Resumes?

Does anyone here do resume writing / critiquing?

I find myself in a position where I need to make a change. I haven't used a resume to get a job since 2003, so while I have an updated resume I could really use some feedback on it.

Advice?

I had a guy that worked on mine. He did a good job at an Ok price I thought. I can get you his contact info when I get home from work if you want it.

That being said, I didn't get my job with the resume. They had an ad in the paper, I walked in and was hired on the spot. I did get several request for interviews a couple weeks after starting this job so having the resume worked seemed to help as previously I never got a response.

The resume will never get you the job. The resume only gets you an interview.

Advice bit #1, tense. Things that were done in the past should sound like they were in the past. Things that you are doing now should sound like you are actively participating in.

That being said you can email me or PM me. Better at engineering, tech, manufacturing facing ones though.

Sure, send me it via PM and I'll take a look.

Everyone has their own (and varied - even to the point of totally contradicting advise from other resume critics) thoughts on resumes. My list: 1. Use concrete examples rather than general statements 2. Make it short 3. Pay attention to details (no spelling or formatting errors) 4. Use a template that you like the looks of. 5. For goodness gracious DO NOT put that you know how to use Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

If you pay someone to review, make sure they actually have experience in the industry you are targeting. Another thought is that recruiters or head hunters may do it for free if they can 'put you on their list'.

Seriously though, put "I sold to 14 new accounts last year" not "I excel at prospecting"

Robbie wrote: Everyone has their own (and varied - even to the point of totally contradicting advise from other resume critics) thoughts on resumes. My list: 1. Use concrete examples rather than general statements 2. Make it short 3. Pay attention to details (no spelling or formatting errors) 4. Use a template that you like the looks of. 5. For goodness gracious DO NOT put that you know how to use Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. If you pay someone to review, make sure they actually have experience in the industry you are targeting. Another thought is that recruiters or head hunters may do it for free if they can 'put you on their list'. Seriously though, put "I sold to 14 new accounts last year" not "I excel at prospecting"

All this is spot on. I kin rite purty gud - I'll be glad to give it a look if you send it to the email address in my profile. PM and I'll reply so you can get it.

The best resume advice I got last year was: Have a self-summary that explains you in a sentence.

MCarp22 wrote: The best resume advice I got last year was: Have a self-summary that explains you in a sentence.

This, but don't be the cliched "I'm looking for a challenging career" guy. It was rather funny when an applicant who said he likes "overcoming obstacles at work" listed "obstacle course running" in his hobbies.

Also have a very short skill section that immediately hits listed and implied keywords. You should outright say you have the skills to do a given job. HR shouldn't have to hunt through your experience section to find that info.

If you're good at a job but it isn't a "skill" job, write a damn good self-summary. If you're applying for a skill job, focus on the skills and save the self-summary for your cover letter. I'm sure you'll figure out what makes sense.

I've recruited and hired quite a few people so take any advice with a grain of salt. Resumes have basically one purpose and that is to document your qualifications. What people are interested in is what you've accomplished. For hr departments the cover letter and resume need to match the requisition. Don't be afraid to tailor how you present yourself to your specific prospect. For the hiring manager they want a level of confidence you can perform better, work with their team better than anyone else in the pile of resumes they have. From an aesthetic standpoint, Google "resume or resume template" step back from the screen and view a page full of images. The one that catches your eye is a format to consider.

Happy to give more specifics if needed.

I feel like I've at least attempted all of the points above. I just can't help but wonder if there is something specific missing from my resume, or if I've over thought it and made it too difficult to consume. My resume basically follows this flow:

• Contact Information
• Professional Summary Statement
• Core Competencies
• Career Trajectory & Distinctions
• Professional Experience
• • Company / Overview
• • Key Responsibilities
• • Key Accomplishments

Brad:

Looking over your resumes, my first impression is this: both versions are way too long. I've been in the professional world for 25+ years, and I work very hard to condense that down to a single page. It's not easy, but that's about as long as you're going to really keep someone's attention. Maybe a single double-sided page if you absolutely have to, but 3 pages is too long. If they're not intrigued by page 1, they're never even gonna get to pages 2 and 3. There seems to some overlap in information, too, such as repeating your "career trajectory"details in 2 places.

My second impression (which goes hand in hand with the first) is that it's too detailed. Believe me, I fully understand the desire to get as much content in as you can. And you have content that is relevant and of which you're justifiably proud... but you need to grab the reviewer's attention right away and hold it. Right now it seems too dense to really do that.

I struggle with this with my boss - we put together a LOT of resume / profile type documents when we're pursuing projects. He always wants to cram every page or Powerpoint slide as full of information as he can. The viewer's brain needs some breathing room to process the important points in.

I suggest you condense your education and experience information down to a single page of bullet points. Then, on the back of the page, add some selected highlights of your performance and success, with just some of the hard-number detail you're including. A lot of that stuff can be brought out in the interview rather than the resume.

What Oldtin says above about standing back from the pages and looking at the overall graphic punch is spot on, as well. Right now it's a little dense and even though there is differentiation, it's lost in the density. Lighten up on your typeface a little without sacrificing point size, and make more contrast between headings and copy.

I'll try to give you some suggested markups, but this is my first pass. I hope it is useful.

That's very helpful. I've taken a pass at incorporating your feedback. The resume is down to 2 pages (a front and back). I've eliminated some of the redundant information. Reduced work use.

Thank you!

BradLTL wrote: That's very helpful. I've taken a pass at incorporating your feedback. The resume is down to 2 pages (a front and back). I've eliminated some of the redundant information. Reduced work use. Thank you!

My wife is a hiring/interviewing manager for Coca-Cola. She knows exactly how hiring peeps want a resume to read and look. You can email it to me for her to critique as a second opinion, if you want.

mtn wrote: The resume will never get you the job. The resume only gets you an interview.

I don't know if this was directed towards me, or just a general statement. What I meant to say, and did a poor job of it, was that I never even gave them my resume.

Just sent an email with some feedback. I'd keep a version with the detail, and then pull the items out that aren't relevant to the position you're applying for.

I agree that networking seems to be the most effective way to get a job. I've actually only been hired once based on my resume (and interview) alone. Although I will say I recently hired someone based on their resume and subsequent interview, and they're working out very well so far.

Edited for grammar...