And I wouldn't recommend just stopping by his office...it would be embarrassing for the both of you if he didn't recognize you right off the bat and by keeping the formal distance it shows that you're respectful of his time and space instead of being pushy.

6/16/2008 3:13:41 PM

Quote :

"Under education, I used only two lines listing relevant 400+ level in major courses and technical engineering electives I took. Under education, I also included a short two bullet point explanation of my senior design project and the student reactor operator training class I took. I'm applying to an operator job so i figured both were relevant."

If you have a full page of valid work experience, you need one line per degree under education. Being verbose on a resume is not the point, neither is "getting it all in" even if it's all relevent work. You need to deliver the maximum impact in one page that you can. A resume is basically your advertisement for yourself, it's not a brochure, but more like one page spread.

I agree, it hurts having to cut out experiences from a resume, but I think impact and brevity win out over verbosity.

6/16/2008 3:45:56 PM

Quote :

"I sent my resume to the Operations Manager last Tuesday and he hasn't responded yet. How long should I wait to talk to him again? How should I approach him and what should I say (something like "did you get a chance to look over my resume?") I currently work as an engineering intern at the plant where I am applying for the operations job. Should I e-mail him again or walk over to his office? (his office is in the building next to the building I am in)"

Give him till the end of the week, and then send a follow up email or phone call. I wouldn't just walk over though, even being in the next building over. There are plenty of valid reasons why it make take him a week or two to get back to you on it.

6/16/2008 3:48:05 PM

so to the people saying that staples are a bad idea, how do you recommend holding together a cover letter, resume, and one page of portfolio pic thumbnails (I'm going to have a CD too - or is that a bad idea?)?

6/19/2008 9:19:56 AM

bttt for my question

get on it people

6/19/2008 11:22:56 AM

why are you not delivering the resume electronically? the people saying staples are bad aren't saying the actual staple is the problem and to use an alternative - they are saying don't go over 1 page so you don't need one

is it for a design position where a portfolio on a cd is the standard? is the cd just a directory with some files (if so are they in a standard format) or does it have something flashy that autoruns

6/19/2008 11:50:16 AM

I'm going to a career fair tomorrow, so I figured I'd have some resumes to hand out, including a sheet with like six thumbnails of examples of my work, and I'd have a CD in case anyone expressed interest in seeing higher res/more images.

6/19/2008 12:34:22 PM

*Looking for specific resume wording here*

I've been working for a small cycling company. One of the larger tasks Ive headed up was the moving of our facilities. This involved the organizing and packing up of the old facility, planning the move, actually moving all the inventory, fixtures, displays, etc.

Additionally, I did about 75% of the work to get the new location finished (paint, construction, layout, setting up utility/security/vendor/etc accounts). Basically I (re)built the company in its new location from the ground up.

What would be the most effective way to put this on paper? Though this wasnt the reason I was hired, it was a fairly large undertaking. Is there a singular part of this "project" that I should highlight or should I try to include as much as possible, since it is outside the normal duties of the position and can show the versatility and level of responsibility?

Thx tww!

8/27/2008 8:49:47 AM

you are describing a logistics issue. large scale.

rebuilding - infrastructure.

put that into your own words. in one sentence, explain each point.

versatility and the ability to handle responsibility as well as adverse conditions is a plus. make sure you add that and it's easy to digest.

make everything you write easy to digest. snippets that you can expand upon when called. length is a killer.

my friend read mine and chopped 2/3's of it off and reworded everything else to be concise. ended up with 2 pages if I wanted everything, 1 page if I wanted the MOST important things.

i know this might be common sense, but the best thing is to tailor your resume to fit the company you're applying for and to restrict it to one page if possible.

8/27/2008 9:04:30 AM

You just want to hit the major things on the resume to get in the door. All of those "bullet points" are good filler while in the interview

8/27/2008 10:06:37 AM

Quote :

" I sent my resume to the Operations Manager last Tuesday and he hasn't responded yet. How long should I wait to talk to him again? How should I approach him and what should I say (something like "did you get a chance to look over my resume?") I currently work as an engineering intern at the plant where I am applying for the operations job. Should I e-mail him again or walk over to his office? (his office is in the building next to the building I am in)"

This probably won't help your situation much...but I thought I'd add it to the discussion.

One thing we were told in BUS330 (HR Mgmt) was to put some kind of action statement at the end of your cover letter. Like, "I will call you on Wednesday to follow up and discuss your interest." If you did something like that in the future it could make contacting them a little less awkward.

Plus, it looks good that you're taking the initiative in contacting them to follow up. I think (assuming your resume and qualifications are actually worth something) they'd be hard pressed to turn you away without an interview.

8/27/2008 10:54:13 AM

Say you currently work full time and also own a small business on the side. Should this small business be listed as work experience or something else?

8/28/2008 1:20:48 PM

yes you should definitely list it

8/28/2008 1:53:08 PM

Anybody want to help me with a cover letter? I'm applying for basic, entry level Psy/Soc Research Assistant jobs.
Here is what I have so far:

Dear Representative:

I believe the open position for a Social/Clinical Research Assistant as found on the Department of Human Resources website would be a great fit for my past lab experience. In addition, my bachelor’s degrees and fundamental understanding of the research process are a good match for what the _________ is seeking.

During the past year, working in the Adult Development Lab at North Carolina State University (NC State), I have developed an understanding and appreciation for both the research and the scientific process. While being a part of the research team, I learned quickly to communicate effectively amongst faculty, post-doc students and study participants. I was exposed to the beginning stages of preparation work to state funded studies. I have developed knowledge of how to conduct research, recruit participants, conduct interviews, and how to multi-task between varied on-going studies. My experience also includes knowledge of spreadsheets, databases, and word processing as I used these programs in an independently guided longitudinal study.

My past experiences have also strengthened my character. Both communication skills and organizational skills were necessary to help me succeed in my past job experiences and academic adventures. I have also developed a great team work ethnic because of the need to work with others to complete projects beyond my skill and knowledge level.

I believe I have developed the communication, organization, and knowledge of conducting research that is needed in this position. I welcome the opportunity to bring my personal experiences to this wonderful opportunity at the __________. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

8/29/2008 8:10:44 PM

First problem. A generic cover letter is no better than no cover letter. The cover letter shows you have done YOUR due diligence in researching the company, position and how you would fit in.

It's similar to a generic thank-you note. Everyone can tell immediately, and it doesn't leave a good impression.

8/29/2008 11:26:44 PM

Dude, no, just... no.

Quote :

"North Carolina State University (NC State)"

Nice to see that you think I'm an idiot. Where's UCLA located?

Quote :

"my past job experiences and academic adventures."

academic adventures you say. Sounds retarded.

Quote :

"work ethnic"

Christ, I would have thrown it away already, but if you can't be bothered to spell check shit like a cover letter then I don't need you.

It's not a well written letter. If you aren't 100% confident in your writing skills I would recommend that you find a professional to write or at minimum to review your cover letter and résumé.

8/30/2008 2:21:26 PM

Sooooooo my buddy with what's essentially a 6 year career in IT thinks he needs a 2.5 page resume, with meaty bullet points, not just a bunch of wasted space, detailing all of the major projects and OS/software deployments and patching he did.

I'm arguing he should, and easily could, get it to two pages. What saw you TWW resume experts?

Secondly, he's particularly concerned with software that companies use to scan for keywords/acronyms, fearful his will get tossed if he doesn't have the right keywords. How common is this practice?

1/9/2013 5:18:01 PM

Psh. 2 pages tops resume!=cv

1/9/2013 5:38:24 PM

^^Depending on the industry and role, it can be very common.

Length of resume should correspond with the seniority of the position. If he is seeking a mid-level individual role, he should cut the resume down to 2 pages. If he is seeking an senior/management position, then he's probably okay to leave it.

Also, there's a difference between your paper resume and a job-system resume. Paper resume should be kept brief and absolutely to the point. This is what you would send as an attachment to a recruiter, or to a hiring manager.

A system resume is what you use to apply for jobs through an HR system. I use my CV for those types of applications. No one will ever read the thing, it just gets sucked apart by the HR robots, so make it as verbose as possible.

1/9/2013 9:34:36 PM

Mine is two pages: education and work experience on one, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and references on the second.

I have two undergraduate degrees, 4 past internships, and two current jobs. A lot of the volunteer work I do is relevant to the jobs for which I apply. I have 2-3 bullet points for each element. I just couldn't see cutting enough of that to make it one page, so I added the references to the second page to take up the extra space.

[Edited on January 10, 2013 at 12:26 AM. Reason : ]

1/10/2013 12:23:16 AM

I was told that references don't belong on resumes.

1/10/2013 8:42:28 AM

^I, too, have heard this. Have the references on hand but only provide them if asked.

1/10/2013 10:19:19 AM

Ditto.

1/10/2013 10:30:19 AM

same here. i've been told and read several places that references should not be included with the resume, but separately. also, to not include "references available upon request" as that is already implied.

1/10/2013 10:32:19 AM

Sometimes, it's hard to fit how awesome you are on to one page.


I say if you are applying to a job and you still need to prove yourself, ie a recent college grad or not-so-far-removed entry level professional then displaying how awesome you are can spill on to two pages.

Once you've had two or three real professional and impressive jobs to tell people you've had then you can start trimming the fat. It comes down to making sure the relevant information for the job is on the resume, and I've not met a manager who has thrown out a candidate because his resume was too long.

1/10/2013 1:19:14 PM

every time I interview I am told I have an outstanding resume. Mine is kind of a cv/resume hybrid because I apply for research-type jobs.

I have a bachelor's, two master's, two graduate certificates and an undergraduate certificate so just listing those out with my contact info and objective at the top takes up a third of the first page. I follow that with work experience (more info for the most recent jobs, less for older ones, dropping all former jobs that are no longer relevant to my career field) that fills the rest of the first page and about half of the second. I follow that with research abroad, a skills and experience section (listing research software training) and a professional affiliation where I list five honor societies I was a part of in college/grad school (five of them).

I have a CV version that I use when certain jobs ask for a list of courses, so the third page details my higher level courses, and a few undergraduate ones that relate to statistics and research.

I think in the business world, one page when you come out of college is standard, but it all depends on your field.

[Edited on January 10, 2013 at 2:15 PM. Reason : if you need more room, make the margins 1" and reduce font to 11. nobody notices]

1/10/2013 2:14:37 PM

I keep mine at one page, and include the url to my linkedin profile in my resume. so an employer could quickly get a high level view of my skills and experience, and then easily pull up my linkedin profile if i'm interesting enough to dig deeper, and there all of my info is much more verbose.

i actually picked that up from a resume that came my way from someone applying to a req I had open. As a hiring manager poring through tons of resumes, i much preferred that to a multi-page resume.

1/10/2013 3:18:58 PM

^Really? You'd rather stop what you were doing and go online to look at someone's linked in profile rather than have all the information you need right there?

I am not a hiring manager, but I suspect that if I was I would not agree with you. I might go on your linkedin profile and look after I decided you were a candidate for the position, but certainly not any earlier than that.

[Edited on January 10, 2013 at 3:38 PM. Reason : ]

1/10/2013 3:38:02 PM

I assume "if i'm interesting enough to dig deeper" implies they would be a candidate for said position.

1/10/2013 3:43:50 PM

i take a stack of resumes, skim them and make two piles-- a shred pile, and a consider pile.

multi-page resumes generally go in the shred pile if the first page doesn't pique my interest.

then i take the consider pile and decide which ones I'd like to interview. I read these much more closely, write notes all over it and questions I might want to ask based on what I see. If there is a linkedin profile link, I'd certainly check it out then.

Of course different managers do things differently.

Also, from industry to industry, the level of acceptability of a multi-page resume varies greatly. In my wife's field, resumes aren't even used and CVs are customary.

I have a 'master' resume that's more like a pseudo-CV that's several pages. Depending on the position I'm applying for, I pick and choose what's most relevant, and make a one-pager out of it. In the interview, i'll often draw from the other stuff I didn't include in the resume when responding to your standard STARs questions unless the question is specific to a resume bullet.

1/10/2013 3:49:53 PM

You should read my resume and tell me what pile you'd put it in

1/10/2013 3:56:50 PM

I'm not sure what I would do if I had to apply externally to another company now. We have to keep resumes up internally for projects (engineering & construction) that we bid on and all the project managers want everything very detailed and my internal resume is 2-3 pages easy depending on what project they want my resume for and I know for a fact those managers look at every page when they are interested because I have been contacted and asked questions about things 3 pages in.

It's formatted the same as a more standard resume, but I list every major project I have been a part of and detail my responsibilities on each project where my work experiences would go (which is how it gets so long). With things being a little lean right now it got me thinking about what I would do externally if I had to start applying other places, and while I could easily cut it to two, I would have a very hard time cutting it down to one while still getting all the varied experience on there.

1/10/2013 4:04:25 PM

mine are always

- cover letter (1 pg)
- resume (1 pg)
- references (1 pg)


more than that seems obnoxious

1/12/2013 1:10:27 AM

I normally stick to 1, but I had an internal posting this week that I applied for where I pushed it to two pages. So being more specific helps to distinguish me from others in the same work-group.

1/12/2013 2:44:15 AM

I have one page right now but it's definitely pushing it. I'm a recent grad with little no real (applicable) work experience, so most of it is relevant experience (study abroad, some activities), skills, work history, education, you know the drill. I've been sticking to one page and hoping I can squeeze in somewhere to get a little more relevant/current work history.

1/12/2013 2:30:44 PM

My actual resume that I keep at home and update occasionally is only 1 page, but my internal company talent profile, which is what I submit for internal positions is either 3 or 4 pages.

1/13/2013 1:05:40 PM

^Is there a particular reason for that? I assume because you don't really have to get your "foot in the door," you're free to just pile in as much evidence for your value as an employee and relevance to the job opening?

1/13/2013 10:07:31 PM

Nah, it's got everything a normal resume would have plus stuff that is specific to my company. Education, external/previous work history, personal stuff, and then it's got all the positions I've held with the company, annual review information, and a bunch of stuff that they would request if I ever requested a transfer. It's basically just an all in one instead of a resume plus internal documents.

1/14/2013 12:45:21 AM

^^ His situation is basically the same as what I listed above probably. Internally they want us to list EVERYTHING. All training we have done, all projects I have worked on with detailed descriptions of what our responsibilities were etc.

They use those resumes as parts of proposals to sell work to clients and also our direct managers use it to sell us to the project managers.

1/14/2013 8:59:42 AM

^^^ if you are in consulting or any field where you, the employee, is the asset the company is selling then you will have a much more detailed resume for them to give out. I'd bet the people responding about long internal resumes are in some type of consulting field (engineering, business, IT, etc...).

1/14/2013 9:19:40 AM

I am currently seeking employment and I have a single page resume which has seemed to get plenty of attention. I also have a 15 page portfolio that I will attach to applications when applicable. That has made a HUGE difference, let me tell you.

1/15/2013 12:05:45 AM

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/08/business/resume-software-scanning/index.html

Very relevant.

1/19/2013 6:06:55 AM

Looked for a thread on "Cover Letters" and they were all too old...so I'm going to use this one.

A friend of mine works for a Worker's Comp Firm and they have several openings and he asked me to send in a cover letter and my resume. I run my own practice and I'm doing pretty well...however, this job pays Texa$...and I'm starting to get tired of the day-to-day grind of dealing with whiny ass clients and running every aspect of the business. I'm about to get married and this job is looking very attractive for the stability aspect.

Anyways...I don't know what I should put in this cover letter. I don't think I can fake my enthusiasm for doing this kind of work. I want this job for money and stability...and that's it. I assume I need to talk about the skills I've gained/used running my own firm and how they would translate into doing Worker's Comp work?? It's been a long time since I've done a cover letter...I'm about to do some Google Research, but would appreciate any advice.

1/21/2013 6:51:45 PM

^In terms of general format: http://jobsearch.about.com/od/coverletters/a/aa030401b.htm is pretty spot on.

Three paragraphs: Why you're writing, what you have to offer, and how you're going to follow up. You should be able to read a cover letter in 2-3 minutes max and get a sense of why you want the job, why they should bother interviewing you, and what you're going to do to follow up the letter and initial application.

1/21/2013 11:00:27 PM