Resume Writing

[dougp]

I'm having to rewrite my resume, and I'm trying to decide what I should put on it. I used to have an objectives section, skills section and of course work history. I'm thinking about striking out the objectives and just going with work history (10 years worth?) and the skills section. My college is minimal, but I guess I can also put any training I have (my certifications, also where I put that I'm an Eagle Scout.)

What am I missing? Any HR/recruiters want to chime in?

 

[Rastus]

Put everything on it, then trim it down until it is the proper size and has the look you want.

 

[xanis]

I would say kill the objectives and just stick with work history, education, skills, and certifications. No need for anything else IMO.

(<--- Eagle Scout as well BTW)

 

[bbs lm-r]

You might not even need one, just let your potential employer know you're part of ATOT :thumbsup:

 

[dougp]

You might not even need one, just let your potential employer know you're part of ATOT :thumbsup:

Eh, then they might find out why I've been banned a few times! D:

 

[Hacp]

I like to put a personal statement over an objective. An example:

Personal Statement:
John Doe is an experience actor looking for new opportunities. He holds a bachelors of arts degree in philosophy from NYU. John has worked with some of the finest directors in the field, such as James Cameron, Steven Speildsperg, and Mel Gibson in the movies Titanic, Jaws, and The Passions of the Christ. John is looking to put the acting skills he has developed throughout his career towards a leading role in a movie or Broadway show.

Experience Section:
Jaws:
Reccomendation from Steven Speildsberg. "John Doe was a stunt double for the movie jaws. John learned quickly and was always well prepared. We rarely had to shoot more than two takes for any of his scenes. John is an up and coming star and is ready for a leading role."

Titanic:
Recommendation from James Cameron. "John played the role of Jole in Titanic. His role was minor, however, he was always upbeat and brought a unique optimism to the set every day. John is a great team player and would be a solid addition to any cast."

Passion of the Christ:
Recommendation from Mel Gibson. "John played a supporting role in the Passion of the Christ. He was always prepared for his scenes, and showed extreme promise. He is ready to be a leading actor."

Skills Section:
C++
JAVA
EXCEL
VISUAL BASIC

Certificates:
A+
CNNA

 

[dougp]

I like to put a personal statement over an objective. An example:

Personal Statement:
John Doe is an experience actor looking for new opportunities. He holds a bachelors of arts degree in philosophy from NYU. John has worked with some of the finest directors in the field, such as James Cameron, Steven Speildsperg, and Mel Gibson in the movies Titanic, Jaws, and The Passions of the Christ. John is looking to put the acting skills he has developed throughout his career towards a leading role in a movie or Broadway show.

Experience Section:
Skills Section:
Certificates:

Only problem I have with a statement/objective is that I'm only reiterating what I've said in my cover letter or questionnaire. Everything I've researched is that it tends to have the least amount of face time or it's removed by the time it gets to the hiring manager.

 

[Hacp]

Only problem I have with a statement/objective is that I'm only reiterating what I've said in my cover letter or questionnaire. Everything I've researched is that it tends to have the least amount of face time or it's removed by the time it gets to the hiring manager.

From recruiters I have spoken to, they seem to like the Personal Statement. It gives them an idea of whether to read on or not. Cover letter is iffy. Some say to make it short with bullets so the Hiring Manager reads all the main points. Others say to make it long. I have spoken to literally 10 recruiters and they say they personally use the personal statement on their own resumes.

 

[Rage187]

Work history, one page. Works every time.

 

[Imyourzero]

Work history, one page. Works every time.

I was actually recently told that my resume was put in the middle of the pack after receiving them because, following advice I found online, I trimmed it down to a single page. I ended up getting the job after the webcam and face-to-face interview because they loved my soft skills and realized that my experience and skills were more impressive than what I was able to put on that single page.

Apparently the people with 2+ page resumes weren't very personable or fluffed up their resumes with BS to the point where they weren't able to back up what was on them, but it still makes me wonder what the "proper" length is. I suppose it depends on the employer.

 

[Farang]

I'm a recruiter. I don't read resumes thoroughly, you can mostly tell what someone does by picking out the acronyms/keywords on their resume. At least for people with straightforward career paths--i.e. software engineers, project managers, qa testers, etc.

After I see someone has some value to my clients, I call them and talk about their background. Even then I keep it pretty general unless I have a specific requirement I'm talking to them about that has a curveball thrown in it.

I would keep it pretty simple, 2-3 bullet point sentences per role with keywords of technologies/skills used that you frequently see in job descriptions for your line of work. A good thing to do might be to find comparable positions posted online, for each of your roles, and use the same type of language to describe what you did.

 

[esun]

In general I keep it very simple and to the point. I definitely think it should be no more than 1 page (unless they ask you for a CV or you have a lot of real, relevant experience or publications that can justify multiple pages).

I've heard mixed things about the "Objective". Lots of people think it's a waste of space (I personally agree), but I've also heard some recruiters look down on resumes without an objective, so I keep it on mine.

Also, stay away from "soft" skills/traits. I've seen resumes with things like "hard worker" or "attention to detail" which nobody gives a crap about (subjective things you think about yourself). The goal is to demonstrate those things with actual experience on your resume (e.g., if you completed some complex project that implies attention to detail, and good performance reviews implies you're a hard worker).

If you want an example here's my resume: http://eudean.com/resume.pdf

You also want to start with your strongest point. For me, not having a lot of "real" experience (i.e., most of that experience was school-related) I start with education (although after my current job it may make sense to switch them around). If education is your weak point, start with experience instead.