Seeking Resume Advice

[Reality]

I am in the process of creating an updated resume as I prepare to make the transition from self-employed back into the work force. It has been so long since I had to actually create a resume that I thought it would be a good idea to tap into the vast knowledge pool that can be found here.

Whether you are in a position where you regularly receive resumes for consideration of potential hires or you have sent out resumes yourself in the last few years, I would be very interested in hearing any advice or knowledge you wish to share regarding your experiences with that process.

#reality

 

[Denim Chicken]

Lie like a dog.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

May sound obvious, but don't leave a gap in the resume for the time that you haven't been 'employed'. Make sure you fill in that timeline with all of the stuff you've been doing since then (where relevant to the type of position)

 

[vta]

The best advice I would give is to keep it concise. People have a hard time compacting their abilities to one page, especially if they've got years of experience, but the truth of the matter is, no recruiter, HR person or manager wants to read War and Peace to fill a position.

Keep it to one page if possible, keep it focused on your most recent experiences and let the rest of your history be stated simply by number of years in the business. If they're interested to know, they'll ask. Your first job as mailroom boy really doesn't matter. A short cover letter can serve to fill in some details and accomplishments as well as how you work, but keep the resume to the point: a timeline of your educational/work history.

 

[Signals]

Not resume advice but an interesting tid-bit.

"80% of companies use social media for recruitment. 95% of these are using Linkedin."

Source: http://www.socialnomics.net/

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

My wife teaches professional communication at the college level and says you need to do a Functional Resume rather than a Chronological Resume.

A Functional Resume emphasizes your skills rather than your job titles/times at the job. Hence you will not have the time gaps.

Google - Functional Resume.

If you have any specific questions feel free to post them or pm.

 

[YosemiteSam]

For me I've found that this is a difficult question. There are the standard things of course. Triple check grammar, don't lie / let recruiters lie, etc, etc, etc. I have no doubt you are well aware of those.

Where it becomes more difficult and most people don't tell you this is formatting and details. Some employers want details, while others don't want your resume to be more than a brief single page overview. Some prefer your resume in Word / PDF format, while others prefer plain text. Generally, I create a text and a Word version, then export the Word version to PDF.

On the detail side. I literally only did this once for one company though two actually saw it. (including my current employer) I created a brief single page experience / skill set page, then included details pages. It sort of resembled a table of contents and followed by a dictionary of sort.

That said. I went to an Interview and took this copy with me. The company seems surprised to see it in that format an even said so. I ended up getting a call back, so I guess they didn't hate it. (or at least not enough to not call back) When I left that Internet, I got a call from a recruiter who immediately sent me to another Interview that was in the same area I was already in. As that was the only resume I had one me, I also gave them a copy of it. They are my current employer, so they must not have totally hated it either.

Now, I can't necessarily recommend using that format as I've never seen it done like that before and just because I got contacted by both doesn't mean it was the the right format. I'm sure someone wouldn't like it, though I came up with the idea due to all the mixed information I was getting about like "put ALL your experience on your resume" vs "keep it a brief one pager".

One thing I definitely find that holds true is don't put stuff on your resume you haven't used in years unless it is absolutely relevant to the opportunity you are applying for. Probably more info you are already aware of.

Oh one last thing. If you talk to a recruiter. Choke him/her for me.

 

[vta]

My wife teaches professional communication at the college level and says you need to do a Functional Resume rather than a Chronological Resume.

A Functional Resume emphasizes your skills rather than your job titles/times at the job. Hence you will not have the time gaps.

Google - Functional Resume.

If you have any specific questions feel free to post them or pm.

That's very cool and smart. I hope I don't have to use it any time soon, but it's god to know.

 

[Kangaroo]

I am in the process of creating an updated resume as I prepare to make the transition from self-employed back into the work force. It has been so long since I had to actually create a resume that I thought it would be a good idea to tap into the vast knowledge pool that can be found here.

Whether you are in a position where you regularly receive resumes for consideration of potential hires or you have sent out resumes yourself in the last few years, I would be very interested in hearing any advice or knowledge you wish to share regarding your experiences with that process.

#reality

Just from personal experience from the last 11 years I have had two jobs anyways. The you have to know someone never been an issue for me.

Please do not believe applying online is a waste of time. I have had multiple interviews and two jobs due to online applications and the hospital I am working at has hired many people who have applied online. The old fashion way of faxing and going to the place is about dead in the big corporations. Small business maybe different but even they seem to be leveraging Monster and the such from what I have seen when I have been looking for work.

Expect to be contacted by a lot of agencies if you put your resume out there for IT work. I would advise to leverage them because a lot of times they have the contacts to fast track you to the interview process and it is in their best interest to get you in front of the client.

All i got for now

 

[Reality]

This is a lot of great information and advice and it is very appreciated! I will comment more, but I want to wait until hopefully more people share their experiences and knowledge as well.

#reality

 

[03EBZ06]

Well, I'm in my late 40s but I've only had two jobs. While I currently work in a corporate world, I've only had one job interview in my life and 21 years in the Navy doesn't count. Its good that I only have had two jobs but when it comes to resumes and job interviews, I'm like a rookie. lol

 

[Lonestar94]

I used a website where they help you make your resume and send it out to every company hiring in the world. You have to pay like $50 but it was worth every cent. That is how I got in the offshore oil business.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I used a website where they help you make your resume and send it out to every company hiring in the world. You have to pay like $50 but it was worth every cent. That is how I got in the offshore oil business.

Kill the BP guy!!!

 

[Future]

I'm just now trying to enter the professional workforce, but one thing that I hope (lol) is helping me is to try to tweak my resume for each job I apply for. I have a basic resume that I start with every time but I haven't sent out the same one twice. Coupled with a cover letter I think it helps recruiters/employers to realize what qualities you have that fit the company, rather than just knowing what you've done.

 

[NorthTexan95]

My wife teaches professional communication at the college level and says you need to do a Functional Resume rather than a Chronological Resume.

A Functional Resume emphasizes your skills rather than your job titles/times at the job. Hence you will not have the time gaps.

Google - Functional Resume.

If you have any specific questions feel free to post them or pm.

This is great advice. I'm in IT and it really helps with highlighting specific skills and experiences. It may not work with for all job searches but it works well for IT.

My second advice would be to have a professional look it over first. You may know someone who'll do it for free (I did). If not it may be worth having someone look it over for you. A second set of experienced eyes can really make a difference.

 

[YosemiteSam]

10 key phrase you should definitely squeeze into your resume.

1. I'm so good, you will want me to be head honcho in no time.
2. Let’s meet, so you can ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over my experience.
3. Received a plague for developer of the year.
4. Failed bar exam with relatively high grades.
5. It’s best for employers that I not work with people.
6. Marital status: Often.
7. Children: Various.
8. I am very bad about time and don’t mind admitting it. Having to arrive at a certain hour doesn’t make sense to me. What does make sense is that I do the job. Any company that insists upon rigid time schedules will find me a nightmare.
9. I have a lifetime’s worth of technical expertise (I wasn’t born – my mother simply chose ‘eject child’ from the special menu.)
10. Please do not contact my immediate supervisor at the company. My colleagues will give me a better reference.

Oh, and always choose the first choice when spell check says something is spelled wrong. You know, so you spell it correctly.

For instance: I have a bachelorette degree in computers.

Take my advise and you can't go wrong.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

One piece of advice is that when you're doing the resume and the interview, you need to highlight points of where you made the company money. Even if you were self-employed, you need to show that you have made a positive impact financially on a company.

What I've found myself doing in the past is that I don't take enough credit for stuff like this. For instance, I have been put in charge of a project that has increased sales by about 25%. To me, it was no big deal because for the most part it was a project that nobody was responsible for before and just having somebody responsible for that project would increase its sales. But, prospective employers don't understand that and you need to pump it up like it's the greatest accomplishment ever.







YR

 

[WPBCowboysFan]

Every thing in our society is so standardized now.

So, if you dont follow the "standard" you might not even be considered.

You may want to do something to separate yourself from the rest of the pack, but it seems it has to be w/in the boundaries of the "standard."

Everybody has to go to school to "learn" how to do EVERYTHING the "right way."

And if you dont do things the way that is being taught to do them you are out of touch or backwards.

So you have to get an education on how to be a manager (business) at Burger King or Taco Bell.

Or if you're in retail you have to learn that good business is not always having inventory, but just enough product so you are on the edge. Who cares that if you're out of inventory you lose sales and customers - its all about the figures on the paper.

Even if you're smart or creative enough to learn and find better ways to do things than the "standard" way, chances are the clowns over you have been zombified to just do it the "standard" way. So, you get stuck and have to be a zombie as well.

If you do a resume, do it so it "conforms" to the "standard." Or you might never get a job.

Or, stay self employed and enjoy life w/o all the BS.

 

[jnday]

I worked in a job a few years ago where I was required to screen thousands of applications and resumes. Here are a few things that may help, keep it short, give a good detailed list of previous employment and reasons for leaving, give a detailed summary of the times you are able to work and salary expectations, and one thing that always caught my eye was a resume that included any special abilities or talents. This is a general list, but you would be surprised how often people don't list or consider these things. One more thing, ..... list your criminal record. Hope this helps a little.

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

1. Received a plague for developer of the year.

I have no doubts that your employer(s) have tried to give you many many plagues...