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Resume Formats - Page 2

post #16 of 80
1/9/11 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadly7 View Post

I took otu position specifics (that's another topic for another day) to focus on how it looks. Fire away.

Oh yeah...Spelling matters. :-). Seriously though, read it, read it again and then give it to someone to read for you because you expect certain words to be there and if spelled worng you wont notice them.

Also dont use your chat room email address. Thats good for the chat room. Nowhere else. (Unless of course you are alpha as F%$k)

Use your real name on the email address. Sounds simple but I cannot tell you how many times this is missed.
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post #17 of 80
1/9/11 at 3:12pm
If you just graduated, put school first, otherwise experience.

I'd put volunteer activities on there, but at the bottom and just in a single line list under an Additional Info category or something similar. Unless you are actually high up in the organization or accomplished a lot, then put it as experience.

Same with hobbies - a one line list is helpful. Not for getting in the door, but once you are sitting in the interview. Again, if you have achieved some reknown - such as being a US hammer throwing champion, list it.

Realistically it does depend on job how your resume is formatted - if you are applying for some sort of job where you are making things (e.g. graphic designer, interior decorator, blacksmith), you should also include a portfolio page. Also who you worked for is pretty important. If you are applying to be a corporate attorney or private equity guy - dealsheets are important and all they care about is experience and your role at each position.
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post #18 of 80
1/9/11 at 5:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HelloIDistance View Post
I wouldn't put your High School or any info related to that. What is the point if you graduated college?

I would also take out the "provide references upon request". I've never understood that on resumes. Of course you would provide references upon request.
Noted.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rugger View Post
My tip is to remember that the resume should just get you in the door, your interview is what they will hire you on. Remember that when writing your resume, it can be pretty thin, don't need an objective or summary, it should(in my mind) show that you are well qualified and that's really it. You should have a second 'mental resume' in your head for the interview...."i did xxx with yyy, I led xxx to yyyy, my weiner is xxx big. etc etc.

It might just be me but I don't like the interviewers having an idea of ME before the interview, I just want them to know my qualifications. Makes for a better WOW moment, at least in my mind.
I do keep more details, but I like showing that I've been in many different positions -- even if some are different from my field. My interviews have typically involved questions on some of them.

Quote:
Originally Posted by suited View Post
Resumes are over-thought and always over-complicated. When it's all said and done, assuming you follow a sensible format and you don't hand in something with grammatical errors or grease stains, it's going to come down to what's actually written on the resume in terms of experiencing and education.
Noted.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Milpool View Post
Strangely, despite reviewing resumes and such, I still think I'm bad at writing them.

Some general points from my experience reviewing:

1) I don't give a shit about font. I'm not some pop-psychologist that thinks I can read into your personality based on your font. As long as you didn't do something really insane like use 24 point font the whole way or italics the whole way, etc I don't give a damn.

2) Skip the objective statement. Your cover letter is your objective statement. Usually the objectives people list on their resumes are lame and do nothing for me; e.g. "I want to advance my career". Ok, great, I want you to advance your career too. . . but that tells me nothing about why you are the best candidate.

3) Put the most relevant section first. I browse resumes quickly until I find a few that look good. Make sure I spot the good stuff immediately after your name. If you graduated university 10 years ago in something unrelated, put it at the bottom, I don't care about that. Make it easy for me to notice you are the right person for the job.

4) The other information debate. . . if it is relevant include it. Professional societies, sitting on the board for the local art museum, publications, etc are all good things to include. That your hobby is posting on a men's clothing forum is not a good thing to include (unless you are trying to get a men's clothing forum job I guess).
1. Yeah, I wouldn't do something outlandish. I'm sure some hiring managers care about Arial vs. TNR but it's one of the least of my concerns.
2. Agreed.
3. Alright, noted.
4. I only include things where I have held leadership positions, so SF won't be on the list until I get mod status (joking).

Quote:
Originally Posted by FIHTies View Post
Oh yeah...Spelling matters. :-). Seriously though, read it, read it again and then give it to someone to read for you because you expect certain words to be there and if spelled worng you wont notice them.

Also dont use your chat room email address. Thats good for the chat room. Nowhere else. (Unless of course you are alpha as F%$k)

Use your real name on the email address. Sounds simple but I cannot tell you how many times this is missed.
Yep, I do all this already. I tend to not proof my SF posts though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by akatsuki View Post
If you just graduated, put school first, otherwise experience.

I'd put volunteer activities on there, but at the bottom and just in a single line list under an Additional Info category or something similar. Unless you are actually high up in the organization or accomplished a lot, then put it as experience.

Same with hobbies - a one line list is helpful. Not for getting in the door, but once you are sitting in the interview. Again, if you have achieved some reknown - such as being a US hammer throwing champion, list it.

Realistically it does depend on job how your resume is formatted - if you are applying for some sort of job where you are making things (e.g. graphic designer, interior decorator, blacksmith), you should also include a portfolio page. Also who you worked for is pretty important. If you are applying to be a corporate attorney or private equity guy - dealsheets are important and all they care about is experience and your role at each position.
What would you consider as "[accomplishing] a lot"?

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What do you guys think of how my resume looks? I had a couple people tell me that the first thing they saw is the dates, not the position or description. If you saw a resume formatted like the PDF I linked to, what would be your initial reaction?
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post #19 of 80
1/9/11 at 6:38pm
I spray John Varvatos: Vintage on the back of my resumes and I have a pretty good call back rate.
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post #20 of 80
1/10/11 at 12:16pm
The only advice I can give, is keep it simple, but tell a story with your bullets. 1. Manager of Service a. managed team of 500 people 1a. named manager of the year 4 years in a row b. Worked with a budget of 100 billion dollars 1b. Consistently rated high marks by the budget review committee. Something along those lines. Dont just list your job description, list your accomplishments.
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post #21 of 80
1/10/11 at 12:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jgold47 View Post
The only advice I can give, is keep it simple, but tell a story with your bullets.

1. Manager of Service
a. managed team of 500 people
1a. named manager of the year 4 years in a row
b. Worked with a budget of 100 billion dollars
1b. Consistently rated high marks by the budget review committee.


Something along those lines. Dont just list your job description, list your accomplishments.

Can it be a combo of both?
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post #22 of 80
1/10/11 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by imageWIS View Post
Can it be a combo of both?

I have a combo of both. Stupid HR people want to see <XYZ> written in your resume, so I added that for them. Managers want to see what you actually did and any successes, so I added my more interesting [or favorite] projects.

How long are your guys' resumes? There is 0% chance I can fit mine to one page and still have it be informative. It gets to be 2 pages when I include job information and accomplishments.
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post #23 of 80
1/10/11 at 2:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadly7 View Post
I have a combo of both. Stupid HR people want to see <XYZ> written in your resume, so I added that for them. Managers want to see what you actually did and any successes, so I added my more interesting [or favorite] projects.

How long are your guys' resumes? There is 0% chance I can fit mine to one page and still have it be informative. It gets to be 2 pages when I include job information and accomplishments.

Are you a professor with numerous faculty pubs or a CEO of a major company? If not, then 2 pages is not possible. Be more succinct with your experience. There's a 100% chance you can fit it on 1 page. Everyone else does.
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post #24 of 80
1/10/11 at 2:31pm
Some of these have already been mentioned but here's my .02 :

1) No objective or fluff... Avoid cliches and buzzwords, its obvious.
2)Keep it simple and streamlined (no need for it to be 1 page but don't make it an auto-biogrpahy)
3)Only add extra-curicular/hobbies/volunteer activities if it's relevant to the position; no one cares that you have an awesome stamp collection. Exclude references until asked to provide them.
4)For work experience, don't describe what you did in more than 1 or 2 lines, explain how you improved the process, brought in more revenue, increased effeciency etc. You want to show that you are going to create value for the firm and you have unique, applicable skills. Short bullet points seem to work well.
5)I think you should include High School in your education section if you did well. It's a good place to throw in you SAT/ACT scores and class rank if they're impressive since they are an easy way for the reader to compare you against others.
6)Font isn't a big deal, make sure its readable and basic. Use bullets, indentations, bold header text or underlines to structure the resume and make it easier to read. Obviously spell check and re-read multiple times for grammar, have others do the same.
7) If you're not emailing/faxing it find some sturdy, possibly an off-white yet understated paper to use. You want to stand out but not it a bad way.
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post #25 of 80
1/10/11 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joneog View Post
Some of these have already been mentioned but here's my .02 :

1) No objective or fluff... Avoid cliches and buzzwords, its obvious.

I disagree about "no buzzwords." Buzzwords are what HR people are taught to look for. By not including them you are doing yourself a disservice.

Quote:
2)Keep it simple and streamlined (no need for it to be 1 page but don't make it an auto-biogrpahy)

Never, ever go over one page. It's resume building 101.

Quote:
5)I think you should include High School in your education section if you did well. It's a good place to throw in you SAT/ACT scores and class rank if they're impressive since they are an easy way for the reader to compare you against others.

Only if you are a college undergrad in your sophomore year applying for internships. If you banged out a 1400+ on the SATs (2100 now, I guess) it's worthwhile to list, but otherwise no one will care about your presidency of the Yearbook or 10th grade stint on the Cross Country team.
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post #26 of 80
1/10/11 at 2:56pm
Quote:
Buzzwords are what HR people are taught to look for

I suppose that depends on where you're applying. Not all resumes go onto a giant pile to be sifted through by HR.

Quote:
Never, ever go over one page. It's resume building 101.

I thought the same thing until I talked to a friend who does a lot of recruiting in finance/banking. It's just not possible for someone who has held multiple positions to fit everything into 1-page.

Quote:
If you banged out a 1400+ on the SATs (2100 now, I guess) it's worthwhile to list, but otherwise no one will care about your presidency of the Yearbook or 10th grade stint on the Cross Country team.

Like I said, only list if it's impressive. I'ts part of one's education so I think its useful. If I see that someone got a 1450 on their SAT and graduated 2nd in their HS class that shows me they either have a great work effort or are naturally bright.
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post #27 of 80
1/10/11 at 3:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by joneog View Post
I thought the same thing until I talked to a friend who does a lot of recruiting in finance/banking. It's just not possible for someone who has held multiple positions to fit everything into 1-page.

+1 to this. I'm onto my 4th job now, with my list of responsibilities/achievements increasing at each job. At some point there's just too much useful info to keep everything confined to one page.
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post #28 of 80
1/10/11 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joneog View Post
Some of these have already been mentioned but here's my .02 :

1) No objective or fluff... Avoid cliches and buzzwords, its obvious.

3)Only add extra-curicular/hobbies/volunteer activities if it's relevant to the position; no one cares that you have an awesome stamp collection. Exclude references until asked to provide them.

Depends what you mean by buzzwords...obviously you don't want to be the guy who writes "cross-synthesized post-hoc synergies" but you want to include the key words/acronyms that they expect to see (I think this is what BC2012 was talking about). You might want to still put the word "Excel" on your resume somewhere in case some HR drone doesn't realize that your previous experience clearly required someone who knew how to use all of the office apps.

As for extra-curricular stuff and hobbies...I would think it is worth a line. It gives the candidates a little personality and is often used by interviewers to sort of break the ice or get a feel how you talk about something you are interested in (instead of how you respond to interview questions). I was asked very frequently about things listed there...
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post #29 of 80
1/10/11 at 3:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deadly7 View Post
+1 to this. I'm onto my 4th job now, with my list of responsibilities/achievements increasing at each job. At some point there's just too much useful info to keep everything confined to one page.

Having worked in finance (and looking for finance internships now) I've heard from recruiters at major firms as well as my own career services department that 1 page is assumed. If you have that many jobs and truly feel each job has relevant experience (and can't trim it) then I guess you have no choice but to go over one page. Just make sure that each job is worth going over the one page...the reason for one page is that recruiters get a ton of resumes and it is easier for them to have a simple, one pager than reading through two pages.

But, if you are exemplary, two pages might be necessary.
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post #30 of 80
1/10/11 at 3:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by otc View Post
Depends what you mean by buzzwords...obviously you don't want to be the guy who writes "cross-synthesized post-hoc synergies" but you want to include the key words/acronyms that they expect to see (I think this is what BC2012 was talking about). You might want to still put the word "Excel" on your resume somewhere in case some HR drone doesn't realize that your previous experience clearly required someone who knew how to use all of the office apps.

As for extra-curricular stuff and hobbies...I would think it is worth a line. It gives the candidates a little personality and is often used by interviewers to sort of break the ice or get a feel how you talk about something you are interested in (instead of how you respond to interview questions). I was asked very frequently about things listed there...

By buzzwords (phrases) i mean stuff like "core competencies" and "interpsersonal skills".
You should use specific terms to describe skills, like your excel example. My point is simply that if I'm reading a lot of resumes trite phrases that do nothing but fill the pages with words, while making you sound phony and too rehearsed, will probably get an eye roll. Again it comes down to where you're interviewing. Maybe some situations it helps.

As for the hobbies etc. I think it can be worked in during the interview process but if it's relevant and makes you a bit unique then I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. I tend to avoid it so as to get as much relevant work experience in while still keeping the resume short and tight.
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