Foo - Hints on how to write a resume...

(this applies to pretty much everyone except the lofty exec crowd.)

When writing a resume, the most important thing to remember is who the initial first
reviewer of that resume will be -- not necessarily the end manager. For any of you
who have ever interacted with a clueless HR Assistant and wondered exactly how they
kept their job, here is the answer -- they are the gatekeeper standing in the way of
YOU getting hired. So unless you can get directly to the hiring manager, you need to
get past the gatekeeper. And since that gatekeeper typically has NO CLUE what the
description of anyone's job is until it is put before them, YOU need to match that
description to get past the gate. Face it, chances are if you are an Engineer, or
Financial Analyst, or Statistical Process Control Manager -- the HR assistant couldn't
tell you 1% of what your job entails.

So what CAN they do? Put square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes.
Don't ask any more of them because it ain't gonna happen. They are typically young
and really don't care to learn what you do for a living.

So how do you get past them?

Write a 'news story' resume and cover letter.

Pretty much everything we watch, read in the paper, or listen to on the radio is couched in
a standard format of:


1) tell 'em what you are gonna tell 'em
2) tell 'em what you wanna tell 'em
3) tell 'em what you told 'em

Your resume should be the same.

Part 1) comes at the top. It consists of 6 to 9 bullet'd items over three columns that highlight in
one or two words your strongest skills (or what matches the job description in the job ad). THESE
are the things that get you past the HR Assistant and keep you out of the reject pile.

Part 2) is your history, most recent and going backwards. If you are 'getting up there', stop by the
time you get to roughly 20-25 years experience unless you have loads of jobs, at which case stop
by the 5th or so job. TMI (too much information) is not a good thing. And while there is not supposed
to be age discrimination, quite frankly, a healthplan for an older worker with several dependents is a lot
more expensive than for one who is younger with no dependents. Don't make yourself look too old. If you
put in a college degree and it is older than 25 years, just put in "BS/BA - University of Wherever".

Part 3) is you cover letter. This is NOT the first thing people look at -- they look at your resume first.
If the resume has what is needed for the job, they read the cover letter to find out if you can actually
communicate in a coherent fashion, and to see what experience you wish to elaborate on from your
resume. It goes without saying that spelling errors are a BIG no-no, and grammer needs to be in
sentence format, cohesive and logical. (But I will say that anyway!)

Now unfortunately I cannot actually write a resume, as the formatting will go to crapola due to the
way the forum treats things, but here is how it would go...



Name
Address,
City State Zip
Phone number

Career Objective:


Skills: (this is your bullet list)


Employment History:


Education:


Hobbies: (list nothing political, or controversial -- No "Obama supporter" or "President - local NRA"


Attach a cover letter (which I guarantee will get read last).


Use CLEAN White or slighly off-color paper (it stands out from other papers on the desk) of a good
bond quality -- NOT copy paper. Make sure the font is readable and in 12 point. Serif fonts are
much easier to read than sans-serif. Printing should be straight (as in the paper must feed correctly
thru the printer). Many resumes are now scanned by OCR systems that have a hard time reading
dark colored paper, bad formatting, or crooked printing.

Do NOT worry about if your name belongs on the left or right or center, or how far to indent your job
description, or similar rubbish -- no one cares besides the morons who write books to tell you that
rubbish.

And there you go -- the best way to write a resume and cover letter. Good luck!

In my experience, very few organizations these days want or can easily handle a paper resume. It is all done via email or an automated application system. The only time I ever use a paper resume is when I go to an actual interview.

Mr. Markets
Good job on providing this information. I am sure many will get helpful information out of this.

I totally agree with you that an HR Clerk is the first one to look at the resume. At times, this can be done by a computer program. Either way, make sure you include keywords from the job description.

In my experience, very few organizations these days want or can easily handle a paper resume. It is all done via email or an automated application system. The only time I ever use a paper resume is when I go to an actual interview.

you are correct, however many small organizations have limited resources, and that a LOT of them
will use 'blind box' ads (no company name or individuals name) for responses, the paper side of this
still holds...

I also agree with this information. For years, my Career Services department has been very stringent on keeping a resume, regardless of how loaded it was, to a page max. My last manager and I talked resumes, and she noted that she hates spending more than a minute looking at a resume, and will really read a long resume if there's enough interesting information to warrant that extra time.

Keeping within those page limits has been a bit difficult for me lately, and will probably be a real nice challenge after my fourth (and hopefully last) internship before I graduate, but it sure does become helpful when posting it.

Mr Market spent a lot of years doing this kind of thing, by the way...helping folk get jobs. :D he's volunteering his time in here, and I can guarantee I appreciate it. :D

One hint I can think of right off the bat as well. In my experience, a simple, clean, well written resume will get a better response than a fancy one from a Word boilerplate template. Most people that deal with them can smell a template from a mile away

^^^

It's really not that hard to create a straightforward, professional-looking resume that will get people's attention. I have seen some resumes that, for better or (almost always) worse, looked like they were written in about five minutes using Notepad. (WordPad? Seems like work.)

I have some contributions for collegiates like me:

1) If you don't like your GPA, DON'T POST IT. There are lots of differing opinions about this, but I stick to the advice given to me to keep the GPA off of the resume if it looks iffy. Posting that you have a Dean's List and a 3.8 Cumulative GPA will surely open almost all of the doors available (except maybe Google, Microsoft and the NSA; you have to have made an operating system or solved the unsolvable math problem to get hired there). Posting a 2.6 GPA...not so much. There are two things that can trump that:

a) In-Major GPA: Post this if you feel compelled to. I was told to keep it off to avoid confusion, but some people leave it on to at least show for something. One person got fired from an internship due to a GPA issue (his in-major was above 3.0, but his cumulative was definitely not).

b) Experience. This is what will really make a resume shine (at least from college, or so I've been told by recruiters and managers). The time to gain this experience starts freshman year. Attaining lots of internships not only helps build very useful experience, but can also display a sense of what the working world relative to one's field of study and help in making choices. A lot of people are dissatisfied with their jobs, regardless of position, because not enough time was spent in college really trying to find that mark.

2) MAKE YOUR NAME HUGE. If you make the name too small or indistinguishable in size, it might blend in with everything else and get skipped over.

3) MAJOR, MINOR. THAT'S IT. A manager gave me good advice on foregoing additional courses that I took while in my major because:


a) Most HR recruiters might not care, and
b) Managers will assume your knowledge from your major.


Plus, listing that I took Data Structures and Algorithms won't help much if attempting to quickly describe how a binary search tree works is a huge challenge anyway (if you want to do software development).

4) ACTION WORDS AND SENTENCE STRUCTURE ARE IMPORTANT. What sounds better?


* Assisted in writing requirements for the migration of our web services to a major company's member website.or


* Contributed requirements for incorporating online products and services into the member service for a major healthcare provider?Action words and sentences can make the difference between making something sound procedural or really noteworthy of describing. In fact, some of my previous work has spawned conversations of their own in interviews...and now in hindsight, they were poorly described!

5) PRINTING. Would you rather read a book from printer paper binded with staples or one with nice press-quality paper with hardcover binding and covering? This same line of thought also applies in maknig resumes. Spend the extra bucks and print it on nice press paper (canary is preferred). Print a lot of them, and also get a nice resume cover to look good with that suit when presenting your stuff. Every little bit helps.

6) GRAMMAR. Spell check is your friend. Use it before they do.

I have been in the professional workforce for about 25 years now. In the 'education' section, I was told to only list my relevant professional degrees. I was told that no one cares about my undergrad stuff anymore. Obviously, this would not apply to someone right out of college.

Add them all, but leave off dates at 25 years...

How necessary is the objective? I have never seen a decent objective. They all sound cliche and really formulaic.

Just don't hand in a dog-eared piece of paper that's been in your hoodie pocket all day (oh yeah, skateboarding in to the place you want to work? Unless you're Tony Hawk, don't even think about it), and for the love of all that is holey don't put perfume on your damn resume. I'm allergic, and you're an idiot who is apparently in sixth grade.

Oh, and it's never, ever a good idea to be rude to the "receptionist" who takes your application. She may be on the hiring committee. :evil:

That's my two cents on resumes :)

How necessary is the objective? I have never seen a decent objective. They all sound cliche and really formulaic.

I'd say leave it off. Your objective is get the job.

Objective helps to clarify what job you are looking for if your stuff gets 'mis-filed', otherwise worthless.

How necessary is the objective? I have never seen a decent objective. They all sound cliche and really formulaic.

So far as I've seen, it's pretty essential. It's a quick summary of what you should be looking for, and the level of work that you are expecting. The more creative you can get with this, the better.

Objective helps to clarify what job you are looking for if your stuff gets 'mis-filed', otherwise worthless.

If that's the case, then why do so many resume improvement websites suggest adding it?

Its good to have a text-only copy of your resume formatted and on-hand. Sites like monster, and large corporations often require you submit it that way.

So unless you can get directly to the hiring manager, you need to
get past the gatekeeper. And since that gatekeeper typically has NO CLUE what the
description of anyone's job is until it is put before them, YOU need to match that
description to get past the gate. Face it, chances are if you are an Engineer, or
Financial Analyst, or Statistical Process Control Manager -- the HR assistant couldn't
tell you 1% of what your job entails.

Unfortunately with a lot of larger companies, you're lucky if you even get that far. A lot of them now have computerized resume-eating monstrosities that are miraculously even more poorly attuned to the needs of a position than the HR grunts. Computers generally don't have very good vocabularies, so if they require advanced skills with "Finite Element Analysis", and you include that you're an expert in "FEA", you don't stand a chance.

Unfortunately, it's hard to know if your resume will be first read by a computer or by a human. However, there can be valuable hints in the job-posting. If it says they require a certain skill, and you happen to have that skill, make sure it's in your bulletted list verbatim.

And of course, if you personally know someone in the company or can make contact with someone in the department you want to work in, make sure you let them know you're sending in a resume. If they trust you and care about the position, they'll swing by the HR office and ask if an application has been received with your name on it.

Regarding the "Objective" section...I title it "Profile," which is the "Tell 'em what you're gonna tell 'em" section. It's a super-brief overview of your expertise and intentions. I also think its a quick way outside the cover letter to show enthusiasm for the job.

Overall, excellent and timely advice (I'm in the middle of polishing my resume right now).

It's also good to customize the resume to fit the employment ad better.

You should be selling what they are buying.

It's also good to customize the resume to fit the employment ad better.

You should be selling what they are buying.

I think this is also an imperative piece of advice. Generic resumes can be spotted pretty easily, while catering the resume to the employer or even the person you know will be reviewing it can make it easier to pay more attention to it.

It's also good to customize the resume to fit the employment ad better.

You should be selling what they are buying.

Excellent advice!

time to ba-da-bump this one...

SPELL CHECK, SPELL CHECK, SPELL CHECK.
Misspelled words will get your resume tossed. Use spell check.
Print and READ your resume, or better yet, have a friend read it. If it doesn't make sense to you or a friend, how will the HR or hiring manager make any sense of it. Read it out loud, does it still make sense?

And before you send it to anyone, SPELL CHECK.

Oh yes, and spell check it.

Personally I hate resumes with objectives. Either the candidates look far ahead and look pushy, or they say they want the job they are going for and I just say "duh". Or (worse) they say they aim to land a job at company a, and send the letter to company b.

There is no difference between "padding your resume" and "lying". Do not lie, because eventually you will be found out. Some of my favourites:

- Woman claimed a degree from the local University. She was offered a FTE position after 3mo of temp work. Temp agency never checked her resume, but the company I worked for did. She lied about her degree, and the FTE offer was withdrawn.

- Recent candidate claimed 3 years experience working with a technology our company pioneered... last year.

- "Boosting" your experience with a technology: No one reading your resume believes you are an expert at something for which you've misspelled the acronym. (Intervied a guy who claimed to have 10 years experience processing ELIZA assays. Yes, that is how he spelled it on the resume. No, he couldn't tell me what the acronym stood for.)

Head hunters....worth their weight in gold.
I write my resume for the job I want. I don't deal with that HR Assistant. Haven't dealt with one in 15 years.

all depeneds on your level of skill and your level of need in the workplace.
Headhunters LOVE easy to place people, and hate they ones that do not
have the skills needed at present, but keep calling them over and over
expecting the hh to do all the work for them

As someone who gets to read resumes from time to time, let me point out a few of the things that I _don't_ like. Please oh please try to avoid these common mistakes:

- Inaccuracy: I am going to fact-check your resume before I offer you a second interview. If you have dates, places, titles, or job functions wrong, or padded even a little, you won't make it to round two. You may think that testing the limits of inflating your skills or responsibilities might get you inches in front of someone else, but it's really only going to land you in the tank.

- Spelling and Grammar: Just don't screw this up. If you depend on your MS-Word spell checker, you are doomed. Make sure you do not mistake commonly confused words, and do not under any circumstances use "SAT" words unless you are damn sure of their definition and proper use. Trying to sound more intelligent than you really are will also land you in the tank.

- Unrealistic View: This also ties in with accuracy. Be very careful when creating the "action" resume. It is a great thing to tell me about your accomplishments, but at the same time, it is also very easy to unintentionally inflate them. Be very precise about this. If you end up making it sound like you single handedly did something that you could not have possibly done on your own, again, right into the tank you go.

- Too Much Information: I do not need to know all of the specifics. That's what interviews are for. I once got a 2-page resume in 8-point font that had more black than white. I only need to know your most relevant skills, a 50,000 foot view of your current/previous jobs, your education, and your contact information. If your resume has more than about 500 words on it, it's probably too long. Mine has 413.

Okay, so to be fair, here are some of the things that I have liked:

- Show Some Pride: I have really liked to see resumes that have shown that the candidate has some pride in their accomplishments and previous employers, and even their schools. My resume sports an image of "Buzz," Georgia Tech's mascot. Don't overdo this by filling all the whitespace with logos. But, a little something that shows you're passionate about something goes a long way, at least with me.

- Give Credit (IMPORTANT!): It is helpful if you acknowledge that you are part of a team and not a one man/woman show. There is no such thing as a lone hero. Giving credit to your team will show that you are not an ego-maniacal narcissist.

- Be Well-Rounded: It is okay in my book to mention licenses and certifications that may not be directly related to your job. It is good to see some diverse interests. If you're an Amateur Radio operator, Pilot, EMT, Personal Trainer, Adjunct Professor, speak 3 languages, or whatever, it's not taboo to mention it at the end of the resume if you have room. It shows that you enjoy life, pursue your interests, and interact well with others.

That's all I have for this morning. It's time for coffee :)

I have been in my career for about 26 years now, and am currently looking for work. For my entire career, I have used the chronological resume style. I have been reading some interesting material on the Internet advocating that experienced executives should think about using the functional style resume.

I am pondering using a hybrid format, which is a mix of functional and chronological. Any thoughts on this? I would say that as a hiring manager, the vast majority of the resumes sent to me were chronological.

"Hints on how to write a resume..."

FYA, see also this recent thread on the Touring Forum:

"How to explain long [bike] trips on a resume?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=527337

http://www.examiner.com/x-11194-Cleveland-Unemployment-Examiner~y2009m6d21-100-tipstools-and-resourcestohelp-you-survive-without-a-job

The MOTHER-LOAD of Unemployment Links (like around 100)

Part 3) is you cover letter. This is NOT the first thing people look at -- they look at your resume first....

Career Objective:

Skills: (this is your bullet list)

Huh? I've done a fair amount of hiring involving more searches than I can remember and definitely hundreds of applicants. At least in my experience with search committees, the cover letter is most definitely the part that is read first. That is where the candidate explains why they think they are the right person for the job. The resume is just supporting material to show the candidate has the necessary background.

Career Objective is a joke. A minuscule percentage of the resumes I see have them, and the ones that did were written by neophytes. We know that it basically just means, "I want the job you're hiring for."

Skills are not nearly as important as most people think. People list all kinds of crap here, and people are pretty quick to call themselves proficient at things they really only have passing familiarity with. You need to know what the job requires, but we expect anyone to be able to acquire new skills and improve the ones they have. The worst resumes laundry list a bunch of skills -- inevitably this is done by the least skilled people. Ironically, the most highly talented people are usually the ones that list little to nothing or insist they know nothing.

(this applies to pretty much everyone except the lofty exec crowd.)

When writing a resume, the most important thing to remember is who the initial first
reviewer of that resume will be -- not necessarily the end manager. For any of you
who have ever interacted with a clueless HR Assistant and wondered exactly how they
kept their job, here is the answer -- they are the gatekeeper standing in the way of
YOU getting hired....

So how do you get past them?

Write a 'news story' resume and cover letter.

Pretty much everything we watch, read in the paper, or listen to on the radio is couched in
a standard format of:


1) tell 'em what you are gonna tell 'em
2) tell 'em what you wanna tell 'em
3) tell 'em what you told 'em

Your resume should be the same.

Part 1) comes at the top. It consists of 6 to 9 bullet'd items over three columns that highlight in
one or two words your strongest skills (or what matches the job description in the job ad). THESE
are the things that get you past the HR Assistant and keep you out of the reject pile.
...

Use CLEAN White or slighly off-color paper (it stands out from other papers on the desk) of a good
bond quality -- NOT copy paper. Make sure the font is readable and in 12 point. Serif fonts are
much easier to read than sans-serif. Printing should be straight (as in the paper must feed correctly
thru the printer). Many resumes are now scanned by OCR systems that have a hard time reading
dark colored paper, bad formatting, or crooked printing.
This advice is mostly spot on.

However, I would advise people against being too creative with paper. If you do not submit electronically as pretty much everyone does nowadays, the aforementioned HR assistant makes photocopies which are then distributed to the people who need to see it. This means you want plain white, and if you get fancy paper, no one knows but the HR assistant and they don't care. Any reasonable quality paper will be fine.

The HR assistant is a dangerous person. Do not leave anything up to interpretation. Speak in declaratives and use lingo directly from the job announcement. Make sure your resume uses the same language. This may make you feel like your style is wooden, but if you're competitive, you'll get a call where you can express yourself more freely.

BTW, it's a good idea to try to figure out who will be evaluating you to help you craft your approach. Find everything you can about them that helps you know what they're like and what will/won't work with them. Use some discretion. Being thorough will get you points, but you'll shoot yourself in the foot if you come across as creepy.

lol in my line of work a paper resume would be a joke. I think it needs to be targeted.

something like 50-60% of all jobs are created by 'small business'. While I agree that MANY to perhaps
most firms are now electronic, again, there are firms that use 'blind box' ads, or you have a friend
who will pass a copy along, or you end up at a job fair, or... the firm is small enough it does not have
all the fancy resume scanning stuff everyone else has ... (one of my clients employed 500pp with
one HR manager and an elderly HR assistant -- they used paper only).

so again, having paper copies handy is still useful and at times necessary... keep in mind I or my
staff worked with hundreds of firms over many years -- we saw it all.

... spelling errors are a BIG no-no, and grammer ...

...