Resume Questions (first one)

[Warik]

Been at this company for almost 6 years. I started when I was in high school as "the computer guy" making almost minimum wage when there were 4 employees total. I am now the #1 guy below the owners and do a variety of "not every average schmoe can do this" type of tasks. I'm also finally making a respectable salary.

However, it's a travel business where most of the business goes to Cancun. At our highest point we had close to 30 employees, 27 of which worked under me... now we have about 14... and since Cancun just got pwned, well, you get the picture. Plus, it's been going ugly these past few months anyway.

So naturally I want to look out for myself and be ready if it's time to pick up and go.

Unfortunately, I've never written a real resume before (dad knew the owner when I got the job 6 years ago). I have read tons of resumes and interviewed people before (part of my normal function), but mostly I'm reading resumes where I'm trying to overlook spelling and grammar errors rather than find an applicant who really impresses me.

So... here are some of my questions for those a bit more experienced:

1) "Objective" - is there really a point to this? When I read resumes, I'd normally look at them in order to amuse myself by grammar barbarianisms, but they really don't tell me anything about the person. They're more of a "who can say they want a good job in the most leet fashion?" Of course, it does look pretty up there at the top of a resume, and mine looks cool, so I'm considering leaving it.

2) Employment History vs Education (employment history goes first, right?)

3) Employment History: Like I said, I have one job, and it spans over 6 years with tons of tasks and accomplishments. I don't want to write stuff like "increased sales X percent!" because it's too vague and it's hearsay, but going into detail will make my resume 3 pages long. A friend suggested that my entire Employment History section be a narrative in paragraph form about my responsibilities and achivements because it's "hard to impress someone using primitive sentence fragments in bullet form." Then again, do you want to read a narrative while going through a resume? Thoughts?

4) Education: Listed my degree, final GPA, and the fact that I graduated in only 3 years. Any other suggestions for this section?

5) Other Skills Section: Stick to concrete skills or list unsubstantiable stuff like "I'm a fast learner!" and "I'm a team player!"

6) Other Interests/Hobbies: I've seen sections like this on other resumes before. I skipped 'em thinking "what do I care?" Would a potential employer care that I like Golf, Fencing, and that card game we're not allowed to talk about?

finally... 7) References: "References are available upon request." Like the Objective, I find this section useless since of course you're going to give references if asked, but, like Objective, it looks pretty. Thoughts?

some poopers for your effort. NSFW i guess

[Los Feliz Slim]

It sounds like the breadth of your experience would dictate that you shouldn't be sending blind resumes, but finding opportunities through personal and industry contacts. Doing so renders much of the below moot, but that said:

1. Your objective should be tailored to the specific job you're pursuing or not be there at all. The first thing that gets a resume thrown away by me is an objective that doesn't match the job I'm seeking to fill or indicates the applicant would be using my company as a stepping stone to somewhere else.

2. Employment history first.

3. Considering your situation a narrative description of the role you played in the company, directly underneath the typical company/title/dates line, sounds good. Make it short, though. Long enough to be compelling but not so long somebody reading 100 resumes doesn't skip it. I would say no longer than 6-7 lines.

4. Sounds good.

5. Concrete skills, preferably relevant to the job you're pursuing. Save the fluff for your cover letter, if at all.

6. Only include something that might be particularly interesting, like skydiving or something. I would not mention anything gambling-related.

7. If you need to fill the space, which you might, include the "upon request" line. If not, skip it.

[fluxrad]

.02

1. Objective just tells a little about what job you're trying to get. You can tailor this to the job as the other poster said or you can make it just targeted enough to find a job in the industry you're looking for. Personally, I have a "Professional Summary" at the top of my resume instead of an "Objective" section.

2. Employment vs. Education - there is no set rule for which comes first. That being said, most people that write their resume will want to place whatever's deeper at the top of their resume. If you've got 10 years of college but have only worked for one company for two years, then put the education section first. This is a pretty subjective area though.

3. Employment History - KISS. Don't write a paragraph. Hiring manager's don't want to see a Dickens novel on your resume. Write the title, company, etc. and then about four or five bullet points on what your job duties were.

4. Education - you're fine on this one.

5. Other skills - If you're in IT you might want to place this just below the Objective or Summary section - I think Managers like to use this type of thing to sort the wheat from the chaff. Again - ask someone you know what their opinion is, but that's my .02

6. Other interests - It's super that you like to ride BMX bikes and help children with polio. Don't put it on your resume.

7. References - yes. References are always "available upon request."

[jakethebake]

Leave the objective part off. It's a waste of space and can only hurt you. My resume starts with a "Summary of Qualifications" which is really just a list of a few of the things that are my most attractive skills, certifications, accomplishments or whatever.

Then I put experience. Instead of thinking about what you've accomplished at your job, think about what your new employers would like you to accomplish and what you've done that shows you can meet those needs.

Under education you can list any accomplishments, honors, or any classes that you think provided the skills you'll need in your next job. Also, it doesn't have to be limited to school. Any workshops, certification classes, or other formal education.

Personally, I'd find a decent resume book at a bookstore.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Personally, I'd find a decent resume book at a bookstore.

[/ QUOTE ]

I always recommend The Very Quick Job Search by Farr.

[Voltron87]

keep it short