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05-12-2009, 08:05 PM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Misanthropic
Location: Ohio! yay!
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Resume Help!
Okay, I know how to write a resume, well... I thought I did. I have been sending out the same resume now for a while and I have not gotten any responses in my current job search.
For just a little back story, this is the same resume that landed me every single job I have had since I have been out of the Air Force (2005). I have updated it with every job, but it has remained the same format. I have had a few "professionals" look at it and they all tell me something different. I just don't know what to do with it. Click for resume click to show If anyone can give me some tips, please do. I am all ears.
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Crack, you and I are long overdue for a vicious bout of mansex. ~Halx |
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05-12-2009, 09:31 PM
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#2 (permalink) |
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Eat your vegetables
Super Moderator
Location: Arabidopsis-ville
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I'm definitely not an expert on this sort of thing, but as I read your resume, it's not very easy to glance over it and get the gist of your career. I find I'm bogged down by all of the job descriptions. I quickly lose interest and move on to look at something else.
Your resume reviewers should be able to read a job title and have a general idea of the duties and tools you have used in those roles. Cut the verbose-looking lists under each category. Replace those with one organized columnar list of skills, tasks, and programs with which you have proven experience. I think this will help the reader to better quantify your skills.
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"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy |
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05-12-2009, 09:54 PM
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#3 (permalink) |
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Young Crumudgeon
Location: Canada
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Granted I've never been in a position that's required me to look at resumes from the other side, so my advice comes with a grain of salt. In fact, I'm not really in any position to give advice regarding resumes. Maybe you should take the whole shaker.
I believe in brevity, and also in arranging the information to optimize efficiency. I received professional assistance through a non-profit employment agency for my first resume after high school, and have applied the same basic principles to every one I've used since. Granted I'm no expert on these things, but I've had no issue finding work these past 8 years, and actually have often gotten compliments on my resumes. Attached you will find a one page sample resume, demonstrating the basic layout. Key points to note: -The name is in a larger font, and is eye-catching. You want to grab attention. -An employment objective adds a personal touch, but is optional. -All relevant skills and certifications are summarized in one area. This prevents the potential employer from having to wade through all manner of irrelevant information to find out if I know C++ or have CCNA certification. -Particularly important qualifications are brought to the forefront and emphasized. This will be tailored to the position being applied for. No further information is provided here aside from the names and dates for previous employers/academic institutions. You probably want to write a blurb for every job you've ever worked (in fact I know you do, because you have) but I firmly believe this is the wrong approach, especially when dealing with a lot of past experience that overlaps skillsets. Your future employer does not want or need to know that you received an award for always asking 'would you like fries with that?' when you worked at McDonald's as a teen, and he doesn't want or need to know that six of your eight jobs involved PC repair. If there are specific skills pertaining to the job in question, put them up top where they'll be noticed first. If there's more specific information you would like to convey, you can put it in the cover letter that I know you're sending with every single resume that goes out. You've got lots of edumacation. Think of the resume as an essay question: Why You Should Hire Me In Thirty Seconds Or Less. If it catches the recruiter's attention he'll take the time to delve deeper, either by reading your cover letter or interviewing you. Preferably both. On the subject of cover letters, you didn't ask for advice but I have some anyway. Avoid passive statements, and try to phrase everything as strongly as possible, ie not "I feel I'm right for the position" but "my past experience leaves me uniquely qualified for the position because X." And I also always close cover letters with some variant of the phrase "I look forward to discussing my qualifications further in person." This is what's worked for me. Others might have other approaches. Sincerely, Martian (Enc.)
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame Last edited by Martian; 05-12-2009 at 10:25 PM.. |
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05-12-2009, 11:01 PM
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#4 (permalink) |
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Evil Priest: The Devil Made Me Do It!
Location: Southern England
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I have been on the receiving end of CV's in the hiring process, and would offer the following advice:
1) Style. If you have such a lack of imagination that you use a default template from Word, I WILL NOT HIRE YOU. I want someone that shows me a spark of themself, not a MS style guide. 2) Tell me who you are: Name, & Location - I need a handle to hang my mental picture of you on, and I need to know you can get here each day. This might sound trivial, but I look into the future and see an employee who is pain in the ass because they have a 1hour+ drive to work. If you are prepared to move, say so now. 3) Tell me what you can do. List skills, not jobs, on page one. 4) List (very briefly) what you'e done since school - but only go into any detail at all for things in the last 3-5 years. 5) List (even briefer) schooling. 6) Spend a paragraph telling me why you are more than your CV. Hobbies, desires, etc. 7) Write a covering letter, explain why you want the job, explain what you can bring. Type the letter, but write "Dear ...." and "Yours.... etc" in hand. Take the time to call my office and find out my name. There are extra points awarded for this sort of thing. 8) Do not lie.
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