Need a final look at my resume before I submit to tons of companies

[SeductivePig]

gfgfdgfdgfd

 

[kyrax12]

Please refer to this thread for background info: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2215651

Cliffs:
Graduated EE from Purdue with 2.51 cumulative, 2.70 major gpa, no experience
Strong interest in the electric power industry, plan on applying to 300 companies/month
Did independent study, read the following books all the way, which is what my relevant skills come from:
http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Power.../dp/0849373832
http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Power.../dp/0849317045
http://www.amazon.com/Distribution-P...5532022&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Power.../dp/0849385784


This is my resume, going to start sending applications tomorrow. So I just wanted to make sure it looks good.

I won't be including an objective, and will be writing cover letters for all my resumes. Don't want to list work experience as it was all minimum wage stuff that holds no relevance. Only two jobs anyways, six flags as a bartender and currently a subsidiary of Google as a search engine quality tester.

dude no offense but if you get a job you are giving me hope.
Your GPA isn't too spectacular. Like mine

 

[SeductivePig]

hgfhghf

 

[Leros]

Put down your work experience. It shows that you are capable of working in a work environment.

I'd rather hire somebody who worked at McDonald's for a summer than somebody with no work experience.

 

[kyrax12]

Offense taken, I don't know where you went to school but Purdue is known for having a ton of grade deflation for engineering. 2.5 where I go isn't the same as a 2.5 at some other school.

Regardless, my gpa won't be going on my resume and the field I want to get into doesn't care about gpa that much. Furthermore not every employer asks for it.

I just need advice on my resume, if you want to post irrelevant stuff do it somewhere else please..

Ok I see you are in a bad mood right now.

Also put down work experience. Any place would be fine. Even shitty high school jobs counts.

 

[SeductivePig]

Put down your work experience. It shows that you are capable of working in a work environment.

I'd rather hire somebody who worked at McDonald's for a summer than somebody with no work experience.

Ok I see you are in a bad mood right now.

Also put down work experience.

Nothing personal about what I posted above, it's just that I'm well aware of my gpa and even my dad says bad things about it. A lot of people do. It's demoralizing to constantly be reminded of it, just trying to move forward and make do with what I have.



But honestly, if I'm applying to a large company, why would they want to see a job at six flags food service on my resume that pays $7.05 an hour? Why would they want to see a job in search engine quality that pays $14 an hour? Sure it shows that I'm capable of working, but at the same time if I'm capable of getting an EE degree it's pretty much implied that I can survive in a work environment..

 

[cKGunslinger]

I know resumes are often filtered via keyword-searches, but your "Technical Skills" section is nothing but..

I know this!

 

[SeductivePig]

I know resumes are often filtered via keyword-searches, but your "Technical Skills" section is nothing but..

I know this!

What would you advise? I mean, I can remove that stuff but I don't know if removing a technical skills section from an EE resume is a wise choice..

 

[AFurryReptile]

But honestly, if I'm applying to a large company, why would they want to see a job at six flags food service on my resume that pays $7.05 an hour? Why would they want to see a job in search engine quality that pays $14 an hour? Sure it shows that I'm capable of working, but at the same time if I'm capable of getting an EE degree it's pretty much implied that I can survive in a work environment..

It isn't that your previous jobs need to be relevant to the one you are applying for. Employers just want to see that you've been able to hold a job, not to mention they may want to call for a reference. I, personally, didn't start removing "irrelevant" jobs from my resume until I had two "relevant" jobs to fill their place. I certainly wouldn't leave it blank if you've worked in the past.

 

[randomrogue]

Put down scholarships, fellowships, grants, etc.

Put down clubs you were part of and any leadership positions you had

Put down previous employment. Even if it's something simple. If you had a job for 5 years serving fries there is value there.

Leave your GPA off. I know it's a sore subject so i won't beat a dead horse.

Consider showing that you're a human being. If you've logged 100 solo skydives or played the lead in a play somewhere you might want that on there.

 

[RichUK]

Do you have to keep it to one page?

For leadership, I would suggest giving a short summary for each example and then bullet point your responsibilities and achievements, making sure you keep it clear and concise.

 

[The Stigenator]

You need to put previous jobs in there, has nothing to do with relavancy but more so that this person has had a job before, for quite sometime and is employable and is capable of staying at a job for more than 2 months.

Yes put in the previous jobs regardless of how you lame you think they are, they are jobs you have done and are currently doing.

Your experience and relavant experience to the kind of jobs is fine but you need to put in prior jobs in. Remember customer service is a job regardless if its over the counter or on the phone. As a power distribution person your job will require some customer service - aka making sure the customers get their power - even if you never talk to them, its relevant.

 

[SeductivePig]

It isn't that your previous jobs need to be relevant to the one you are applying for. Employers just want to see that you've been able to hold a job, not to mention they may want to call for a reference. I, personally, didn't start removing "irrelevant" jobs from my resume until I had two "relevant" jobs to fill their place. I certainly wouldn't leave it blank if you've worked in the past.

alright. just feel really embarrassed to have six flags on there, that job is for people that aren't even 18 yet..

Put down scholarships, fellowships, grants, etc.

Put down clubs you were part of and any leadership positions you had

Put down previous employment. Even if it's something simple. If you had a job for 5 years serving fries there is value there.

Leave your GPA off. I know it's a sore subject so i won't beat a dead horse.

Consider showing that you're a human being. If you've logged 100 solo skydives or played the lead in a play somewhere you might want that on there.

had no scholarships/grants, wasn't really part of any clubs as there weren't any interesting ones, and previous employment has been addressed above..

 

[The Stigenator]

Honey, you are Indian, the bad GPA thing is comign from your parents. Screw the parents, they dont know jack.

I had a 2.5+ GPA and i work as a scientist and a pretty good one at that too. Your GPA isnt everything. Its how you handle yourself, your attitude to the job and how you are capable. Your GPA is just how much you learned, frankly I know people with a 4.0 who cant do jack shit, because they memorize and reproduce, there is no analytical skills, I work with them, I know.

Remember what you learned in school is only 1% of which you will use, rest you will learn at work.

 

[SeductivePig]

Honey, you are Indian, the bad GPA thing is comign from your parents. Screw the parents, they dont know jack.

I had a 2.5+ GPA and i work as a scientist and a pretty good one at that too. Your GPA isnt everything. Its how you handle yourself, your attitude to the job and how you are capable. Your GPA is just how much you learned, frankly I know people with a 4.0 who cant do jack shit, because they memorize and reproduce, there is no analytical skills, I work with them, I know.

Remember what you learned in school is only 1% of which you will use, rest you will learn at work.

I'm hoping this is how it is in the real world. I had no problem working 70 hours/week at six flags in 90 degree weather, not being allowed to sit down all day. Being given a job in which I work in an AC environment doing something I enjoy, I'd have no problem doing 70-80 hours/week if it was needed. I work hard as hell when money is on the line.

Sadly, I can't say the same with education - I'm not the type of person that can sit there and study 24/7, where the worst consequence is a bad grade. Much more practical type of person. Saw this in senior design.. kids with much higher gpas than me couldn't get their project working nearly as well as mine. Employers will never realize it though and anything I tell them regarding this distinction will be seen as bullshit.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

This is just from glancing at the posted image of the resume but you need to put a space between "and illumination..."

Edit: also "and reduce..."

and "team to"

Maybe it's the image that makes it look like they're not spaced but I would check those to be sure.

 

[SeductivePig]

This is just from glancing at the posted image of the resume but you need to put a space between "and illumination..."

Edit: also "and reduce..."

and "team to"

Maybe it's the image that makes it look like they're not spaced but I would check those to be sure.

yea, it's the image. scaled down it makes it look like there's no spaces.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Honey, you are Indian, the bad GPA thing is comign from your parents. Screw the parents, they dont know jack.

I had a 2.5+ GPA and i work as a scientist and a pretty good one at that too. Your GPA isnt everything. Its how you handle yourself, your attitude to the job and how you are capable. Your GPA is just how much you learned, frankly I know people with a 4.0 who cant do jack shit, because they memorize and reproduce, there is no analytical skills, I work with them, I know.

Remember what you learned in school is only 1% of which you will use, rest you will learn at work.

this. GPA isn't the end all be all. if you know your stuff, you will be fine.

 

[randomrogue]

Although GPA isn't the most important thing I would probably figure out a way to answer any possible questions that might come up without using your GPA. Google to see how others avoid answering or spin it to sound better since a 2.5, to me, looks like half D's and half C's. At my University they wouldn't award a diploma with that GPA iirc. I'm going to look it up but I'm almost positive I needed a 3.0 to get my diploma. That might have been the Masters program only though and not my B.S.

edit: 2.0 for my BS, 3.0 to get into graduate school. 3.5 to stay in graduate school.

 

[SeductivePig]

Although GPA isn't the most important thing I would probably figure out a way to answer any possible questions that might come up without using your GPA. Google to see how others avoid answering or spin it to sound better since a 2.5, to me, looks like half D's and half C's. At my University they wouldn't award a diploma with that GPA iirc. I'm going to look it up but I'm almost positive I needed a 3.0 to get my diploma. That might have been the Masters program only though and not my B.S.

edit: 2.0 for my BS, 3.0 to get into graduate school. 3.5 to stay in graduate school.

nah in my EE courses, I have mostly B's and C's with a few A's. no F's or D's.

I have an F in organic chemistry and an F in organic chemistry lab, along with a D in chemical engineering calculations, and a D in a freshman computer science course, and an F in a power electronics course that I couldn't retake since it was offered only in spring.

I clearly wasn't prepared for the chemical engineering curriculum, which is what I did first before switching into EE. Without those grades my cumulative gpa would be 2.9 or so. Doesn't matter, but just shows that the reason my gpa is low is for irrelevant coursework to my major (except power electronics.. I regret it but I had an extremely bad semester when I took that course and did very poorly).

 

[radhak]

I know resumes are often filtered via keyword-searches, but your "Technical Skills" section is nothing but..

I know this!

What would you advise? I mean, I can remove that stuff but I don't know if removing a technical skills section from an EE resume is a wise choice..

Take a look at your resume with the intention of explaining to an auditor (ie, somebody with a mission of nit-picking). Under Technical Skills, instead of saying 'Unix', try briefly describing what you know (or can do) in Unix. Eg : "Unix administration", or "Linux - installed, configured and maintained on Intel and S/390 platforms" or "Unix security and server hardening - worked with ipchains / iptables kernel based packet filtering firewalls, and other unix and network security measures", or at the very least "Authored scripts in perl / shell and used other unix administration tools". See how much more believable that would be than that single word? Similarly with the other buzz-words there.

Also, move that Technical Skills part right to the top, before Projects, so that even if the resume flows into the second page, the relevant stuff is right-up-front. (And don't be too anal about that single-page).

< Btw, Gunslinger, great clip - one of the most cheesy moments in Spielberg's history >

I'm hoping this is how it is in the real world. I had no problem working 70 hours/week at six flags in 90 degree weather, not being allowed to sit down all day. Being given a job in which I work in an AC environment doing something I enjoy, I'd have no problem doing 70-80 hours/week if it was needed. I work hard as hell when money is on the line.

So say that in your 'Work Experience' section - bring out the value you brought to the job, don't just put down the position you held and assume they will know how you work. Let your your resume tell your story, and not be a boilerplate text. At present your resume looks like a 'sample' resume given out to explain what that word means.

GPA is ok, but attitude is critical. You selling yourself starts with your resume. Don't hold back.

 

[Kreon]

As mentioned put the work experience on there.

I would also move the technical skills section to be under the relevent skills section, or merge the two. It is very lost at the bottom there.

Also in the technical skills, include the year/version number with software where it applies (like write "AutoCAD 2010"). For some of them there really isn't different versions, but for those that differ greatly it is important (ie, aCAD 2008 and aCAD 2010).

Also, put better timeframes for your stuff. Instead of "Fall 2011" write something along the lines of "Sept.-Nov. 2011". I say this because while it makes sense if you're talking about semesters while in school, people in the working world don't really think in those terms anymore

Overall, it is a good looking resume. It isn't cluttered and disjointed like a lot I've seen. (Big points in my book, some employers I know will not even look at cluttered or disorganized resumes)

 

[Gibson486]

-I am gonna tell you now...stop with that grade deflation BS. It's just an excuse. I do not care what school you attended. No one is going to buy that as a good reason. You have a low GPA, just deal with it and stop making excuses. Purdue is a solid school and just using that as an excuse makes you look bad.

-Networking. Yeah, the industry you want is not really competitive, but it does not mean there is no competition. Submitting to 300 companies a month is nothing but a recipe for disappointment in today's market. Put your self out there as a person who wants to get in that industry. Your resume does not really say that and it can't show your passion for it on a piece of paper unless you were actively involved in at on your free time. Join IEEE, go to the meetings that involve the industry you want.

-You will get called out on this....your "relevant skills" are not reflected in your experience. I understand you want them to know you are interested in the stuff, but some engineers will see it as an opportunity to see how much you really know about it. Since you list them as a skill, expect them to quiz you on practical applications of it.

-Is it just me, or does the "leadership" section just feel out of place? Why can't it just go under projects? The one project that could really be applicable (at least by the title) is near the bottom. Also, you have two skills sections.

 

[Rumpltzer]

About the GPA thing...

It matters; at least for this first job, it matters. Once there's work experience, no one will care.

I understand demoralizing. I had a 3.6 at UIUC, and my undergrad research advisor would yell at me every time he saw me. "Why you so stupid? Why your grades so bad?!" (Yeah, idiot... I now trounce his work and opinions whenever they come up... I hold a grudge.) The thing is, though, that GPA is your responsibility. Lie in the bed that you've made.

When I was a grad student, we were asked to interview the grad candidates. They gave us a list with names and GPAs sorted by GPA. On that list was a line. Above the line were people who would get in. Below the line were people who would not get in. There needs to be a criteria, and that was it.

I'll agree that work ethic and attitude and whatever is more important once you're at work, but you need to get into the door. GPA matters.


About the work experience thing...

I did engineering internships for two summers before college and for every summer during undergrad. This is how I paid for undeergrad. This is also part of the reason that finding the job that I wanted was not too difficult once I left school. Without a time machine, this advice is pointless to the OP but maybe others will read it.

I also worked as a bouncer at Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island as a second job one summer. It was on my resume until I began my PhD work. I left it on even though I had experience at a military lab, AT&T, Lucent and Motorola. At most, it was an interesting talking point; something unusual. You never know who it is that might interview you. Maybe they worked there too. Maybe they've got a kid that works there. Maybe their grandmother was decapitated on a roller coaster at that park. You never know.

 

[bonkers325]

a low GPA is worrying, but your projects/leadership indicates that you at least know how to apply principles and theories in a practical setting. be prepared to be hammered with technical questions on your interview, as this is what i do when i interview entry level engineers. if your basic principle and theory is lacking, you aren't very useful except as a grunt to do minor tasks.

as Gibson486 states in a post above, don't downplay the low GPA. live with it. if you get called out for the low GPA, be truthful and follow up with "i didn't take my coursework very seriously, but i know the fundamentals and principles." and be prepared to be quizzed.

combine projects and leadership, because it all falls under projects. just differentiate between role you played in each project.