[TriLUG] recommendations for professional resume help

[Shane O'Donnell]

My two cents, embedded below... 

On Thu, 26 Aug 2004 18:13:03 -0400, Michael Hrivnak
<mhrivnak at triad.rr.com> wrote:
> 1. Be clear and concise.  One page only.  Make sure it is very well
organized
> so that on first glance, the reader instantly understands what information
is
> where.

Maybe, but I agree with Tanner - a second page IF you need it

SHANE ==> Agreed.  Make damn sure you need it.  If you're fresh out of
school or have only one job under your belt, you don't need it.

> 3. Your resume gets a maximum of 30-45 seconds review.  Stick to what's
> important, and if you have any differentiating characteristics, make sure
> they stand out!  Don't be afraid to put key words in bold, even
mid-sentence.

The review time- true

BOLD in mid-sentence... NOPE- personally when I review a resume if I
find it has what appear to be random words (usually key words from my
job descriptions) bolded. It goes into the "review later if you have
no better candidates" pile.  Why? because I interpret that as saying
"hey stupid here is the word you are looking for".  If you are going
to bold do it with phrases(but preferably not at all)

SHANE ==> Personally, I couldn't disagree more.  I'd argue that 30-45
seconds is a bit long and your resume needs to neatly address two audiences:
the hiring manager (who wants to know what you know) and the HR screener
(who is looking for keywords and phrases).  If you are a tech, you should
have a section of your resume that is nothing but technologies in list or
bullet format--this is specifically for the HR screener (and for recruiters
that use electronic forms of your resume to search against).  Maximize those
search hits!  And include "technologies" that seem silly to include, like
HTML.  HR screeners don't know that these technologies are entry-level and
that everyone has them (you do, don't you?)
 
> Other sections to consider, in order:
> 
> Curent Status

Irrelevant- I know people that if you put that you are currently
employed, you will go to the bottom of the stack. Why some people
would rather hire someone that is currenly unemployed as they may be
hungry for the work and will work harder.

SHANE ==>  Again, disagree.  As a hiring manager, I'm using this to imply
availability.  If I need someone for a short-term, IMMEDIATE assignment, I
can't wait for them to give two weeks notice.  And if they don't care if
they give two weeks notice or not, I don't know that I want to hire them.
Arguably, this should be reflected in the work experience section, but it
should be reflected.

SHANE ==>  Resumes should be well-designed from a visual perspective as well
as a content perspective.  This is the document by which a hiring manager
should be able to judge your most basic ability to communicate.  Your resume
should reflect:  what you know, what you've done, and who you are --
clearly, concisely, and effectively.  I agree with Tanner's comment on a
"Key Skills" section vs. an "Objective".  If you don't have any key skills,
you damn sure better have an objective that says "I hope to get a job that
will teach me some key skills".

...rest of Matthew's reply deleted...

SHANE ==>  I think more than anything, this should be reasonably clear
evidence that there is no one resume or approach that will satisfy all
hiring managers.  This is an odds game and you must ask yourself--does my
resume improve my odds, and what can I change about it to improve my odds?
If you want to get into having a few "custom" versions of your resume, I'd
recommend having a version optimized for searching (used for companies that
ask for text or Word format resumes) and another version that is more
concise.  Personally, I use a one-page resume with multiple optional second
pages that may pertain to the specific job, industry, or technology
experience required.

SHANE ==> And most importantly, consider this:  all of the above advice
comes from someone without a job. ;-)

Shane O.