Posted on 12/09/2009 3:37:12 AM PST by Red in Blue PA
The header
The idea of a resume is to fit the most pertinent information into a small space. (On that note, a resume should NEVER, under any circumstances, be more than one page long.) Your name and contact information should not be size 40 font, and you should include multiple ways of contacting you; phone, address, and email are sufficient.
The objective
This should be no more than 5 or 6 words, and should state exactly what you are looking for. Keep in mind your wording could give them an impression of how experienced, or inexperienced you are. If it says "Seeking an entry-level position," guess what? That's the salary you'll be offered.
Your experiences
Think of a resume like an upside-down pyramid. The most important information should be on the top, and the farther down the page you go, the less important the information is. Your potential employers know how to skim resumes, and if they don't see something impressive in the beginning, they will move on. Make sure your experiences are first--recognizable names and companies are more impressive than what school you went to.
(Excerpt) Read more at shine.yahoo.com ...
Unless, of course, you went to an impressive school.
ping
A wise person once told me that the resume should explain how your talents and experience will improve the company’s services or profits. It’s all about making the employer look better and how you can help.
I didn’t find this to be an impressive article.
It looks like it was written by someone who wrote their first resume not to long ago.
First off, its perfectly fine to have a two or three page resume, if you have experience to fill it and its concise. My own resume is two pages long with a third page dedicated to industry credentials. I’ve done very well with that format.
The rest of the tips are somewhat obvious, although I personally advise against an “objective” section. When I do hiring, I really don’t pay attention to it as its clear to me that their intention is to get a job at my company.
> Is Your Resume Costing You a Dream Job?
Most definitely Yes.
(lol)
None of the stuff mentioned would make your resume stand out. Almost every job posting today is getting at least a thousand responses with a hundred qualified applicants.
No one reads them anymore, too busy (until after the first cut has been made). The thousand resumes mentioned above gets narrowed down to maybe 20 or 30 resumes in 20 minutes max. You have one minute tops to make an impression, so be creative, smart, and stand out. I have two resume formats that I use when friends ask me to write their resumes. Not only do they make the first cut, but are typically talked about in the first interview.
So, my recommendation is to be bold, smart, and stand out. Your resume is a sales brochure; you are selling your services and skill set.
Obama can fit his on a postage stamp.
I agree! This practice fell by the wayside a LONG time ago. Your credentials and job history will fill the void with regards to you objectives. Objectives are great for entry-level folks looking to break into corporate America, but for someone with over 10 years of industry experience, they're pointless. The experience speaks more than the 6 words you should keep the objective to.
As far as resumes, I have some suggestions that might help any fellow FReepers. My credentials are that I am a graduate student in English and have a Certificate in Professional Writing. I have written and edited numerous resumes, and I am in charge of process and procedure documentation for my IT department.
First, keep the resume short, but don't restrict yourself to 1 page. If you have more, it better be worth it. Most interviewers and HR professionals will spend less than 30 seconds on a resume, so you have to make them want to keep reading.
Next, keep the detailed job stuff down to 5 years only. If you've worked at your current company for more than 5 years, then you should have plenty to fill the roles and responsibilities part of your resume. If your previous roles are relevant, by all means extend them, but most professionals these days hop around to different work places. Having three pages of job responsibilities isn't going to win you an interview.
Regarding the roles and responsibilities for each job: be succint. Always start your bullets with an action verb (i.e. Reduced departmental budget gap by 15%). DO NOT just rattle off the job responsibilities from your job description. Do not TELL the resume reader what you did, SHOW them. For instance, instead of saying, "Communicates effectively," use a line like, "Provide regular status updates on budgetary items to senior leadership." This shows that you are capable of concrete thought and communication of those thoughts. The roles and responsibilities section should have industry-recognizable names (HP, Dell, IBM, Liebert, RingPower, CAT, etc.), and it should represent what YOU did FOR your employer.
Finally, use spell check. Please? I can't tell you how many resumes I've edited that eventually got someone a job due to simply correcting the spelling. Use strong words (buy a thesaurus), and be crystal clear in your verbiage. Saying that you are "Capable of abstract thought," means absolutely nothing to an HR professional, but saying that you "Finished first in the International Rubik's Cube competition," might win you some attention.
Oh, and don't be afraid to throw around institutional names. If you went to the University of Upper Mongolia, you be proud of that and put it in. Where it should fall on the resume is based on the perception of importance. If you've worked for 25 years at PriceWaterhouseCooper, then saying that you graduated from Hillsdale Community College with an Associates degree won't be a very good way to start the resume.
This article is a little dated, IMO. If you’re applying to a large company, your resume will probably be scanned for keywords during the first cut, those hiring won’t see it unless you make that cut.
That being said, my husband does hiring for his department, and you rarely see a one page resume anymore. He’s in IT and there just isn’t enough space on one page to list one’s education, work experience (people change jobs much more often than they used to), and certs...which are all important to the hiring proces.
Of course a resume doesn’t get you a job, just an interview. In that case it’s really important not to overstate your experience on the resume. He has a list of technical questions he asks those he’s interviewing. Most of them are unable to answer the questions, even though they’ve stated on their resumes that they’re experienced with the particular software or hardware.
That is a toal load of BS. Depending on certain professions, like the technology industry as example, many individuals, could fill 2 to 3 pages easily. I've been schooled by multiple resume building companies that do it for a living, that a two page resume is the normal for most experienced people within their trade.
1 page resumes is what you normally see for H.S./college graduates.
2 pages is completely normal for those who have been working 5+ years in their field of expertise or getting there.
More than 2 pages is considered overkill.
Unless they’re into bondage and trivia.
I have a 3-pager that is well received. I work in a highly technical and regulated industry, where I have to justify (to the government, no less) any technical areas I want to have delegated (given to me as an area of authority).
Sometimes, more is more, unless more is a bore (or serves no specific purpose).
In the age of Internet communications where employer job postings will often generate thousands of resumes in response, one good way to get your resume noticed is to send it via snail-mail with a good cover letter.
I'd also mention that the longer you're in a field, the less important your resume gets when it comes to finding a new job. By the time you've been working for 10-15 years, your best prospects for employment will come through personal contacts in your industry.
Ah yes..... trivia.
I was once accused of cheating at Trivial Pursuit because I never lost. This woman friend of ours said nobody could be that smart and know all the answers, so I must have memorized them all (knowing Sherlock Holmes brother's name made her blow a gasket) I gave her a raised eyebrow and just shook my head.
As to 'bondage'; Yep, I've been in Commercial Construction since 1970 ;-)
Leaving out details of where you were born is critical.
Mycroft.
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