Do you think a resume can make or break you?

[tami]

my second to last job in IT was obtained through a friend. networking was good.

my last job was obtained, believe it or not, through the new york times. i did the standard procedure: cover letter, resume, interview, thank you note, and then was called with the offer.

 

[bapace]

Without a doubt. Your name actually can too.

 

[mrgoblin]

Its true, If my name was terrible worker, I probably wouldnt ever get a job except as a TSA at the airport

 

[Snapster]

Key words on a resume = interview. Then it's up to you to prove it in person.

 

[bapace]

Weird names, or names typically associated in movies with "losers" and "nerds" have been proven to turn people off as soon as they read them. Many people overlook foreigner's resumes as well. My roommate has a traditional Indian name but was born and raised in Chicago. Over 1000 resumes sent out while job searching, got 3 responses. Me, common name, 4 resumes sent, 4 job interviews.

-bapace

 

[mrgoblin]

Like Michael Bolton

 

[DJFuji]

Originally posted by: bapace
Weird names, or names typically associated in movies with "losers" and "nerds" have been proven to turn people off as soon as they read them. Many people overlook foreigner's resumes as well. My roommate has a traditional Indian name but was born and raised in Chicago. Over 1000 resumes sent out while job searching, got 3 responses. Me, common name, 4 resumes sent, 4 job interviews.

-bapace

Indian-Americans are really feeling the backlash from the IT outsourcing over there. It's unfortunate because there are a LOT of great indian programers.

I also read something that reported that african americans with ethnic sounding names also received less call backs than american-sounding names with the same credentials. Unfortunate but true. So i guess if your name is Laqueesha Johnson you might be better off going with L. Johnson on the resume.

 

[quakefiend420]

of course a resume can break you...or make you...as i'm sure everyone else has said above(i didnt read the thread) thats the only way the employer knows you is that sheet of paper...

 

[Bassyhead]

yes

 

[HardcoreRobot]

duh

 

[StageLeft]

Obviously. Mine has worked well and is the result of checking out a few friends' resumes, and also getting what I think looked best from the monster.com resume section and building mine around that overall basic look. If in doubt go with an MS word template. If somebody is ignoring your resume simply because you got the layout from somewhere else frig em, and that isn't going to happen anyway.

I would say an OK resume (that still means zero spelling/grammatical mistakes - have none at all) plus somebody you know is more important than a great resume and knowing nobody - at least in most jobs. Knowing somebody severely short tracks your application and spins it in a positive light from the get go.

Um, sort of. We hired into the 5 digits last year, and while about 40% of our external hires were employee referrals, that only means that they knew someone at the company who asked them to put their resume in our database. Unless the person you know is high up or does the job or a related job to the one you want to get, the networking thing doesn't apply so much.

It depends on the company size as well. I suspect that knowing somebody at MS is less helpful for a job there than knowing somebody at the 15 person company down the street. "knowing sombody" is still the driving force behind more than half of new hires, afaik - at least in middle-tier and above jobs. It isn't likely to matter much at a place like wendy's. Similarly I doubt that anybody will land title of CEO in a fortune 500 simply because they know somebody's sister.

 

[dfi]

Originally posted by: DJFuji

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: DJFuji
A resume CAN get your foot in the door but remember that the majority of people still get jobs through people they know -- not thru classified ads.

Um, sort of. We hired into the 5 digits last year, and while about 40% of our external hires were employee referrals, that only means that they knew someone at the company who asked them to put their resume in our database. Unless the person you know is high up or does the job or a related job to the one you want to get, the networking thing doesn't apply so much.

Your company, while large, is not necessarily indicative of the entire job market. Networking is extremely powerful in the majority of job finding cases because people often know people who know other people who can get them in the door. Consider what experts have to say about it:

"...nearly half of all jobhunters, obtain their jobs through referrals -- that is word of mouth. How do they get referrals and find out about jobs through word of mouth? By networking. "
-quintcareers.com

"Because approximately 75 percent of the jobs are found via the informal job market through networking, that's where you should spend 75 percent of your time."
-Find Law Career Center @ Infirmation.com

"What's the most popular way to find jobs - or employees? According to 2001 survey conducted jointly by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Careerjournal.com, the answer is networking...According to the poll, 95 percent of each group use personal contacts and networking to find job candidates or a job."
-CareerKnowhow.com

Knowing someone who can refer you is great, but the first thing your referral will ask of you is "send me your resume."

dfi