Resume Tips: I Need Them vol. Help Me Land a Better Career

AdobeCS4 said:
Couple of job opportunities said I was great, just need more office experience :lol: what do they think I'm trying to do?
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That's how it is now it seems. For example, look entry level jobs now. People got all the skills they looking for but, they want 3-5 years experience. Yet, entry level is: 0-2 years of experience. :rolleyes


This site is useful if you looking for free samples and templates. They have some good some tips for writing your resume: http://www.hloom.com/download-professional-resume-templates/

Also use them action verbs to describe what you done: https://cns.utexas.edu/images/CNS/C...Fall_2015_Documents/ACTION_VERBS_EXAMPLES.pdf

What you details you should include on your resume: https://cns.utexas.edu/images/CNS/Career_Design_Center/PDFs/Detailed_Resume_Example.pdf
 
Cater your resume to the job posting by using keywords.

It's all about maximizing the number of hits. Companies run your resume through a computer system, they don't manually read anymore
 
Your resume is all about READABILITY , I think people often forget this. When I was recruiting at a job fair I saw so many resumes that were just plain hard to read.

The important information has to jump out at the reader, because your resume is literally being skimmed by software or a hiring manager.

On average a person will spend 6-10 seconds looking at a resume before moving on to the next.
 
So each year I hire a couple of part time, seasonal help desk staffers. I create and post the ad, schedule and conduct telephone and in person interviews.

A few things:

Try as hard as you can to get everything on 1 page. I had an older applicant lost everything they had done going back to the early 90's. It was 4 pages. I'm not reading that ****.

Misspelled words are at best a pet peeve, and at worst will cost you a job. It really does pay to go through your resume 1 more time.

Get a decent email address. What I mean by that is something like first name.last name@gmail.com
When Going through resumes, if you have a hotmail, msn, or aol email address, I'm not going to hire you.
 
Something I've always wondered. When applying online does it matter what time you submit the application? Also, how far should you go when listing previous jobs?
 
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BeezyGotSole said:
Your resume is all about READABILITY , I think people often forget this. When I was recruiting at a job fair I saw so many resumes that were just plain hard to read.
The important information has to jump out at the reader, because your resume is literally being skimmed by software or a hiring manager.

On average a person will spend 6-10 seconds looking at a resume before moving on to the next.
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This is where kids make the mistake of right clicking and use synonyms that sound more complex.
 
Fresh out of college and I've received interviews off the combined strength of my experience + network.

You've been in the workforce longer than I have, but I routinely get my resume combed over by my mentors at least twice a year, more so if I am applying for a position that requires more overhaul.
 
DCAllAmerican said:
And what is your issue with non Gmail email addresses?
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the fact that gmail users are better.


j/k, kind of. I got no beef if you want to use a non gmail acct, but if you use msn, hotmail, or aol, I just think your'e old or not good with computers. The type to call someone to ask how to copy and paste, or attach a file to an email.
 
Mangudai954 said:
Something I've always wondered. When applying online does it matter what time you submit the application? Also, how far should you go when listing previous jobs?
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It does not matter what time you submit your resume, this is a common myth. 

The rule of thumb is 10 years per page, I would keep your resume to 1 page if possible.
 
richiecotite said:
the fact that gmail users are better.


j/k, kind of. I got no beef if you want to use a non gmail acct, but if you use msn, hotmail, or aol, I just think your'e old or not good with computers. The type to call someone to ask how to copy and paste, or attach a file to an email.
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I still use hotmail, only because there is no reason for me not to have it anymore. No point, for me, to make a Gmail account just cause

But I can understand the train of thought
 
I've had this article saved and recommend it to anyone

My Personal Formula for a Winning Resume

I've sent out hundreds of resumes over my career, applying for just about every kind of job. I've personally reviewed more than 20,000 resumes. And at Google we sometimes get more than 50,000 resumes in a single week.

I have seen A LOT of resumes.

Some are brilliant, most are just ok, many are disasters. The toughest part is that for 15 years, I've continued to see the same mistakes made again and again by candidates, any one of which can eliminate them from consideration for a job. What's most depressing is that I can tell from the resumes that many of these are good, even great, people. But in a fiercely competitive labor market, hiring managers don't need to compromise on quality. All it takes is one small mistake and a manager will reject an otherwise interesting candidate.

I know this is well-worn ground on LinkedIn, but I'm starting here because -- I promise you -- more than half of you have at least one of these mistakes on your resume. And I'd much rather see folks win jobs than get passed over.

In the interest of helping more candidates make it past that first resume screen, here are the five biggest mistakes I see on resumes.

Mistake 1: Typos. This one seems obvious, but it happens again and again. A 2013 CareerBuilder survey found that 58% of resumes have typos.

In fact, people who tweak their resumes the most carefully can be especially vulnerable to this kind of error, because they often result from going back again and again to fine tune their resumes just one last time. And in doing so, a subject and verb suddenly don't match up, or a period is left in the wrong place, or a set of dates gets knocked out of alignment. I see this in MBA resumes all the time. Typos are deadly because employers interpret them as a lack of detail-orientation, as a failure to care about quality. The fix?

Read your resume from bottom to top: reversing the normal order helps you focus on each line in isolation. Or have someone else proofread closely for you.

Mistake 2: Length. A good rule of thumb is one page of resume for every ten years of work experience. Hard to fit it all in, right? But a three or four or ten page resume simply won't get read closely. As Blaise Pascal wrote, "I would have written you a shorter letter, but I did not have the time." A crisp, focused resume demonstrates an ability to synthesize, prioritize, and convey the most important information about you. Think about it this way: the *sole* purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. That's it. It's not to convince a hiring manager to say "yes" to you (that's what the interview is for) or to tell your life's story (that's what a patient spouse is for). Your resume is a tool that gets you to that first interview. Once you're in the room, the resume doesn't matter much. So cut back your resume. It's too long.

Mistake 3: Formatting. Unless you're applying for a job such as a designer or artist, your focus should be on making your resume clean and legible. At least ten point font. At least half-inch margins. White paper, black ink. Consistent spacing between lines, columns aligned, your name and contact information on every page. If you can, look at it in both Google Docs and Word, and then attach it to an email and open it as a preview. Formatting can get garbled when moving across platforms. Saving it as a PDF is a good way to go.

Mistake 4: Confidential information. I once received a resume from an applicant working at a top-three consulting firm. This firm had a strict confidentiality policy: client names were never to be shared. On the resume, the candidate wrote: "Consulted to a major software company in Redmond, Washington." Rejected! There's an inherent conflict between your employer's needs (keep business secrets confidential) and your needs (show how awesome I am so I can get a better job). So candidates often find ways to honor the letter of their confidentiality agreements but not the spirit. It's a mistake. While this candidate didn't mention Microsoft specifically, any reviewer knew that's what he meant. In a very rough audit, we found that at least 5-10% of resumes reveal confidential information. Which tells me, as an employer, that I should never hire those candidates ... unless I want my own trade secrets emailed to my competitors.

The New York Times test is helpful here: if you wouldn't want to see it on the home page of the NYT with your name attached (or if your boss wouldn't!), don't put it on your resume.

Mistake 5: Lies. This breaks my heart. Putting a lie on your resume is never, ever, ever, worth it. Everyone, up to and including CEOs, gets fired for this. (Google "CEO fired for lying on resume" and see.) People lie about their degrees (three credits shy of a college degree is not a degree), GPAs (I've seen hundreds of people "accidentally" round their GPAs up, but never have I seen one accidentally rounded down -- never), and where they went to school (sorry, but employers don't view a degree granted online for "life experience" as the same as UCLA or Seton Hall). People lie about how long they were at companies, how big their teams were, and their sales results, always goofing in their favor.

There are three big problems with lying: (1) You can easily get busted. The Internet, reference checks, and people who worked at your company in the past can all reveal your fraud. (2) Lies follow you forever. Fib on your resume and 15 years later get a big promotion and are discovered? Fired. And try explaining that in your next interview. (3) Our Moms taught us better. Seriously.

So this is how to mess up your resume. Don't do it! Hiring managers are looking for the best people they can find, but the majority of us all but guarantee that we'll get rejected.

The good news is that -- precisely because most resumes have these kinds of mistakes -- avoiding them makes you stand out.

In a future post, I'll expand beyond what not to do, and cover the things you *should* be doing to make your resume stand out from the stack.
 
But at the end of the day, the stuff you do right now, your hobby, your current work should speak for itself. I personally never had to submit my resume because I developed a network and people knew who I was and what I did.

That being said, your network is your networth.
 
I see a lot about networking. How does one do this and get better at it? Ya boy is tired of retail.
 
I see a lot about networking. How does one do this and get better at it? Ya boy is tired of retail.
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this notion also escapes me.

people SAY networking but MEAN going to a happy hour.
 
DCAllAmerican said:
And what is your issue with non Gmail email addresses?
Click to expand...

I think what he was getting at was, when our generation used Hotmail, MSN, Live, Yahoo etc, we were kids. Kids have dumb emails like sW4G_DaDDy_23@hotmail.com or Azn_Prinzess_xoxo@aol.com. There is a stigma attached to the way we did emails with these accounts. No one is going to hire you with an email address like that. Also, having a gmail address in general implies you are sort of in touch with today's BASIC elements of the tech world, which could indicate a youthful and knowledgeable asset, enough anyway that they would consider you for an interview.

Also for this thread in general:

- No pictures! I toss those out when I get them.

- Any thing involving your CAREER should be on the resume. Nothing else. MAYBE volunteer experience. Keep your list of experiences short, to the point and only in the field you're applying in. Engineering firms for example, don't care about your Summer stint at Subway in 2005.

- Have a LinkedIn page with a proper non-selfie picture. I think it's ridiculously tacky to add a party pic or a mirror selfie shot. It's stupid. Also, having a LinkedIn account can help you build a stronger network. Some careers do it through other social media, but it depends on the job and/or company.

- SPELLING. 'Nuff said, it's been mentioned a bunch of times.

- Format. Things change over the years, most modern resumes are 2 pages long at most, sometimes with a splash of color. Formatting no longer needs to include volunteer history, career objective or high school education in MOST cases.

- Write a cover letter: Most recruiters/HR people nowadays are online and finding applicants based on web/database searches of specific credentials, if you want a higher chance of landing an interview or at least being seen by a recruiter, write a cover letter with key words pertaining to the specific credentials required for the job. Some people may just alter their existing resume, but IMO, they should remain job neutral. Your cover letter should explain why you're a shoe in. If you don't know what those 'key words' are, look at the recruitment ad or job posting. Find words that include stuff like "Commited, budget balancing, knowledge of latest XYZ software" etc. If you can't write one, find a template online and change it to suit. That way you have a generally clean resume and a specific cover letter for the job.
 
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AdobeCS4 said:
I see a lot about networking. How does one do this and get better at it? Ya boy is tired of retail.
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Networking is a gradual process..when you meet people within your line of work and you remain in contact with them..its always good to have a productive group of friends moving on ..doing new things..

Personally for me..when i develop relationships amongst my peers..it's the ones in which u become friends with and which u can trust..u can send them your resume/ask for a reference vice-versa..a couple of weeks ago one of my old supervisors from 9 years ago asked I could provide a reference for him..this was when I was on vacation in Spain..he was one of the best managers I ever worked under...my reply? "Sure..no problem." It works both ways..in a professional environment..you should always be developing new relationships..especially with people you know do great work..and you respect their performance/work-ethics, etc..it's actually fun being in a competitive environment where everyone thinks they are the best employee there

But again..never burn bridges..also you can only network with people u like..you wouldn't ask someone u cants stand for a work reference or ask if they could submit your resume to their employer

I guess you can say that with networking u should choose your friends wisely
 
Question - if a listing calls for a Cover Letter as optional, do ya guys still include one? I have been for the last few applications but I always wonder if I am wasting my time or if the reviewer actually reads/takes it into consideration if it's thoughtful.
 
macbk said:
Question - if a listing calls for a Cover Letter as optional, do ya guys still include one? I have been for the last few applications but I always wonder if I am wasting my time or if the reviewer actually reads/takes it into consideration if it's thoughtful.
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This one is tricky..some corporations feel every professional should have one..you can create a generic one and use it...making updates when possible
 
EAski3 said:
macbk said:
Question - if a listing calls for a Cover Letter as optional, do ya guys still include one? I have been for the last few applications but I always wonder if I am wasting my time or if the reviewer actually reads/takes it into consideration if it's thoughtful.
Click to expand...

This one is tricky..some corporations feel every professional should have one..you can create a generic one and use it...making updates when possible
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I've been doing :lol: tweaking it to read for that specific company and changing the date.
 
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