Resumes: Further Notes
There is also the question of typeface, paper, and size. Using a weird
typeface or an odd color paper will get you noticed all right - negatively. Use
a fairly normal typeface like Courier or Times-Roman, tho some well placed
Helvetica can be nice too. Some occasional bolding, underlining, size changes,
etc. may be useful, but DON'T OVERDO IT! Use good white or off-white paper. A
bit of "texture" to the paper is okay, but not too much. Use ordinary size
paper. The character size should be normal, or close to it. Normal is 6 lines
per inch (12 "points" high) and 10 characters per inch. You may be able to get
away with 12 cpi if you want to cram extra info in there, but NO MORE. The HP
LJ 16.6 cpi compressed font is Right Out. It should be printed in portrait
orientation, never landscape!
And then there's the formatting of paragraphs and such. There is a VERY wide
range of ways to do this. My preferred style is to put division headers at the
left margin, and indent each level by one space, but not squish the right
margin. For instance, "EMPLOYMENT HISTORY" is flush left, and each job has a
section heading consisting of the basic facts indented by one space, followed
by details indented by two (including the one above).
One final note: you often use the words "briefly" or "concisely". That should
be followed by default throughout the resume (and cover letter, which is a
whole 'nother story), even where not marked.
--- Maximus-CBCS v1.00
* Origin: TIDMADT Comp. Consulting (703) 370-7054; Voice 370-6508 (1:109/120)
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Area: Jobs, Msg #3, 11:02:38 04 Dec 90
From: Ken Zwaschka
To: ALL
Subject: Sample resume comments
4. If you have worked for several divisions or subsidiaries of a
company, or have been "acquired/merged/divested", list the
positions under one heading, with the parent company's
current name. This shows continuous employment. If you
were R.I.F.'d due to acquisition, indicate it on your
resume. Example:
Delmonte Foods (formerly RJR Nabisco): 9/89-present
(Position eliminated in reorganization)
RJR Nabisco (formerly R.J. Reynolds: 8/86-9/89.
Nabisco (formerly Delmonte) 3/75 - 8/86.
Delmonte Corporation: 3/63-3/75
6. Have your resume printed on a laser printer. Nothing less is
acceptable for a professional resume. Use a good bond
paper. Have copies made on a HIGH QUALITY copier. A
prospective employer will rightly consider your resume (and
the entire interview/hiring process) to be a representation
of the BEST you have to offer.
7. Be sure your resume is 100% factual. If your background is
not thoroughly checked, parts will be. If you do get hired,
an untrue OR "expanded" statement on your resume or
application can be grounds for dismissal, even if you've
been employed for years. This can apply to relatively minor
statements, such as "Senior Programmer" when you were really
titled "Programmer."
8. Try to limit the length of the resume to one page per ten
years of experience. It is Ok to list jobs prior to ten
years with company, dates and title only. Resumes should
rarely exceed 3 pages. It is better to prepare separate
addendums: "Patents," "Publications," etc. These can be
provided only when appropriate to the specific opportunity
(usually during a personal interview or with a follow-up
letter).
The resume format is not set in stone. There is not ONE way to
present yourself. Consult your library, college counselor,
or recruiter for a format that will best "sell" you to an
employer.
--- msged 2.00
* Origin: Ken's Point at the Office (503)281-6808 (1:105/54.54)
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Area: Jobs, Msg #7, 14:42:28 05 Dec 90
From: Dave Aronson
To: Ken Zwaschka
Subject: Re: Sample resume comments
> (have someone you trust check for errors and typos ... don't
> do it yourself).
I've always found it good to get such help from at least one each of
co-workers, friends, and total strangers (preferably including one in your
field and one not).
> 8. Try to limit the length of the resume to one page per ten
> years of experience.
I've heard variations on this. Some say five; some say no more than one per
ten plus one extra. I've only got 5.5 years and I can't fit mine on one
page, tho methinks two pages should last me another ten years.
Which reminds me of another thing: try never to fill less than half of any
page or line (division headers excluded of course).
Which reminds me of another thing: if the entire contents of a division is
one line, I put it on the same line as the header. For instance, instead of
OBJECTIVE:
Challenging position in software engineering.
I put
OBJECTIVE: Challenging position in software engineering.
--- Maximus-CBCS v1.00
* Origin: TIDMADT Comp. Consulting (703) 370-7054; Voice 370-6508 (1:109/120)
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Area: Jobs, Msg #14, 13:03:24 06 Dec 90
From: Ken Zwaschka
To: Dave Aronson
Subject: Re: Sample Resume
DA>If it's multi-page, I usually flush the name all the way to the left, with
Personal Taste. I write business letters with the lead line indented, date,
salutation, etc beginning at the center of the page. Either is OK as long as
you are consistent. Your method could create a couple more lines in a cramped
page.
DA>Now we get to the question someone asked before. What about if you don't
DA>intend to complete it?
I would suggest listing it as "completed 2/3 of MBA program" and let it go at
that. Failure to complete something is a negative. I really wonder about
folks who have 95% of their degree and then don't bother to finish it... What
is the rest of their track record for the completion of major projects???
> 8. Try to limit the length of the resume to one page per ten
> years of experience.
DA>I've heard variations on this. Some say five; some say no more than one
Yup. This is all pretty subjective. What one employer considers mandatory,
another will consider offensive. My feeling is that if you do it your way,
and if the employer doesn't like it, you will probably identify other things
with which you disagree... and I would rather find out before I go to work
there and burn all the other bridges.
I have had a beard since I was 19 years old. I used to shave it off, if I
felt I could more easily get a job. About 18 years ago, I decided that if an
employer didn't like my beard, they would have other things they didn't like
in the long run, anyway. I stopped shaving, and lo! I had a much better
string of good, satisfying jobs, with bosses and co-workers I liked.
--- msged 2.00
* Origin: Ken's Point at the Office (503)281-6808 (1:105/54.54)
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Area: Jobs, Msg #20, 13:44:52 07 Dec 90
From: Dave Aronson
To: Ken Zwaschka
Subject: Re: Sample Resume
> Either is OK as long as you are consistent.
Yep. A foolish consistency may be the hobgoblin of little minds (thank you,
Emerson!), but inconsistency is a big red flag.
--- Maximus-CBCS v1.00
* Origin: TIDMADT Comp. Consulting (703) 370-7054; Voice 370-6508 (1:109/120)
Area: Jobs, Msg #2, 06:16:00 07 Dec 90
From: Charles Brandt
To: Ken Zwaschka
Subject: Sample resume
Your resume is your entry into a company and should be designed to get by
three people: the personnel agent, the hiring manager, and the hiring managers
manager. As such, it should be designed to appeal to the widest range of
tastes and avoid "knockoffs". This is especially true in the Personnel
Department.
Visual: The resume should be neatly typed and contain NO spelling errors.
The paper should be neutrally colored (white, off white or very
light tint). Typing should be clear and if possible fairly big
about 10 character per inch and should not be proprtionally spaced.
If a resume is difficult to read, it won't be read.
Length: Keep it under two pages. Again, you have people looking at literally
thousands of the things.
Realistic: The list of accomplishements should be consistent with the time
period spent. Don't fatten your accomplishments up just because your
work history is short. I remember a resume where someone claimed
facillity, expertise and experience with 3 operating systems, 5
Computer languages plus 4 different assembly languages. This person
also had 18 months of work history. Just not believable.
Phrasing: Keep the mood upbeat and the tense active not passive. For example,
instead of "was responsible for design and development of xyz" use
"designed and implemented the speedup of xyz". Avoid lengthy
discussions of your former company's product line. For example,
few people know or care that "Company XYZ is the world's leading
manufacturer of high speed widgets and annually grosses $49M."
Exception -- your job responsibility was related to the size of
the company. Like you were President, Comptroller or Sales Manager
at XYZ.
General Form Suggestions:
Headings could include the following:
Contact Information Name Address City State Zip (AC) phone
Job Objective: Specific. To the point. For Example, "Seeking a challenging
position as project manager or lead programmer" See if you can avoid
"where I have an opportunity to further my skills". After all, few
companies care whether you are advancing you skills but are interested
in what you can be doing for them.
Qualifications Summary: This is the abstract of your employment history pre-
sented in a manner that makes it easy to see if you have relevant
experience.
"Designed and implented hardware and software for 6800, 8085, 680x0
and 80x86 micro processors including memory, stepper and servo motor
controllers and drivers. Software designs include realtime multi-
tasking operating systems, communications interfaces, machine control,
and graphics. Software was written in C, Pascal, Fortran, and various
assembly languages. Operating systems included MSDOS, OS9 and RTE-A."
In general, this section is the things you have done, the "tools"
you used to do them, and the various fields you have participated
in. This section should be fairly short and all of the activities
in it shoud be supported by the Experience Summary.
Education: If there are no holes in this area put it here, otherwise at
the end. If you have attended college, do not list high school.
If you have not completed school give the number of hours you
have completed and GPA if good. Remember you are on your honor
here. The fact that you are a student and whether you graduated
is public record and can usually be checked by a phone call.
School activities are only important if special -- Phi Beta Kappa
for example, or if your work history is very short. Remember, as time
passes your experiece takes paramount importance.
Don't list special training unless its duration was lengthy or
resulted in some worthwhile certification. For example, a one or
two day seminar was of no importance but "Novell Certification" is.
Experience Summary: Last job first. Don't lie about being still at a job
if you have left. I know of several instances where checking
caused offers to be withdrawn. Include all savings that you made
for your company and dollar amount if possible -- if not percentages
or ratios. "Developed alternative xyz solution that resulted in
projected annual savings of $$". This is for the hiring manager's
manager. He/she trusts that the manager knows better than him wheter
you are technicall capable. Now he knows you have your eye on the
important stuff.
Personal Information: Unless there is a compelling reason do not
include any personal information. Including race or religion
may cause your resume to be discarded. If your are not a citizen
show current status.
Security Clearance: If you have a security clearance that is valid
and current list it. If it is out of date, also mention it.
It costs a lot of money to get clearance and it is a finacial
bonus to any company that needs it.
---
* DeLuxe #6491 * The Janus Group, Inc. (215) 449-7112
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* Origin: Philly Gamers PCBoard (1:273/405)
"TOP 10 TIPS TOWARD CREATING A COMPUTER-FRIENDLY RESUME"
THIS ARTICLE WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO GET YOUR RESUME
TO BE THE FIRST TO BE NOTICED AT MOST MAJOR COMPANIES.
A growing number of companies are now using
computer based resume databases and scanners and
Optical Character Recognition Software (OCR)
to process incoming resumes. Computers now do
most of the resume reading and not people. The
old rules no longer apply to resume-writing.
A gussied-up resume designed to attract the
hiring manager's attention will only serve to
confuse a computer. This article will show you
how to create a resume that will get noticed.
TOP 10 TIPS
* Use as many buzz words as are applicable to
your skills. A computer search will then be
more likely to flag your resume. Remember
variances in buzz-words: DB2, and DB2/2 both
mean the same thing but may not be flagged
in a search on "DB/2".
* Snazzy fonts, underlining, italics and
graphics don't scan well. Leave them out.
* Small print is difficult for a scanner to
read. Use 12-point type fonts or larger.
* Use white, off-white or light-beige paper.
Grays and blues minimize the contrast between
the letters and the background.
* Use standard 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Don't staple.
* Do not fold your resume. Words in the crease
cannot be scanned easily.
* Avoid double or multiple columns. Scanners
read from left to right.
* Do not send copies, send originals.
* Do not use a dot-matrix printer.
* Prepare a separate, ascii version of your
resume (text only, no formatting). This is
useful to send your resume via the various
online services. Ascii is the most common
denominator. Do not assume that the reader
can read mime, uuencoded or word-processing
formats.