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Resume writing: one side says do this, other side says don't

SunnyD

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
It's about that time again for me to brush up my resume before I forget what I've learned at my current employer. So I figured I'd start from scratch and put together a whole new resume.

Funny thing along the way as I'm looking for "help" on the subject of writing resumes. Pretty much there's two camps at either end of the spectrum when it comes down to what to put on your resume.

For example, let's take the "objective", a staple of modern resumes.

Pretty much any resume writing class or resource will say that this is one of the MOST important parts of a resume, yadda yadda blah blah.

Then you look at sites like Forbes, Salary.com, etc's resume tips and they say it's one of the most useless things to put on a resume because, obviously, the objective of a resume is to get a job. Duh.

I started digging a little deeper and it seems like about 75% of a resume's expected content is at odds between the two camps. So here's the question to anyone that's a hiring manager - what SHOULD go on a resume outside of name, contact information and professional experience and/or education?
 
" For example, let's take the "objective", a staple of modern resumes."

I have never submitted an objective; I'm batting 100%.

Then you look at sites like Forbes, Salary.com, etc's resume tips and they say it's one of the most useless things to put on a resume because, obviously, the objective of a resume is to get a job. Duh.
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I asked a hiring manager from EY about this, and this was his opinion
 
i've never been a hiring manager but i have interviewed candidates for positions on our teams in the past and i don't think i've ever looked at the objectives part of the resume. however, it may be different because i'm in software dev so i'm pretty sure i know what my candidates' objectives are. i typically look at the professional experience and to a lesser extent the listed skillset.

as for your other question, in addition to name, contact info and experience/education i always put a section at the top where i list out my skillset because that's where the recruiters look primarily, imho, using their search-fu on monster/dice/careerbuilder/etc. also, i usually have a place for references where i always put "available upon request". you should also put your donkey kong high score and your best 1600m time.
 
i usually have a place for references where i always put "available upon request".
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I don't understand this reasoning because it should be assumed. Whether that line is on there or not, what are they gonna do when they want references? They're gonna request it.

Waste of 3 lines.
 
I took both objective and references off mine recently. (the Available on request line that is)
 
It depends on how clearly your background lines you up for the job you are applying for. If you have 10 years of exp in software dev. and are applying for a senior software dev. position then it is a completely useless section. On the other hand, if you are young and your future is wide open then the objective helps the hiring manager see that you are interested and will be motivated in the company/industry/career path.

It's the same with a career path change. If your background was in retail and you recently completed night school courses to switch to software dev then it would highlight the fact that you are looking to change careers. Otherwise, the reviewer's first thought could be "the HR person put this resume in for the wrong job opening.
 
Savij said:
It depends on how clearly your background lines you up for the job you are applying for. If you have 10 years of exp in software dev. and are applying for a senior software dev. position then it is a completely useless section. On the other hand, if you are young and your future is wide open then the objective helps the hiring manager see that you are interested and will be motivated in the company/industry/career path.

It's the same with a career path change. If your background was in retail and you recently completed night school courses to switch to software dev then it would highlight the fact that you are looking to change careers. Otherwise, the reviewer's first thought could be "the HR person put this resume in for the wrong job opening.
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Good points.
 
Ns1 said:
I don't understand this reasoning because it should be assumed. Whether that line is on there or not, what are they gonna do when they want references? They're gonna request it.

Waste of 3 lines.
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dude i had to fill up the rest of the page.
 
It's not just about objectives... I find it funny when you compare the "resume sites" to the "resume critics" it's like they're total opposites.
 
"what SHOULD go on a resume outside of name, contact information and professional experience and/or education?


I looked at my own resume and it contains contact info, experience, education, and activities, in that order.

I left the activities/interests section there because I heard it helps show you aren't a soul-less bastard and it starts conversation.

When I had my interview, he opened up the interview with a question related to my interests, so IMHO mission accomplished.
 
Ns1 said:
"what SHOULD go on a resume outside of name, contact information and professional experience and/or education?


I looked at my own resume and it contains contact info, experience, education, and activities, in that order.

I left the activities/interests section there because I heard it helps show you aren't a soul-less bastard and it starts conversation.

When I had my interview, he opened up the interview with a question related to my interests, so IMHO mission accomplished.
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Agreed. Personal interests have always been discussed in my experience. It actually gives the interviewer insight into your personality, which is directly related to the environment of the office. If the workplace has a lot of team interaction and communication, but you are a social idiot, I am much less inclined to hire you. My resume lists all of my important and relevant accomplishments, but it also clearly shows that I am a person with a variety of skills beyond my education. I think that's the key.
 
I don't have something at the top of my resume in the format:

Objective: I want to work for peanuts in a fast paced environment for a boss who will work me to death and take all the credit for my accomplishments.
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What I do have at the top of my resume is a very brief statement saying what I can bring to a company. Consider it an extremely condensed version of a cover letter just in case the resume is ever seen without the cover letter, which is simply a short narrative that accompanies a resume and is just a glorified resume objective. A single sentence saying something along the lines of:

Experienced IT manager with a background in software development, leading software and hardware teams, and managing large-scale IT projects.
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It sets the tone for the rest of the resume.
 
Ns1 said:
I don't understand this reasoning because it should be assumed. Whether that line is on there or not, what are they gonna do when they want references? They're gonna request it.

Waste of 3 lines.
Click to expand...

I've always used the "references available upon request" line to indicate the end of the resume. Kinda like those "this page was intentionally left blank" lines
 
makken said:
I've always used the "references available upon request" line to indicate the end of the resume. Kinda like those "this page was intentionally left blank lines"
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I guess this makes sense...if you can't fill up a whole page...
 
Skeeedunt said:
Exactly, how else would you know if the resume was over or if the guy's printer just ran out of ink.
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Well if the dumbass submitted a resume that ran out of ink...

Otherwise, people know my resume is over when they reach the last line of text.
 
Savij said:
It depends on how clearly your background lines you up for the job you are applying for. If you have 10 years of exp in software dev. and are applying for a senior software dev. position then it is a completely useless section. On the other hand, if you are young and your future is wide open then the objective helps the hiring manager see that you are interested and will be motivated in the company/industry/career path.

It's the same with a career path change. If your background was in retail and you recently completed night school courses to switch to software dev then it would highlight the fact that you are looking to change careers. Otherwise, the reviewer's first thought could be "the HR person put this resume in for the wrong job opening.
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This. If you are an experienced professional looking to stay in the same field, just keep it clean and simple and make sure folks can quickly understand what you are. Don't sweat the details and don't overdo it, keep it fairly short.

As a recruiter the first thing I look at is your most recent title/experience. Then longevity there. Then previous title/experience. If the third job back is 3+ years old, I shoot down to education. Then I run up the resume and look at overall longevity at each role, contractors versus perm guys. Then overall arc of job titles. Then I pick up the phone. Takes about 15 seconds. Aside from buzzwords that identify what you do, I don't read objectives, summaries, bla bla bla
 
Farang said:
This. If you are an experienced professional looking to stay in the same field, just keep it clean and simple and make sure folks can quickly understand what you are. Don't sweat the details and don't overdo it, keep it fairly short.

As a recruiter the first thing I look at is your most recent title/experience. Then longevity there. Then previous title/experience. If the third job back is 3+ years old, I shoot down to education. Then I run up the resume and look at overall longevity at each role, contractors versus perm guys. Then overall arc of job titles. Then I pick up the phone. Takes about 15 seconds. Aside from buzzwords that identify what you do, I don't read objectives, summaries, bla bla bla
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+reps

Why longevity btw?
 
Ns1 said:
+reps

Why longevity btw?
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Short time in all roles = job hopper, bad hire

(Possibly) Overlong time spent in current role = someone who has plateaued at their current company and isn't high potential (or they would have been promoted where they are.)

Total time spent in similar roles = level of experience. You don't want to hire someone with 8 years of experience into an entry level job, and you don't want to hire someone with 6 months of experience into a job that needs a very solid experienced background
 
When I look at resumes, I'm looking for the following, usually in this order:

- experience / work history
- experience with technologies my team uses
- duration at previous jobs. Too short can mean you are a problem that is often let go.
- education

I usually ignore the objective section if it is there.
 
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