Can someone explain what makes a "good" resume???

Originally Posted by CTGuy

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Can someone explain to me what I am missing here??

Ivy League degrees

Originally Posted by globetrotter

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how many lawyers has she hired lately?

Well, maybe this is a foolish assumption, but I assume since he is in the business of getting law students jobs he has some sort of knowledge on the subject-- more so than anyone except perhaps an HR manager at a law firm...

the resume is your primary marketing device for marketing yourself. remember that the person reading your resume may have a few hundred on his/her desk for a single job opening.

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I guess this is part of what I don't get-- a friend of mine who works for a municipality was telling me that "how the resume looks" is really important to him. My response was -- are you telling me you'll pass over a guy who went to Harvard law because you don't like the font? I don't think he appreciated the comment. I guess in a field where so much is qualification driven and not really...marketing driven (for lack of a better way of putting it) shouldn't the reader be looking at schooling, job experience, honors/skills and not whether I used bullet points? I'm not arguing here since I clearly do not get it. I have to admit I got my job through working with the principal of the firm on a political campaign.

here is what a resume has to do - tell, in a page to two pages, why you are better than 90% of the other people for this particular job. the resume is meant to get you an interview, and to guide the interviewer to ask the questions that you want him/her to during the interview.

good luck

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Again-- I'm having a hard time seeing the how the resume does this and not what's written on it. I guess I see what you are saying in the broad strokes and I agree with you, but shouldn't what you're saying lead to the conclusion that the resume is basically a list of your education and accomplishments?

Originally Posted by CTGuy

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Again-- I'm having a hard time seeing the how the resume does this and not what's written on it. I guess I see what you are saying in the broad strokes and I agree with you, but shouldn't what you're saying lead to the conclusion that the resume is basically a list of your education and accomplishments?
Sure, but the idea is to state your accomplishments in a way that is direct and compelling. If a hiring manager has a ton of resumes to wade through, s/he simply hasn't the time or inclination to slog through convoluted prose. And mundane lists of "job responsibilities" will not indicate the unique way that you distinguished yourself in those positions. And yes, font does matter, not only for the practical purposes of readability, but also because an inability to present a professional-looking document can be taken as indication of your lack of professional savvy - or worse, your laziness about making the effort to find out what's appropriate.

Just today I realized someone else had a better looking resume than me. Mine looks a bit...high school

Guess I need to find a more "professional format"

good post, that's what i need to know too

Originally Posted by CTGuy

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Well, maybe this is a foolish assumption, but I assume since he is in the business of getting law students jobs he has some sort of knowledge on the subject-- more so than anyone except perhaps an HR manager at a law firm...



yeah, that is the assumption, but not always true....

I guess this is part of what I don't get-- a friend of mine who works for a municipality was telling me that "how the resume looks" is really important to him. My response was -- are you telling me you'll pass over a guy who went to Harvard law because you don't like the font? I don't think he appreciated the comment. I guess in a field where so much is qualification driven and not really...marketing driven (for lack of a better way of putting it) shouldn't the reader be looking at schooling, job experience, honors/skills and not whether I used bullet points? I'm not arguing here since I clearly do not get it. I have to admit I got my job through working with the principal of the firm on a political campaign.

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ok, I think that I can clarify this - I might not read more than the first paragraph of most resumes, if it doesn't strike me how the person fits what I am looking for. also, I usually use a system of keeping the top contender on the side - so, as soon as I see one that is good, I compare all others to that one, if it isn't clear to me that a resume is a better fit, I will put it aside, and when I find a better one, I make that the top contender.

also - lets say that I am looking for someobody with specific skills. you are more proud of a different set of skills, so you put those first. I might not get to read about the skills I am looking for, because I won't read your whole resume.

Again-- I'm having a hard time seeing the how the resume does this and not what's written on it. I guess I see what you are saying in the broad strokes and I agree with you, but shouldn't what you're saying lead to the conclusion that the resume is basically a list of your education and accomplishments?

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yes, but the way you write it is very important. here is the key element - lets say that there are 200 facts that you can write on your resume. there are 5 things that are most important for me, to decide who to interview. those 5 things should be, in a perfect world, the facts that are easiest for me to see on your resume.

GT-- thanks for the thoughtful replies. Your feedback is definitely very helpful in clearly away a lot of my confusion.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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I won't debate form or content for you, but let me tell you what makes one "good." It gives the person you submit it to a reason to hire you, and Step #1 to hiring is a callback/interview. End of story.

However you decide to write yours, remember that.

wow, what a jewel of wisdom.

Originally Posted by SkinnyGoomba

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wow, what a jewel of wisdom.

It's better advice than any you've offered in this thread. Don't troll.

What I look for when hiring...

1. Brevity. I don't care if you worked at Sonic in high school.

2. Specificity. Don't apply for a job in marketing with a resumà that looks like you want a PR job.

3. Direction. Don't have an objective that reads something like 'I am looking for a position in which to use my multitude of skills to my utmost ability.' You might as well tell the interviewer 'I need a job' when asked why you want to work for the company.

4. Attention to detail. Don't misspell anything. Don't make simple errors with dates (no, you didn't work at that job from 6/08-5/04).

Originally Posted by CTGuy

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GT-- thanks for the thoughtful replies. Your feedback is definitely very helpful in clearly away a lot of my confusion.

good luck

I have always wondered how to fit all my crap unto a 1 page resume. What I have ended up doing is highlighting IMO, the most important and relevant accomplishments as well as experiences. i left the more in depth introduction in the cover letter.

Now I am wondering, what percentage of companies actually read through the cover letters... Do head hunters look through these at all?

i was given a resume guideline my first year of uni that was very consise and well organized. they told us that "nobody under 40" should take up more than a page. its only things that set u apart from others, and facts directly aimed at the hiring criteria. cover page is complete waste of everyones time as well

Damn well try your best to keep it as honest as you can, even if "puffed".

I recently fired a useless employee because her resume was, lets just say, grossly exaggerated.
Worst yet - the person was "hearing impaired" and they are now trying to take "Human rights" issues with me now, with charges that I let them go because they were "disabled".

While I have sufficient evidence to make my case, it is not a pleasant exercise to fire someone, and worse - it will give anyone with a falsified resume a reputation in the inner business circles.

Based on current employment laws, one cannot issue negatives during the reference process; but the lack of comment from a previous employer regarding a past misdemeanour including an innaccurate resume during the HR process will speak volumes to a prospective future employer up the ladder.

Be clear, and try to put your most unusual attributes at the top of the list.
More importantly and avoid at all costs: Bloated biz-speak and vacuous terminology.

There is nothing more hilarious and pathetic than reading contrived jargon using florid verbiage that compacts so many useless words into a sentence to say so much, that means absolutely nothing.

Firing because she was useless seems like a better reason.