positions and several pages deep.

Except for academic or research positions, time is money for them, and unless they are a small organization, they don’t waste it recruiting candidates.

On first contact, HR departments and recruiter agents typically like 1-page resumes. Anecdotal magazine reports suggest that the software algorithm or prescreening HR employee or agent will sort your resume into one of 3 stacks based on:

(1) missing one or more absolute requirements, plus poor spelling, grammar, formatting, etc, resulting in an automatic rejection letter followed by short term file, and then shredded (or deleted); this takes seconds for person or faster if algorithm to sort. Rejection is a form letter that plugs in your name and address, and says something nice to you like: Although you are perhaps qualified to be president of the USA, we have had applicants that are a better fit for the position advertised. We wish you well in your job search.

(2) having absolutes, but lacking one or more preferred education and/or skills and/or years of experience and/or key words in Objectives or Summary. Noncommittal form acknowledgement letter, and temporarily file to see if 3 below fails.

(3) having all the absolutes, and all or most of the preferred, and rank ordered accordingly. First pre screen interview scheduled, with the decision more likely determined within the first 5 minutes or less per anecdotal magazine reports.

First impressions in seconds or minutes are almost always essential, and if you miss that, as an HR VP friend told me, you cannot refry a fried egg.

Another told me when first walking into the interview, and before being seated, you must have the LOOK, the WALK, and the TALK; consequently practice with friends before interviewing, or go through sometimes painful trial and error learning interviews for many openings.

Some of the high tech corporations will first have you do a questionnaire online and the algorithm will make all the above decisions and replies before the first interview (if you make 3). Often the questionnaire will include blanks for all your resume information, making your resume redundant. The questionnaire may allow you to attach your resume, but there’s a good chance that neither the algorithm or person will waste seconds reading it.

The reverse chronological order has been recommended, with your most recent qualifications first, beginning with your objectives or summary, followed by experience and education.

Make sure that you not only respond to the qualifications in the job advertisement in your objectives or summary, but also go online to research the specific company, or NGO, or government, or academia, or research organization details. Many organizations have annual reports with a host of relevant information. Remember that the algorithm or prescreening person will be looking for keywords in their seconds scan of your resume or online questionnaire.

One HR professional I know complains about candidates claiming that they want to work for their organization, but offer little or no knowledge about the position or the organization. All too often making generic answers with no specifics in their resume objectives or summary, and/or interviews. Plus many candidates talk about what they want, mostly, rather than placing themselves in the recruiter’s shoes addressing specifically what the organization needs.

My several pennies worth, probably worth less than a dollar. But perhaps long enough to get sleepy, as I am now. Perhaps I’ll suggest some of our sleepless readers on our Dreaming & Sleeping forum to read my post? Cheers!