a little help with resume (V 2.2)

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
totally revamped my resume but not sure about the format, organization and content. i appreciate any advice you can give me.

resume (PDF) V 2.2
resume (DOC) V 2.2

ignore the generic objective please. i'll replace it with more specific ones when applying to specific jobs.
 

saltedeggman

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2001
3,775
0
0
eh...your job description field can be more professional...always start with a verb

edit: be consistent with your alignment

edit: honestly i don't think objectives are useful, but if you prefer them, ignore me

edit: why don't put ALL of your honors and award together ? instead of leaving some in your education section

edit: i was told not to included anything from HS...
 

sniperruff

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
11,644
2
0
i still don't get the reason that people put their hobbies and interests in their resumes. it's not like people will say "neffing on anandtech" and "CS 1.6 on www.runarena.com NYC server"

=)
 

saltedeggman

Diamond Member
Jan 7, 2001
3,775
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Originally posted by: sniperruff
i still don't get the reason that people put their hobbies and interests in their resumes. it's not like people will say "neffing on anandtech" and "CS 1.6 on www.runarena.com NYC server"

=)

well the reason behind that is to let recruiter see the other side of you, i find it to be nonsense too, but.... if they want it...go with what they want
 

Gibson486

Lifer
Aug 9, 2000
18,378
2
0
I was always told put in the objective line b/c no one reads it. My old boss told me that he skips the objectives because they always say the same thing: my objective is to use this skill to blah blah blah.
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
thanks for the feedback. and thanks for the bump zim :)

i don't like the objective but is it a good idea to just skip it altogether? would some companies look for it?
 

iversonyin

Diamond Member
Aug 12, 2004
3,303
0
76
Originally posted by: saltedeggman
eh...your job description field can be more professional...always start with a verb

edit: be consistent with your alignment

edit: honestly i don't think objectives are useful, but if you prefer them, ignore me

edit: why don't put ALL of your honors and award together ? instead of leaving some in your education section

edit: i was told not to included anything from HS...

 

OulOat

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2002
5,769
0
0
Originally posted by: tennisflip

Is it ok tosend your resume out as a pdf file?

If the recruiter says it's okay; otherwise, go with either Word, or the safest but ugliest, plain text. The problem with pdf is it doesn't copy very well to plain text, which is what HR systems mostly accept (for easy archiving and searching). Take the ops, his pdf -> text ends up with weird characters and merging his section dividers into his text.

Personally, when I was job hunting, I always used .rtf (Rich Text Formatting). It's a cross between docs and plain text, with all the benefits. Text editors like Word and StarOffice can read it fine, and it also comes out pretty well when converting to plain text. Of course, always check to make sure first.
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
anyway i updated it as well as i could with the suggestions.

the formatting doens't look too good with pasted as text... gonna have to mess around with it a bit
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
Originally posted by: CanOWorms
I'd suggest you to get rid of the course numbers.

didn't put them in at first but thought i saw them used in some samples. but i guess it's irrelevant detail

Originally posted by: saltedeggman
clear format your email addy

i guess same with the url?
 

Injury

Lifer
Jul 19, 2004
13,066
2
81
Give us a .doc so we can copy/paste!!!!!!!!!!!! haha.

Anyhow... work experience... sounds like some good stuff, but you are underselling yourself a bit.

-First job, item one: Who used this system? Was it designed for easy use by inexperienced users? Try to fit that in. It sounds good to know that you can prevent yourself from geeking out and communicate with people who don't speak the language.

-First job, second point: I'd like to think this is a given. I'm not in your field, but I don't think it's necessary. Use that for interview fodder.

- First job, third point: contrary to the first point... geek this one up. Expanded and re-coded database system for blah blah blah. "Worked on an events calendar and some registration forms" sounds boring. Remove that part, use as interview fodder.


-Second job, first point: What language?

- Second job, second point: ... for?

-Second job, third point: "worked on additional smaller projects like a..." sounds boring and unimportant. If it's worth resume real estate, make it sound good. Selling yourself with whatever wording you choose is okay, as long as you don't lie. Howabout something like "Assisted in the development of projects such as..."

-Third job, first point: Good. To the point. Again, like first job, first point... for use by who may add a good touch.

-Third job, second point: "Worked as a team with a graphic designer to..." Statements using the work "team" and "teamwork" appeal more to companies than "worked with another web developer". Again, sell yourself.


Hobbies and Interests only to fill whitespace. I think you could take it off and have room for other things. Not to offend, but your hobbies are stereotypical of the field, so they aren't anything that no one else has. One of the few benefits to including hobbies is to spark the interest of an individual within the company that might just have the same hobby... but again, you aren't unique enough with yours to matter.

Your Objective sounds quite pre-packaged. What do you REALLY want. It's perfectly feasable to say "Seeking a challenging position in a cutting-edge company with opportunity for promotion" or something like that.

One of the flaws I see with your resume is that a number of things are "industry standard", from what I know. You need to learn to sell yourself to stand out from the crowds of people with the same skillset applying for the same jobs.
 

Yossarian

Lifer
Dec 26, 2000
18,010
1
81
I think it looks pretty good overall and I'm usually a pretty harsh critic of resumes people post here. You're a little bullet-happy. Each job doesn't need its own bullet. I would put work experience before skills and get rid of the hobbies part. Also put dollar amounts in where you can... "developed blah blah system that saved the company $50,000"
 

OulOat

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2002
5,769
0
0
To me, that still looks to crowded and hard to read, but that's just me. Keep stuff consistent. Don't switch between "Job Position" and "Job." I recommend sticking with "Position." Also, you might want to get an English major to improve/invigorate your statements. Like your last job for example.

* Developed web-based database solution using PHP and MySQL that hasten registrations and recordkeeping by ____ %
* Led project development for the full lifecycle: initiated requirements analysis, designed according to a __number here___ budget, led solution development and testing

Also, since you moved your college awards down, drop those old highschool awards (no one cares about awards that are over 4 years old) to free up space. Finally, your hobbies make you sound like a stereotypical geek. Do you have any other hobbies? Like sports? Put down team sports if possible (teamwork is always good).

Edit:
Oh yeah, make sure you mention any team projects. Definitely bring it up if you were the head.

"Worked with another web developer who was responsible for graphical design and
integrated my work with his" (Could be interpreted as you don't know how to do graphical design)

--->

"Worked in parallel in a ___ person team to speed development time by _____ %"
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
thanks for the suggestions everyone :)

anyway i decided to do away with the hobbies. left some stuff in as space filler. if needed i'll get rid of them.

about putting in numbers though, i can't really come up with some concrete numbers unless i bs. oh and in the last job, it was more like i was working for the other web developer.

would need more time with the job statements though
 

Injury

Lifer
Jul 19, 2004
13,066
2
81
Originally posted by: dighn
oh and in the last job, it was more like i was working for the other web developer.


No, you worked as a team. Just because you were working for him doesn't make you any less of a team.... just like it's called "Transformers" not "Optimus Prime and the guys working for him" :p
 

dighn

Lifer
Aug 12, 2001
22,820
4
81
Originally posted by: Injury
Originally posted by: dighn
oh and in the last job, it was more like i was working for the other web developer.


No, you worked as a team. Just because you were working for him doesn't make you any less of a team.... just like it's called "Transformers" not "Optimus Prime and the guys working for him" :p

right :D

well time to take a break from this