Been looking for a job for forever now.. Had one for a week a few months ago, but it turned out to be a shady telemarketing place and they hired and fired a bunch of people for a week during a bad month. About 9 months ago a professional interviewer told me that my old resume needed a lot of work and gave me a bunch of pointers. I don't think it really helped to be honest. To be fair, the old one was doing just as well in this economy (CA unemployment rate is 2nd highest in the US at 12.1% as of 08-2011).
I'm literally willing to do anything to get a job at this point. I'll even leave the state/country on some temporary thing just so I can do something and get back on my feet (I lost pretty much everything in 2010). I've been on countless interviews, phone interviews, submitted 100s of applications, resumes, cover letters, and filled out those dreaded online job applicant tests that take forever. Its just so frustrating and I've been at it for over a year now. Which is why I've sort of started to do my own thing on the side to see if I can get anywhere with it but it doesn't seem very profitable so far. I will make another post about that maybe tomorrow and see what you all think about it.
Anyways, Here are my resumes. First my latest one, and then I'll show you the first page of the old one for comparison.
On October 08 2011 21:24 zeru wrote: Be more consistent with fonts, and sizes. The layout differences between technical skills and experience sections where you go from bullet list style, to table and back to bullet looks bad, and different indents depths on bullet lists doesnt look good either.
You mean that its arial font size 10 bold and italic, while the job informations are times new roman size 10 plain?
An important point to keep in mind is that in the current economic climate, these companies will be receiving dozens if not hundreds of resumes. As such, it needs to be short and straight to the point. The main issue here is your detailing of past jobs. I would say that the level of detail you have provided should only be used for the three most important or significant jobs in terms of highlighting your relevant skills. For all the other jobs, just list them as dot-points with a time frame, or don't mention them at all. This more limited amount of information should boost your chances, since it will make it more likely for them to skim over the parts which you want them to read, rather than a random part which may not be as impressive.
On October 08 2011 21:37 CortoMontez wrote: An important point to keep in mind is that in the current economic climate, these companies will be receiving dozens if not hundreds of resumes. As such, it needs to be short and straight to the point. The main issue here is your detailing of past jobs. I would say that the level of detail you have provided should only be used for the three most important or significant jobs in terms of highlighting your relevant skills. For all the other jobs, just list them as dot-points with a time frame, or don't mention them at all. This more limited amount of information should boost your chances, since it will make it more likely for them to skim over the parts which you want them to read, rather than a random part which may not be as impressive.
But I thought most resumes were filtered with key words by a bot before anyone even bothers looking at them? The more buzzwords I can fit in the better right?
I did just notice though that the first job listed on there is 10 years ago. Is that too far back? Where should I start?
I'm not an expert on this but your resume is LONG. Three pages? If I got hundreds of applications I'd be tired as hell, and having three pages in my hands would make me grumble. It's also really dry stuff.
Yea you might want to leave out the walmart and bowling alley jobs (basically the jobs you could train a monkey to do) since they add nothing to your resume but another page, the platform and application lists are also very bloated, keep it to the specifics for what you are applying for.
I am being honest here. The number one problem why you haven't found a job is not your resume's fault. As it stands, the current climate for employment is absolutely horrible. It can take individuals with graduate degrees, months or years to find a job. So, when you go to apply for any position, say it's 9 bucks an hour or more, you're competing against individuals with more experience and (more importantly) college degrees. The job sector has widdled down most who would expect higher-tier jobs to the point where it's so very competitive that they have to make ends meet, pay the bills and house payment--to get that, they must compete for any job.
Second, after the horrible market, the reason you are not receiving employment is because you are looking in one of the most affected industries, I.T. Because this market is flooded with individuals with 10, or 20 years of experience at top-tier companies, who now are begging for help-desk jobs. Adding to that, most I.T. jobs are outsourced or contracted by Indian companies. That sweet admin job that used to pay 50k a year with benefits? Not any more, it's 10 bucks an hour, sourced from an Indian staffing company, and pays $11.50 per hour. Although nearly equally depressing, the web industry may have a few peanut shells left for employment--as nearly every web company needs a guy who can do it all, for 9-10 bucks an hour--and you can fit that bill.
Employers have also upped their staffing standards, because in a down economy a company be extremely choosy when it comes to who they bring on--they also can fire 20-30% of an entire group and either force the remining employees to work harder, or bring on half new people and pay them much less (but expect the same quality work). Needless to say, I have some advice for you.
• Make your resume 1 page. Look up advice, if you don't trust me. But, anyone with (essentially) a high school degree, only needs 1 page of resume material. H.R. will scan your resume, see you only have high school education, notice it's way too long and then trashcan it. Simply put, list name, address, education and work experience. Don't be long winded, because it's hurting your chances.
• Find a job at a web design company, small company, work as an intern, start your own business or go freelance with web work. These are where jobs still exist. Interning is highly wanted right now, as companies know people will work for free, for any kind of recognition.
• Go back to college. You have to be competitive. I will tell you right now that with a college degree it is hard enough to find a job, so at least try to place yourself on a more equal playing field.
Yea I agree shorter would be better. List less jobs. Reduce the amount of detail... but make sure whatever details you do give are specific.
I think things like "expert computer technical knowledge" are too vague.
Try to add any brag details you can (things like gpa if it's pretty good, tough classes you aced, awards received, etc) and remove details that aren't good brags (48 wpm isn't a brag these days and the accuracy measurement isn't necessary: clutter).
Given your lack of success with this resume I would also consider using a whole new format.
Consider two resumes; one for jobs similar to the ones you recently worked, and another one for basic jobs that don't require many skills and experience.
What other people and I suggested is probably a lot of work but should be worth it.
I assume this is literally everything you've ever done, so that you can give us the most intel?
Keep in mind that a normal, solid resume is fit onto about one page, and only has relevant information (and most recent experience generally trumps older jobs, unless you have an amazing story to tell). So if you're applying for a job relating to your computer technical knowledge, you're going to leave on your tech support stuff and get rid of Wal-Mart man and cashier boy.
Also, you totally don't need a trillion bullet points for each topic. I'm falling asleep reading your resume. I'm putting it in the pile labeled "boring worker". That pile's in the trash, by the way, because I don't want to hire those. Think of the three or four most important bullet points (you can combine a few if you want, but don't make each bullet point any longer than two lines), and just use those. I'm sure being a tech support guy does many things, but pick the most important ones and list them. You can talk about the rest in an interview. Downsize this whole resume.
And also... your summary... literally every person can put generic things like that. You need to put interestings things on here, or nothing at all. You're supposed to *not* be like everyone else. What makes you special?
You really need to find some way to spice up your resume and make it one page long. You need to catch your future employer's attention and not bore him to death. You need to fit a lot of information and still get the point across.
You really don't want to make an overly lengthy resume. What specific position are you applying for? Including antiviruses and mobile devices under technical skills doesn't exactly impress, it clutters more than anything. You should be more concise, specific and relevant. And also focus on listing ACHIEVEMENTS you've made for the companies you've worked for rather than the tasks that you did.
You do this more in your revised resume but you can do a little more to make it more achievement based and concrete. So instead of "Ordered and negotiated merchandise from various sources, often finding the best deals and saving costs and increase revenue" you can write "Cut costs by 10% and increased total revenue by 15% by searching for five other vendors and negotiating the best possible savings with them."
So make resumes for specific positions, for specific companies and lean it out by excluding all your skills and achievements that aren't relevant. And add specific, measurable things to your points.
If you're still going to make your resume as long as it is you can at least organize your exp points by categories, like int, vit, and str (or sales, supervising, IT).
Also, you have a graphics design degree? Why aren't you applying for jobs like webdesign and stuff? Have you tried freelancing on the side?
Your old resume reads like a list of stuff you were responsible for - not what you brought to the job, what you achieved or what you gained from that experience. Your new resume has a cleaner format but is still just a list of responsibilities.
You were in sales, try replacing your dot points with a paragraph about your single biggest achievement at that job, the biggest new client you brought in or biggest sales figure. Hiring managers can't be bothered reading a dry list of shit you were made to do at your last job. That stuff is only relevant if you're in a trade, scientific or engineering discipline.
Clean up the tab spacing, fonts and bullet points as well - you're educated in graphic design but it looks like you're not giving a shit about the aesthetics.
I'm sure someone already said this, but with just a general perusal, it's clear that you need to have focused resumes specific to jobs you're applying for; ie - list previous jobs that are relevant to the position you're applying for.
Going for a technical position with a tech company? List those companies you did technical support for, your education, and those technical skills you think might be useful.
Perhaps a sales job is open at a business, you can then list all of those in your history.
Maybe you're throwing your resume everywhere and even going for other stocking type, or entry level positions; then you can remove your sales rep/associate entries and list all of the others that are relevant.
That should clean a lot of it up. As a guide, from head hunters I've talked to and HR friends that I know, your resume should essentially be two full pages. Skills, experience, education and other attributes (relevant volunteer work, references, recognized awards, etc...) should all be listed.
Other notes from looking, it's good that you've put everything in the past tense. A lot of people usually have problems doing that, or don't list their present job in the present tense.
Also, I dislike your date format. It's not conducive to personnel managers that just glance at resumes quickly and decide yes or no on the spot. The change in fonts in the resume is also a bit of a turn off for someone with technical knowledge.
I guarantee half of the people replying to this thread haven't even read your whole resume. I don't say that to critique people on forum etiquette, but to explain to you that your resume needs to be shorter. Generally speaking, you should be able to get enough information on one page to accomplish this, something that is easier to accomplish than it sounds- namely, by use of more than 1 column of text.
Here's one of my favorite professors' resumes, as an example.
It's about one and a half pages, but that's because he has a lot of on-the-job experience. Being as that a lot of your former jobs are likely unrelated to the job you're applying for, you should only have 1 page.
Important things you should have on your resume. These rules don't exist for all resumes, such as those with years and years and years of experience, but for yours its a different story.
1) Personal information. Name, Phone Number, Address, E-mail (and make sure its a professional-looking email, not xxbigdong69xx@yahoo.com). Don't include a website unless you do freelance work and have a personal website worth showing.
2) Objective. Consider this a sentence-long miniature cover letter detailing what you want out of this job, career wise. This needs to be personalized for each job application- every employer wants to know what an asset you will be to them.
3) Education. Obvious stuff. List GPAs if they are good, but maintain a uniform layout. AKA, if your GPA in High School is good and your GPA in College is poor, don't list either GPA. Otherwise, they'll notice the college one is "missing" and assume the worst.
4) Skills. I can do X Y and Z. Rather than write 3 paragraphs per job and hope your "keyword searching robot" finds them, just list them, plain as day.
5) Experience. List a few jobs you had in the past and a brief description of what you did for them. When deciding which ones to list, list the ones that you worked for the longest, left on good terms with, and are as closely related to what you're applying to as possible.
Everything except education/contact info needs to be personalized to each job, really. People want to know that you're in with them for the long haul and are actually interested in it before they're going to give you money.
The exception to this is if you're applying for Radioshack or Burger King or whatever, in which case, giving them a resume to read is probably not even worth it, as all the information they need is on the application form. I worked at a movie theater once and some guy was so desperate for a job that he came in with a resume and a suit and everything. He was trying too hard, implying that he would probably leave as soon as he found something better. Meanwhile, I walked in with a t-shirt (have tattoos on my arms) and got a job offer the following day just a few months before.
cut it down to no more than two pages. don't have time to go in depth on it, but you've got way too much stuff listed for your jobs. no one wants to read all that - cut out unnecessaries
1) The box at the front is useless and ugly as fuck, lose it 2) Nobody gives a shit about what you did, and with that many points, they aren't even going to read it. Demonstrate what you have learned in other jobs, don't just put a job description 3) Only keep your most recent/most important jobs, as has been said it should only fill 2 pages max 4) ...
I don't mean to be an asshole, but there are so many glaring errors that I can't even begin to start making specific recommendations. Use this: http://www.mcgill.ca/files/caps/CV_Writing.pdf as a basis to make a decent resume.
Nokarot has a nice summary there, should start with his bolded sections and expand. I usually kept a 1-page version and a 2-page version updated - 1-page version for most general submissions, 2-page version should the employer express further interest (for example, an interview).
Way too much text man. Keep the technical skills to maybe 5-6 lines maximum, you got a lot of garbage lines there that people don't care about. Sure you know a lot about hardware/software but so does billions of other people who use computers in general. Unless you have technical skills in one crazy program that only 0.01% of population have a bare understanding of, no point listing a whole ton of stuff.
Your date format is not intuitive, I suggest just using Month, Year (e.g. October, 2011) format for everything.
Another small thing, but put your name in the centre. Putting your name on the side pushes your resume aside.
It's really a pain to go through your entire employment/experience history. You gotta ditch the minor ones and illustrate only the key ones. Nobody likes reading giant block of text in the forums, why would anyone read giant blocks of text in real life?
Format-wise, I think your old one would be more effective than the new one.
Honestly, this is likely how HR is reading your resume (and I know this because I've had to pick replacements for my position personally)
"Ok what have we here .. computer guy, ok what does he know *glance at rest of resume* k this is too long, looks like a bunch of tech support jobs, ok so support knowledge not programming/design. Strong sales hm this could be good *glance at rest of resume* k I'm not digging through this to figure out exactly what makes him good, next" And this is assuming I'm hiring for a job that cares both about tech skills and sales skills. More than likely, if it's for a sales job, they'd be wondering "wtf is tech support taking up such a large part of this resume" and vice versa.
Your resume is the epitome of TLDR. Think of it from the employer's point of view: they don't care about you. They want a TLDR summary of why they should bother with you at all. If they had to read a book for every applicant they'd never get anywhere (when you're looking at a stack of 60+ resumes, you are also looking for any reason to throw one of them out)
Unless you are really really good, your resume should be one page.
e: I really like that professor resume posted earlier. I'm going to have to steal some ideas from that, thanks =D
Your resume is way too long. You do not need that many points for every job that you did, and some of those accomplishments are extremely unimpressive. For example, during your Marriott job you say you "upheld privacy of buyers' credit card". First, grammatically this should be "cards", and you should never have any errors on a resume. Second, that sounds like a really basic function of your job -- it seems odd that you think it is impressive that you didn't take your customer's credit card information.
For older jobs I would just compact everything or delete the job entirely. For example, your Fry's electronics job sounds like you were a typical salesman on the floor. If you have some notable accomplishment, say that but otherwise I would just briefly describe what you were doing instead of taking 8 lines to say "I was a typical salesman on the floor".
Basically, you want to put stuff on your resume that will convince people that you are the best person for the job they are offering. 90% of your resume does not do that and is just filler.
What everyone else said, but I seriously don't think you need to say you technical skill in Windows and Microsoft office (I think this is assumed) I would cut the mobile crap too. The resume is just way too long and cluttered. Finally, I would focus on good cover letter/networking to actually get a job. The resume part is the last step (albeit an important one)
I'm literally willing to do anything to get a job at this point.
You might have already tried this route since your old resume mentions AppleOne, but since you are open to do anything, go to multiple job agencies.
why can you not get a job back at a cell phone store?
on the subject of your resume,
He said that he used to be the main interview guy for CEOs and CFOs etc. And I should elaborate specifically everything that I did in the jobs.
I have no idea what is typically expected to be stated on a CEO/CFO resume, but the same does not apply to you. Let's say your new resume gets passed through bot filters, once it reaches a HR person, it will get immediately filtered by them due to TLDR.
HR/recruiters have to go through tons of resumes. They don't have time to read novels.
To start condensing your resume, I'd include your Marriot Vacation Club experience up to present day experience. if someone wants to know more about your work history, it'll be asked during an interview which is perfectly fine.
in terms of describing what you did, I'd start out with your old resume style, reduce it down to 1-2 bullet points for each of your past jobs, and rewrite the descriptions to state the skills you used to do the job or any notable personal accomplishments at that job. your current content just plainly states what you did.
some additional tips
you have went to college. you don't need to state that you graduated from high school.
put job title, company, company location, and employment period all on a single line. I personally like stating month in word form instead of number form since I think it makes it easier to read.
condense Technical Skills, Summary, and Other Qualifications & Interests all under an umbrella called Additional, then remove what you think an employer would consider unimportant to what they are looking for
your goal is to reduce your resume down to 1 page. Manipulate margins, font styles/size, and spacing to help do this, but keep in mind that a 1 page block of text resume is not a good thing.
when applying to a specific job & company, you should have a single sentence objective statement geared toward stating how your skills & experience will help you perform in that job
On October 09 2011 01:02 triangle wrote: Your resume is way too long. You do not need that many points for every job that you did, and some of those accomplishments are extremely unimpressive. For example, during your Marriott job you say you "upheld privacy of buyers' credit card". First, grammatically this should be "cards", and you should never have any errors on a resume. Second, that sounds like a really basic function of your job -- it seems odd that you think it is impressive that you didn't take your customer's credit card information.
For older jobs I would just compact everything or delete the job entirely. For example, your Fry's electronics job sounds like you were a typical salesman on the floor. If you have some notable accomplishment, say that but otherwise I would just briefly describe what you were doing instead of taking 8 lines to say "I was a typical salesman on the floor".
Basically, you want to put stuff on your resume that will convince people that you are the best person for the job they are offering. 90% of your resume does not do that and is just filler.
I'm inclined to agree that being concise is often times better than having things the employer doesn't want to see. If it's not quite related to what you're about to apply for, I suggest you keep them under a few lines. For example, someone trying to hire you for your computer skills wouldn't be very interested in knowing that you're a great cashier. Of course, not 90% of his CV is a complete filler, but it is still way too long.
If the American market is so saturated, why not try job hunting somewhere else? I'm not sure about your language background, but it can open up a lot more doors if you know more than English, and it's never too late to start.
P.S. I don't want to disrespect any teachers but, when all else fails...you can always resort to....teaching.... You know, high school computer classes and stuff while you look for your preferred job.
On October 09 2011 02:50 HereBeDragons wrote: P.S. I don't want to disrespect any teachers but, when all else fails...you can always resort to....teaching.... You know, high school computer classes and stuff while you look for your preferred job.
I don't know how his state works but usually it takes a lot of training to be eligible to teach in high schools. And teaching jobs aren't easy to come by in this economy despite what some people think.
On October 09 2011 02:50 HereBeDragons wrote: P.S. I don't want to disrespect any teachers but, when all else fails...you can always resort to....teaching.... You know, high school computer classes and stuff while you look for your preferred job.
I don't know how his state works but usually it takes a lot of training to be eligible to teach in high schools. And teaching jobs aren't easy to come by in this economy despite what some people think.
I'd imagine that you're quite correct, although, since he mentioned he was willing to give the world a shot, I was going to suggest that bilingual schools in non-English speaking countries (more so in Asia rather than Europe unfortunately) are on the rise. A native speaker could very plausibly land himself a job regardless of his/her degree. The new problems you'll encounter would be just the strange working conditions; working with people who doesn't really understand you sometimes could give you a headache. You'll get to test yourself how fast you can adapt to non-ideal conditions in life.
That is, under the premise that you're willing to leave home for an adventure. There's no guarantee for success, but note this: leaving home certainly guarantees new perspectives and experiences you'll otherwise never discover.
From the top: - Summary: Do not call your self an "expert" or "excellent." The top section should if anything be a statement of professional interest/direction, but let your credentials below speak for themselves. - Education: Move this below your opening statement (don't hide at the bottom), since it is something employers will want to know up front. - Technical Skills: This kind if itemization is usually listed below experience, since experience is more specific. - Technical Skills: I've been guilty of doing this in the past also because I didn't know what knowledge interviewers would assume (and I've since removed all such itemizations except programming languages/SDKs), but I don't think general purpose software is worth listing unless you think there is nothing else you could indicate that implies prerequisite knowledge. For example, you list "Firefox": this doesn't tell me anything at all (have you maintained computers and were responsible for security upgrades? have you written an add-on? have you reported bugs or contributed to the source code? It is left completely unanswered, which leaves me to assume that at best you're boasting about your familiarity). Similarly, you list a lot of DVD burning or otherwise point-and-click applications -- your knowledge that an application exists as a consumer choice is not a skill, it's just knowledge. I could Google search DVD burner and get a hit for Nero, that doesn't make me an expert. - Technical Skills: Hardware: What kind of experience do you actually have? Just buying and installing the device doesn't constitute skill, same with user-end software above. If you have professional experience in repair or installation, that would be far more helpful to know. Do you have any certifications (MS, Cisco?)? - Technical Skills: Platforms: Ok, if you haven't written code for a mobile device or provided professional hardware/software support (do you have any certifications?) then do not list platforms simply because you've used them as a consumer. Owning a smart phone doesn't make you qualified to operate on one short of installing software. Again, familiarity that something exists is not a skill and should not be listed. It dilutes your overall presentation. - Experience: Try to summarize each position you've been with in 3-4 sentences. It will make it easier for your reader's patience, and it will help you emphasize your best work. - Experience: DON'T LIST EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER DONE. It's nice that you've had a lot of jobs, but going back to 2000 is ridiculous if all you're going to mention is maintenance work at a bowling alley -- it's not part of the image you're trying to present as a technical professional anyway. Mention it in a single line or not at all. - Experience: Your interviewer won't have time to address everything you've listed. Can you reduce the number of items down to 3-4 that you think best highlight your experience or dedication? Less recent work should not be listed unless it was very very important. - Education: Did you get a degree in the 2 years you were in college? If so list it. If not, what was your GPA when you left? If < B avg do not list. - Education: "Pursued [bachelors/associates/etc] in Graphic Art" so we know that you tried and stopped for a degree. If you did not accomplish a degree, please list the best classes you took (highest level, good grades) or any projects you can speak of. - Other: Just get rid of this section. Your professional work speaks louder than freelance work on the side, unless you have proven results to show for it. The people you helped won't be able to vouch for you in an interview, but a portfolio of your work can.
You may also want to consider removing your HS degree. It's somewhat implied if you've been to college or have taken advanced classes of any sort.
Additionally, fix your bottom margin. If you are truly familiar with MS Office then take the time to make your resume well-formatted. Center your name on the page, do not use a solid horizontal rule, (don't use any rule or bullet scheme that distracts the eye from the textual content), there's white space between Summary and its content... use table formatting in MS Office to get your header in a left column and your content in a right column. Do not use a bordered table for one section and not for others -- be consistent with your style.
Your resume shouldn't be any longer than 1 page. You have way too much superfluous shit on yours. Focus on your top experiences that highlight your technical/leadership/decision-making abilities and throw away everything else.
On October 08 2011 23:44 emperorchampion wrote: Alright, let's get started...
1) The box at the front is useless and ugly as fuck, lose it
Read my last post and you'll realize you are being dumb (my post isn't serious btw).
I don't mean to be an asshole, but there are so many glaring errors that I can't even begin to start making specific recommendations.
People who live in glass houses... lol
What's going on, I'm still drunk from last night...
The box isn't actually part of his resume; he just put one to cover his contact info so TL wouldn't know his address and phone number.
you sure he's not talking about the "Technical Skills" box on the first page of the resume?
also OP, you might want to remove the routers you're familiar with, they might expect you to know Cisco IOS and shit when, as far as i can guess, you're talking about residential routers - or at least specify
Also, you have a graphics design degree? Why aren't you applying for jobs like webdesign and stuff? Have you tried freelancing on the side?
No, if you look at the dates I only went for about a year. I dropped out cause it didn't seem like it would be a good fit for me and I didn't think the competitive market when I would be done would net me a job. I was pretty much right. As others have said, degree doesn't get you shit right now except what a HS education got you 10 years ago. Seems stupid to go back and finish school, although I was about to this fall for IT, which also seems pretty stupid. Everything I like isn't a career choice apparently.
On October 09 2011 00:41 DyEnasTy wrote: I know this is off topic, but you went to high school in Rocklin CA??? Do you still live close to there?
I went to more schools than there are grades. I went there for about a year, I also went to a school in Sacramento in that area. No, I don't live near that shithole anymore, only good thing to come from there is DAD's Rootbeer and that's even pushing it lol
He said that he used to be the main interview guy for CEOs and CFOs etc. And I should elaborate specifically everything that I did in the jobs.
I have no idea what is typically expected to be stated on a CEO/CFO resume, but the same does not apply to you. Let's say your new resume gets passed through bot filters, once it reaches a HR person, it will get immediately filtered by them due to TLDR.
HR/recruiters have to go through tons of resumes. They don't have time to read novels.
To start condensing your resume, I'd include your Marriot Vacation Club experience up to present day experience. if someone wants to know more about your work history, it'll be asked during an interview which is perfectly fine.
in terms of describing what you did, I'd start out with your old resume style, reduce it down to 1-2 bullet points for each of your past jobs, and rewrite the descriptions to state the skills you used to do the job or any notable personal accomplishments at that job. your current content just plainly states what you did.
some additional tips
you have went to college. you don't need to state that you graduated from high school.
put job title, company, company location, and employment period all on a single line. I personally like stating month in word form instead of number form since I think it makes it easier to read.
condense Technical Skills, Summary, and Other Qualifications & Interests all under an umbrella called Additional, then remove what you think an employer would consider unimportant to what they are looking for
your goal is to reduce your resume down to 1 page. Manipulate margins, font styles/size, and spacing to help do this, but keep in mind that a 1 page block of text resume is not a good thing.
when applying to a specific job & company, you should have a single sentence objective statement geared toward stating how your skills & experience will help you perform in that job
Yea, I was thinking that too. But when he was asking me questions during the interview he was like "ok you have a couple duties here explain them exactly." And they I went into detail and he was like "see why isn't that on the resume too?" and he did this like over 10 times when we went through my job history and duties.
I've always though the same as most people here have said, short and concise. I'll have to redo it, completely, again..
PS- He was also the one who told me to use this date format specifically.
On October 09 2011 03:55 mmp wrote: It's too long, and non-concise.
From the top: - Summary: Do not call your self an "expert" or "excellent." The top section should if anything be a statement of professional interest/direction, but let your credentials below speak for themselves. - Education: Move this below your opening statement (don't hide at the bottom), since it is something employers will want to know up front. - Technical Skills: This kind if itemization is usually listed below experience, since experience is more specific. - Technical Skills: I've been guilty of doing this in the past also because I didn't know what knowledge interviewers would assume (and I've since removed all such itemizations except programming languages/SDKs), but I don't think general purpose software is worth listing unless you think there is nothing else you could indicate that implies prerequisite knowledge. For example, you list "Firefox": this doesn't tell me anything at all (have you maintained computers and were responsible for security upgrades? have you written an add-on? have you reported bugs or contributed to the source code? It is left completely unanswered, which leaves me to assume that at best you're boasting about your familiarity). Similarly, you list a lot of DVD burning or otherwise point-and-click applications -- your knowledge that an application exists as a consumer choice is not a skill, it's just knowledge. I could Google search DVD burner and get a hit for Nero, that doesn't make me an expert. - Technical Skills: Hardware: What kind of experience do you actually have? Just buying and installing the device doesn't constitute skill, same with user-end software above. If you have professional experience in repair or installation, that would be far more helpful to know. Do you have any certifications (MS, Cisco?)? - Technical Skills: Platforms: Ok, if you haven't written code for a mobile device or provided professional hardware/software support (do you have any certifications?) then do not list platforms simply because you've used them as a consumer. Owning a smart phone doesn't make you qualified to operate on one short of installing software. Again, familiarity that something exists is not a skill and should not be listed. It dilutes your overall presentation. - Experience: Try to summarize each position you've been with in 3-4 sentences. It will make it easier for your reader's patience, and it will help you emphasize your best work. - Experience: DON'T LIST EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER DONE. It's nice that you've had a lot of jobs, but going back to 2000 is ridiculous if all you're going to mention is maintenance work at a bowling alley -- it's not part of the image you're trying to present as a technical professional anyway. Mention it in a single line or not at all. - Experience: Your interviewer won't have time to address everything you've listed. Can you reduce the number of items down to 3-4 that you think best highlight your experience or dedication? Less recent work should not be listed unless it was very very important. - Education: Did you get a degree in the 2 years you were in college? If so list it. If not, what was your GPA when you left? If < B avg do not list. - Education: "Pursued [bachelors/associates/etc] in Graphic Art" so we know that you tried and stopped for a degree. If you did not accomplish a degree, please list the best classes you took (highest level, good grades) or any projects you can speak of. - Other: Just get rid of this section. Your professional work speaks louder than freelance work on the side, unless you have proven results to show for it. The people you helped won't be able to vouch for you in an interview, but a portfolio of your work can.
You may also want to consider removing your HS degree. It's somewhat implied if you've been to college or have taken advanced classes of any sort.
Additionally, fix your bottom margin. If you are truly familiar with MS Office then take the time to make your resume well-formatted. Center your name on the page, do not use a solid horizontal rule, (don't use any rule or bullet scheme that distracts the eye from the textual content), there's white space between Summary and its content... use table formatting in MS Office to get your header in a left column and your content in a right column. Do not use a bordered table for one section and not for others -- be consistent with your style.
Your resume shouldn't be any longer than 1 page. You have way too much superfluous shit on yours. Focus on your top experiences that highlight your technical/leadership/decision-making abilities and throw away everything else.
1 page.
1.
those are buzzwords that bots filter. The guy told me to move my education to the end because I never finished my degree and it's really not applicable to anything I'm applying for.
The cell phone stuff is related to my previous jobs. I worked for verizon and att, I'm not just a consumer user. I would often do technical stuff and I used to know codes and tricks to do things on phones.
I actually graduated a year early in HS by taking a test called a CHSPE which is a california thing. I don't know if it's worth mentioning on the resume, I actually think it sounds kind of bad because I didn't technically graduate like everyone else. I do have the certificate and shit though and in CA it is supposed to be equal to a hs diploma.
and for the record, the format of the resume I copied from my friend who worked at myspace and now sony. I thought it looked really nice, is it really that bad?
Thanks for all the advice nonetheless, I will have to sort out the replies later and work on the bigger issues.
I'm literally willing to do anything to get a job at this point.
You might have already tried this route since your old resume mentions AppleOne, but since you are open to do anything, go to multiple job agencies.
why can you not get a job back at a cell phone store?
on the subject of your resume,
He said that he used to be the main interview guy for CEOs and CFOs etc. And I should elaborate specifically everything that I did in the jobs.
I have no idea what is typically expected to be stated on a CEO/CFO resume, but the same does not apply to you. Let's say your new resume gets passed through bot filters, once it reaches a HR person, it will get immediately filtered by them due to TLDR.
HR/recruiters have to go through tons of resumes. They don't have time to read novels.
To start condensing your resume, I'd include your Marriot Vacation Club experience up to present day experience. if someone wants to know more about your work history, it'll be asked during an interview which is perfectly fine.
in terms of describing what you did, I'd start out with your old resume style, reduce it down to 1-2 bullet points for each of your past jobs, and rewrite the descriptions to state the skills you used to do the job or any notable personal accomplishments at that job. your current content just plainly states what you did.
some additional tips
you have went to college. you don't need to state that you graduated from high school.
put job title, company, company location, and employment period all on a single line. I personally like stating month in word form instead of number form since I think it makes it easier to read.
condense Technical Skills, Summary, and Other Qualifications & Interests all under an umbrella called Additional, then remove what you think an employer would consider unimportant to what they are looking for
your goal is to reduce your resume down to 1 page. Manipulate margins, font styles/size, and spacing to help do this, but keep in mind that a 1 page block of text resume is not a good thing.
when applying to a specific job & company, you should have a single sentence objective statement geared toward stating how your skills & experience will help you perform in that job
On October 09 2011 03:55 mmp wrote: It's too long, and non-concise.
From the top: - Summary: Do not call your self an "expert" or "excellent." The top section should if anything be a statement of professional interest/direction, but let your credentials below speak for themselves. - Education: Move this below your opening statement (don't hide at the bottom), since it is something employers will want to know up front. - Technical Skills: This kind if itemization is usually listed below experience, since experience is more specific. - Technical Skills: I've been guilty of doing this in the past also because I didn't know what knowledge interviewers would assume (and I've since removed all such itemizations except programming languages/SDKs), but I don't think general purpose software is worth listing unless you think there is nothing else you could indicate that implies prerequisite knowledge. For example, you list "Firefox": this doesn't tell me anything at all (have you maintained computers and were responsible for security upgrades? have you written an add-on? have you reported bugs or contributed to the source code? It is left completely unanswered, which leaves me to assume that at best you're boasting about your familiarity). Similarly, you list a lot of DVD burning or otherwise point-and-click applications -- your knowledge that an application exists as a consumer choice is not a skill, it's just knowledge. I could Google search DVD burner and get a hit for Nero, that doesn't make me an expert. - Technical Skills: Hardware: What kind of experience do you actually have? Just buying and installing the device doesn't constitute skill, same with user-end software above. If you have professional experience in repair or installation, that would be far more helpful to know. Do you have any certifications (MS, Cisco?)? - Technical Skills: Platforms: Ok, if you haven't written code for a mobile device or provided professional hardware/software support (do you have any certifications?) then do not list platforms simply because you've used them as a consumer. Owning a smart phone doesn't make you qualified to operate on one short of installing software. Again, familiarity that something exists is not a skill and should not be listed. It dilutes your overall presentation. - Experience: Try to summarize each position you've been with in 3-4 sentences. It will make it easier for your reader's patience, and it will help you emphasize your best work. - Experience: DON'T LIST EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER DONE. It's nice that you've had a lot of jobs, but going back to 2000 is ridiculous if all you're going to mention is maintenance work at a bowling alley -- it's not part of the image you're trying to present as a technical professional anyway. Mention it in a single line or not at all. - Experience: Your interviewer won't have time to address everything you've listed. Can you reduce the number of items down to 3-4 that you think best highlight your experience or dedication? Less recent work should not be listed unless it was very very important. - Education: Did you get a degree in the 2 years you were in college? If so list it. If not, what was your GPA when you left? If < B avg do not list. - Education: "Pursued [bachelors/associates/etc] in Graphic Art" so we know that you tried and stopped for a degree. If you did not accomplish a degree, please list the best classes you took (highest level, good grades) or any projects you can speak of. - Other: Just get rid of this section. Your professional work speaks louder than freelance work on the side, unless you have proven results to show for it. The people you helped won't be able to vouch for you in an interview, but a portfolio of your work can.
You may also want to consider removing your HS degree. It's somewhat implied if you've been to college or have taken advanced classes of any sort.
Additionally, fix your bottom margin. If you are truly familiar with MS Office then take the time to make your resume well-formatted. Center your name on the page, do not use a solid horizontal rule, (don't use any rule or bullet scheme that distracts the eye from the textual content), there's white space between Summary and its content... use table formatting in MS Office to get your header in a left column and your content in a right column. Do not use a bordered table for one section and not for others -- be consistent with your style.
Your resume shouldn't be any longer than 1 page. You have way too much superfluous shit on yours. Focus on your top experiences that highlight your technical/leadership/decision-making abilities and throw away everything else.
1 page.
1.
and for the record, the format of the resume I copied from my friend who worked at myspace and now sony. I thought it looked really nice, is it really that bad?
On October 08 2011 22:14 reki- wrote: Yea you might want to leave out the walmart and bowling alley jobs (basically the jobs you could train a monkey to do) since they add nothing to your resume but another page, the platform and application lists are also very bloated, keep it to the specifics for what you are applying for.
What he said, not to mention your resume is WAY too long. Only mention relevant skills to the position your applying for.
On October 08 2011 23:44 emperorchampion wrote: Alright, let's get started...
1) The box at the front is useless and ugly as fuck, lose it
Read my last post and you'll realize you are being dumb (my post isn't serious btw).
I don't mean to be an asshole, but there are so many glaring errors that I can't even begin to start making specific recommendations.
People who live in glass houses... lol
What's going on, I'm still drunk from last night...
The box isn't actually part of his resume; he just put one to cover his contact info so TL wouldn't know his address and phone number.
Hahahaha re-reading this I realized I just got micronesia'd
I was referring to the "Technical Skills" box :p
Oh when you said "the box that is ugly as fuck" you meant the box that is ugly as fuck and not the table that is slightly unappealing :p
On October 09 2011 11:52 Phtes wrote: Your resume should always stick to 1 page only, thats the standard any thing more and people just wont read it. Only put important things on it.
1 Page is good but not necessarily as much of a rule as many people in this thread are making it out to be.
and for the record, the format of the resume I copied from my friend who worked at myspace and now sony. I thought it looked really nice, is it really that bad?
The format just makes a good impression. In the end, credentials are what matters, but if you are having the trouble you are having then exploring a better layout would certainly help. That, and a better layout with multiple columns allows you to fit more content on a page.
You had a year of graphic design. Maybe you should open up Adobe InDesign, make a simple table and format it from there, if you have the program. MSWord (or similar programs) in general just lacks professionalism- it's something to do homework assignments on, not to gift wrap yourself to an employer. Maybe you didn't like design in the end but at least use that year for creating a resume!
On October 09 2011 11:52 Phtes wrote: Your resume should always stick to 1 page only, thats the standard any thing more and people just wont read it. Only put important things on it.
1 Page is good but not necessarily as much of a rule as many people in this thread are making it out to be.
Actually a ton of interviewers hold to that rule, I know plenty of people who interview people, and if its over 1 page they generally avoid it unless it's some super awesome guy and even then it brings you down, One Page = awesome strive for it, Two page = meh but workable, Anything more = good bye generally.
@Op A interview is almost 90% speaking skills. You have to be able to sell yourself to them go research the job your interviewed for, make your resume match they're needs. So research the crap out of them, walk in and when they ask you something like "What can you do for us?" you wont freeze up, you will be able to answer properly and swiftly. SELL YOURSELF. Knowledge = Power in this case.
On October 08 2011 23:44 emperorchampion wrote: Alright, let's get started...
1) The box at the front is useless and ugly as fuck, lose it
Read my last post and you'll realize you are being dumb (my post isn't serious btw).
I don't mean to be an asshole, but there are so many glaring errors that I can't even begin to start making specific recommendations.
People who live in glass houses... lol
What's going on, I'm still drunk from last night...
The box isn't actually part of his resume; he just put one to cover his contact info so TL wouldn't know his address and phone number.
Hahahaha re-reading this I realized I just got micronesia'd
I was referring to the "Technical Skills" box :p
Oh when you said "the box that is ugly as fuck" you meant the box that is ugly as fuck and not the table that is slightly unappealing :p
On October 09 2011 11:52 Phtes wrote: Your resume should always stick to 1 page only, thats the standard any thing more and people just wont read it. Only put important things on it.
1 Page is good but not necessarily as much of a rule as many people in this thread are making it out to be.
Actually a ton of interviewers hold to that rule, I know plenty of people who interview people, and if its over 1 page they generally avoid it unless it's some super awesome guy and even then it brings you down, One Page = awesome strive for it, Two page = meh but workable, Anything more = good bye generally.
@Op A interview is almost 90% speaking skills. You have to be able to sell yourself to them go research the job your interviewed for, make your resume match they're needs. So research the crap out of them, walk in and when they ask you something like "What can you do for us?" you wont freeze up, you will be able to answer properly and swiftly. SELL YOURSELF. Knowledge = Power in this case.
it definitely depends on the person and position. you might need two pages if you have a lot of work experience.
i once thought the 1 page rule was golden, but after approaching several career service and resume specialists, i've come to accept the fact that my resume will never be that small
On October 08 2011 23:44 emperorchampion wrote: Alright, let's get started...
1) The box at the front is useless and ugly as fuck, lose it
Read my last post and you'll realize you are being dumb (my post isn't serious btw).
I don't mean to be an asshole, but there are so many glaring errors that I can't even begin to start making specific recommendations.
People who live in glass houses... lol
What's going on, I'm still drunk from last night...
The box isn't actually part of his resume; he just put one to cover his contact info so TL wouldn't know his address and phone number.
Hahahaha re-reading this I realized I just got micronesia'd
I was referring to the "Technical Skills" box :p
Oh when you said "the box that is ugly as fuck" you meant the box that is ugly as fuck and not the table that is slightly unappealing :p
On October 09 2011 11:52 Phtes wrote: Your resume should always stick to 1 page only, thats the standard any thing more and people just wont read it. Only put important things on it.
1 Page is good but not necessarily as much of a rule as many people in this thread are making it out to be.
Actually a ton of interviewers hold to that rule, I know plenty of people who interview people, and if its over 1 page they generally avoid it unless it's some super awesome guy and even then it brings you down, One Page = awesome strive for it, Two page = meh but workable, Anything more = good bye generally.
@Op A interview is almost 90% speaking skills. You have to be able to sell yourself to them go research the job your interviewed for, make your resume match they're needs. So research the crap out of them, walk in and when they ask you something like "What can you do for us?" you wont freeze up, you will be able to answer properly and swiftly. SELL YOURSELF. Knowledge = Power in this case.
It depends on how densely packed the text is. Like, when I applied for jobs a few years ago my resume was 2 pages but there wasn't a tremendous amount of text on the first page, it was well formatted for easy reading, and the most pertinent information was on the front. If not for those facts then I think I would have been making a mistake though. (I also had references on the resume which took up more room I guess).
Also, you have a graphics design degree? Why aren't you applying for jobs like webdesign and stuff? Have you tried freelancing on the side?
No, if you look at the dates I only went for about a year. I dropped out cause it didn't seem like it would be a good fit for me and I didn't think the competitive market when I would be done would net me a job. I was pretty much right. As others have said, degree doesn't get you shit right now except what a HS education got you 10 years ago. Seems stupid to go back and finish school, although I was about to this fall for IT, which also seems pretty stupid. Everything I like isn't a career choice apparently.
On October 09 2011 00:41 DyEnasTy wrote: I know this is off topic, but you went to high school in Rocklin CA??? Do you still live close to there?
I went to more schools than there are grades. I went there for about a year, I also went to a school in Sacramento in that area. No, I don't like near that shithole anymore, only good thing to come from there is DAD's Rootbeer and that's even pushing it lol
Oh bummer. If you did still live around there, that you make you the closest TL'er I live too. Probably have never heard of it, but I live in Grass Valley (keep going up the hill on highway 80 then get off at Colfax and get on another highway).
On October 08 2011 23:26 Nokarot wrote: 2) Objective. Consider this a sentence-long miniature cover letter detailing what you want out of this job, career wise. This needs to be personalized for each job application- every employer wants to know what an asset you will be to them.
I've never had an objective in any of my resumes. I think they just take up space and aren't really useful. Anyone can string together a list of catchy words; it really doesn't tell the recruiter anything.
EDIT: Also, you should reeeeeeally fix the formatting on your new resume. Misaligned columns don't scream confidence. Finally, your bullet points should sound impressive. At the moment, they're distinctly meh.
I'm not going to hire anyone that worked one job for two months, then went to the next job for a month, and so on... No, I didn't read the entire resume, its too long, but that's one thing that does stand out, and it isn't good.
If you were at a job for less than six months, do NOT let them know this. Unless you left for a higher paying job. But you aren't going to have that on your resume so just stick to a minimum of six months per job.
Chances are, if they do any background checking, it will only be on your most recent job.
EDIT: Not sure if you have any temporary staffing agencies near you, but I would definitely look into that.
I disagree with some of the responses here that you should keep your resume to 1 page - but this is could be the cultural differences between America and Australia. In Australia, we tend to provide a CV, which is essentially a more detailed resume.
I do agree that perhaps the resume could be slightly more concise - but I would definitely list all the jobs that you've worked on. This shows that you've taken active steps to be employed and working in any job gives you valuable skills.
One thing I would do is to list your accomplishments in your jobs and what results they produced for the companies you worked in.
On October 10 2011 13:32 Azzur wrote: I would definitely list all the jobs that you've worked on. This shows that you've taken active steps to be employed and working in any job gives you valuable skills.
I disagree. If I'm a prospective employer and I see that this guy switches entry level jobs every few months, I'd be more inclined to think that there's something wrong with him that causes this to be the case, be it his work ethic, his commitment, or any other variety of application-killing reasons.
Also, you have a graphics design degree? Why aren't you applying for jobs like webdesign and stuff? Have you tried freelancing on the side?
No, if you look at the dates I only went for about a year. I dropped out cause it didn't seem like it would be a good fit for me and I didn't think the competitive market when I would be done would net me a job. I was pretty much right. As others have said, degree doesn't get you shit right now except what a HS education got you 10 years ago. Seems stupid to go back and finish school, although I was about to this fall for IT, which also seems pretty stupid. Everything I like isn't a career choice apparently.
On October 09 2011 00:41 DyEnasTy wrote: I know this is off topic, but you went to high school in Rocklin CA??? Do you still live close to there?
I went to more schools than there are grades. I went there for about a year, I also went to a school in Sacramento in that area. No, I don't live near that shithole anymore, only good thing to come from there is DAD's Rootbeer and that's even pushing it lol
There's an outstanding amount of good advice for your skills and career in this thread. Also, I didn't intend to be negative about the job market and college. Simply put, you can't view it from the limited perspective of "a college degree gets me what a High School degree got me" as the H. S. degree hasn't (personally) done anything for you, and the year of college on your resume most likely inclines the reader to think that you can't finish the jobs/projects/schooling that you start.
Moreover, I. T. isn't the kind of industry where one can find good work right off the bat, and I qualify those reasons in my original post. If, however, you want to be in I. T. I would recommend pursuing a passion for computer programming, as coders are indeed needed in a variety of industries--it is however, not a get rich quick industry as you need both the passion and intuition to pick a company wisely and code projects that become or are successful.
Conversely, system admin. positions come in groves and the competition is silly enough anyway. In fact, most professional jobs, be it business, computers or media are simply referring to "entry level" positions as the gateways. Granted, the terms entry level and intern are now wildly filled with scamster organizations looking to get free or cheap labor. But a H. S. diploma will not even get your foot into the door: 200 applicants, say that 75 have college degrees. You will never be considered. Then you move on to more professional jobs, say they require a college degree (emphatically stating so in the job description) and a few years of experience. This time you have a degree and a few years of experience (most likely gained from not liking whatever first job you had), and now you can be considered for upper positions that require more experience and pay more.
Unless you make a highly successful product, the H. S. degree is (on the level of finding a job that pays at a certain level) essentially useless. I recommend finding career and personality tests either online or through career services at a university that can help determine your set of skills. Also, you don't want to necessarily make your hobby a career--as you certainly will part with it being a hobby at that point.
EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6LJMS.png)
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