Designing a Resumè

[Elesirdur]

In North America, there is a distinction between a "resume" and a "CV".

As Maguspk pointed out a CV is something limited usually to academia, or people who have been academics. Typically, from my understanding at least, the distinguishing feature of a CV is that it will include any and all articles, papers, etc. that you have published and indicate which have been peer reviewed. Also you typically include all your past teaching experience. This usually makes them quite long. My mother, who has a PhD and has worked as a grade school teacher (taught HomeEc before doing her Masters and PhD while she supported my dad while he did his PhD hah), a senior bureaucrat, VP in an IT company, and a prof. at a university has a CV that's about 10 or 12 pages long. That's not uncommon for someone in their 50s or 60s with a long career behind them.

Resume's on the other hand are the short document briefly describing experience, skills, and other qualifications. I can't imagine anyone in North America thinking that a resume and a curriculum vitae are the same thing.

Depending on where you're looking for work there may be a distinction between "skills" and "competencies". I'm currently looking for work with my Provincial Government and they're big on competencies - which is good for me since I believe I possess some good skills and competencies, but not years of experience. Competencies are a set of defined (at least by my prov. gov't but theirs is a good guide) qualities that fall outside the realm of skills and experience. They are your soft skills that are part of everything you do in your work, including your technical abilities. If a prospective employer talks about competencies, take time to learn what they are and highlight ones that fit your background and personality and are required by the job.

Oh, and here's a sneaky trick to try if you submit stuff electronically; though it really works best if you submit a PDF file as opposed to a Word document. In the header, footer, or wherever you have some blank space, type in key words that the job posting asks for like certain skills or qualities. Then colour that text white so it doesn't show against the white background. Many large employers use programs to scan digital resume files and "score" them according to how many key words associated with a position are included in the file. This way you can increase your chances of getting past an initial screening if that organization uses a first-step resume screening process.

So, after all this talk I thought I would put up (but probably not shut up) and post my resume, sans private info. I can honestly say there's probably a lot that could be done to this but this is my stock base resume I work from and adapt to specific positions. For reference, I'm looking for work as a research officer, policy analyst, programs analyst, or communications officer and I think the information generally indicates that - though as I said I do highlight or omit certain skills, competencies, and experiences based on the position.

Honestly, I would love any critical feedback anyone has on these, particulairly from people who do hiring. Experiences from those who are doing hiring work now is so valuable, I would be happy for the feedback.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../BGResume1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../BGResume2.jpg

[Clyne]

Not a huge fan of this format, personally. I see it a lot and it frequently makes me wonder how long each skill was used. I'd like to know what skills you used at what job for what duration. But maybe it matters which kind of person you're recruiting.

I understand the tendency to feel that way, and knowing that a lot of people do a poor job of actually structuring their Qualifications section, it doesn't surprise me in the least. I've seen a lot of people try to use this setup (some at my suggestion) and just completely botch it. Maybe I just do a poor job of explaining it. But I know that the best resumes I've ever seen used this format, and there's also an underlying psychological aspect of this type of formatting; it puts much more emphasis on the candidate, rather than their past employers (which could completely backfire in some industries, I know).

[The Stig]

Oh, a resume/CV is the same thing here... hahaha, but it tends to shift to more of a "resume" as described above the more experience/jobs/older you get.

[Zhais]

Any critiques on this?

It looks nicer on paper due to proper horizontal spacings

Key Skills: Three years software development team work experience.
Knowledge of C# and libraries

Education: University of Nebraska at Omaha September 2005 - Present
(Peter Kiewit Institute)
B.S. in Computer Science Graduation Date: December 2009

Work Experience:
GRW Studios December 2005 – Present
Senior Software Developer May 2008 – Present
• Maintained outlined duties under ‘Software Developer’
• Maintained and pushed out product releases
• Managed code design and deployment decisions
• Engaged in customer product support

Software Developer December 2005 – May 2008
• Utilized C# .NET Framework and Flash ActionScript 2
• Utilized SVN subversion control (TortoiseSVN client).
• Managed backups of SVN databases
• Responsible for creation of new components within the software
• Responsible for bug fixes of own and other’s components
• Worked with a team of 2-6 people to communicate variations on ideas, look over code, and synchronize component and class communication
• Maintained and adhered to coding standards within classes
• Agile software development

Computer Skills:
• C/C++
• C# .NET
• Flash ActionScript 2
• HTML
• PHP
• Visual Studio 2005+
• Microsoft Excel Interop
• Windows Operating Systems (XP, Vista)

Related Coursework:
• Data Structures (in C++)
• Software Engineering
• Theory of Computation

[Elesirdur]

I'll preface my comments by saying that I don't have an IT background, nor have I any experience with hiring or applying for IT or other "hard skills" jobs.

Looks pretty good and is concise, but I really feel like 20 people could hand in exactly the same resume and I wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

I think that in almost all sectors, recruiters are beginning to understand that "soft skills" are just as important as hard skills in finding candidates that are not only qualified for a position, but will end up working well with the structure of the organization and unit the position is in. You talk about working in teams in your experience and your skill section; I think you should mention that teamwork and collaborative projects are part of your skills. It may sound dumb, but that's really damn important and sometimes it takes the most overt signals to show a recruiter you are serious. You don't want a recruiter to have to read between the lines because, as others have said, you get about 15-30 seconds to make an impression and being subtle doesn't always work.

Try assessing yourself and finding some qualities that make you a good employee beyond your technical skills. Do you work long hours? Are you very dilligant in your work with a high attention to detail? Do you like to take leadership positions? Can you work collaboratively with other people on a project? Do you have a client-service oriented attitude that comes from your experience doing customer or client service? These are examples of "soft skills" or competencies that are all about you and that set you apart from other candidates - they make you unique and that's a big part of selling yourself in a resume.

Also, I would suggest you try and think about your work experience and find some achievements you had during your work. In your second position (the most recent one) you mention working in a team - that's a better example of something that set you apart from other applicants. Maybe try and describe how or for what purpose you used the programming languages you described, that can provide an opportunity to add some personal flair to your resume.

[Zhais]

well, didn't see your message before I handed them the resume. But, although they mentioned they were looking for mainly java developers, I had some applicable skills and they seemed all be interested in pouring over my resume as I spied on them from the 3rd floor >.>


So good and bad

[Katlan]

What if it was your most recent job and you were fired in under 3 months? Still exclude it?

I believe it depends on how many other previous jobs you have held & for how long (keeping in mind you don't want your resume to typically be longer then 1 page). If you exclude your most recent job and your resume shows you have been unemployed for "X" amount of months... just be ready for a potential to employer to ask what you have been doing during that period and why you haven't worked.

[Elesirdur]

well, didn't see your message before I handed them the resume. But, although they mentioned they were looking for mainly java developers, I had some applicable skills and they seemed all be interested in pouring over my resume as I spied on them from the 3rd floor >.>


So good and bad

I think you have a good solid resume, and it may be quite standard for what your industry is looking for. However, were I to use a similar style of resume for a job I'm looking for, which relies much more on those soft skills I described, it wouldn't go over so well. Play to your industry and what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for in your field. I know some other posters, esp. The Stig, work in IT so maybe they will have some better input.

[arus2001]

Biggest problem I've had job hunting is places want experience, but aren't willing to give it even if you're otherwise intelligent and quick on the uptake. So it's basically a vicious cycle you can't penetrate unless you know somebody on the inside. For the most part, they can be called entry-level jobs, but they're not exactly burger flipping or warehouse stocking where they have the prefabricated apps, either.

Probably going to go over my resume again since it hasn't been doing much good lately, but it may also be in part due to recent economic issues paired with my area not being all that urban and thus short on major employment hubs. Really do think employers might fear I'll get bored and glance over me because I have done a variety of things, but I also worry about discrimination on a few aspects of my past (Medical history, some gaps in employment, going to the "rich kid" high school in the area so daddy must be well off [untrue], etc.) I can't really prove. Not getting any younger, but can't exactly live on my own on minimum wage labor, either. I've had jobs I've held for over a year, so commitments aren't really an issue. Just a matter of being given the chance these days.

I'd consider college if I could afford it (Not just tuition, but wear on car driving to the closest local place), but I also have no clue what to go for since I seem to have a knack for finding jobs I don't like as opposed to those I do. On the flip side, I see plenty of people who have done the 4 year thing, but wind up with jobs not at all related to their degree. So it's like.. wut? Either way, I'm just glad gas is still under $2. The $3.50-$4.25 thing was murder on the budget.

[MisterBob]

A bit off topic, but being a Software Engineer is not the same as working in IT

[The Stig]

Hm, how is Software Engineer not working in IT? To a lot of people IT is just ... a computer, on the very basic level, which includes simple stuff like internet/communication, e-mail, office. Being a software engineer I think one would know all that. =p

For that CV as quoted above (posted by Zhais) I don't understand the Work Experience Format:

Work Experience:
GRW Studios December 2005 – Present
Senior Software Developer May 2008 – Present
• Maintained outlined duties under ‘Software Developer’
• Maintained and pushed out product releases
• Managed code design and deployment decisions
• Engaged in customer product support

Software Developer December 2005 – May 2008
• Utilized C# .NET Framework and Flash ActionScript 2
• Utilized SVN subversion control (TortoiseSVN client).
• Managed backups of SVN databases
• Responsible for creation of new components within the software
• Responsible for bug fixes of own and other’s components
• Worked with a team of 2-6 people to communicate variations on ideas, look over code, and synchronize component and class communication
• Maintained and adhered to coding standards within classes
• Agile software development

You just mention the job title, from what I see, twice, but no indication as to where?

I like to mention what I like to do outside of work, shows you have some sort of ground level of interest. In my case I put down "diagnose and solve problems for Friends, Families and Neighbours" and then followed by a short list of what I "repair": Windows 98-Vista, Router/Network Configuration, Desktop/Laptop installs/hardware, Mobile Devices configuration (etc...)

This was on a context of IT Support positions I've applied for because I personally enjoy seeing people fucking up things, it's funny. The positions I applied for or got sent for an interview for were mainly 1st Line Support positions. Sadly, I don't know why, but I had 1 years experience beforehand (this was a placement during university) and I'm not sure if something went wrong in the process but I ended up in 2nd Line Support for a completely different "section" of the whole IT Department which deals with the backend of the applications external users use to connect to us to do work on. Oh well, credit crunch/economy crisis, a job is a job. Something new I suppose.

[Zhais]

Hm, how is Software Engineer not working in IT? To a lot of people IT is just ... a computer, on the very basic level, which includes simple stuff like internet/communication, e-mail, office. Being a software engineer I think one would know all that. =p

For that CV as quoted above (posted by Zhais) I don't understand the Work Experience Format:

You just mention the job title, from what I see, twice, but no indication as to where?

I like to mention what I like to do outside of work, shows you have some sort of ground level of interest. In my case I put down "diagnose and solve problems for Friends, Families and Neighbours" and then followed by a short list of what I "repair": Windows 98-Vista, Router/Network Configuration, Desktop/Laptop installs/hardware, Mobile Devices configuration (etc...)

It's harder to tell due to formatting, but the software dev shop is 'GRW Studios'. It's bolded and spaced apart on the actual resume itself.

And I've been meaning to actually finish some of the side projects I've started so that I can include in projects/resumes.

[Kwijiboe]

oops