Writing my first resume... and i need help on the objective.

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
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Im not sure exactly where to start. What kind of info do i want to say??

(On a side note: should a resume be no longer than 1 page?)
 

ChinamanatNCSU

Golden Member
Nov 15, 2001
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your objective should just be what you want (ex- part time job, internship within a computer company, full time summer entry level position, etc).
and yes, your resume ideally should fit within one page, unless you have a ton of work experience or really important honors or activities (and even then it should be as close to 1 page as possible)
Here's a copy of mine, if it helps any. It sucks though b/c I haven't gotten any calls back from companies I applied to with it :(

Hope this helps
 

zimmie6576

Senior member
Apr 7, 2002
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The limit of only one page is not correct. You should not put in useless data, but it is fine to go well over one page, since you need to put in everything you know or have accomplished that would relate to the job you are seeking.

The objective is just that: what you are hoping to gain by submitting your resume. Say you are an electrical engineer (off the top of my head, I am/will be after I graduate a Computer Engineer). Your objective could be something like: To obtain full time employment in the field of Electrical Engineering. Short, simple and broad. Use something like this if you are posting your resume where many people will read it. If you are applying for a particular job at a particular company, you could say something like: To obtain a full time entry-level position as an Electrical Engineer at **some company**.

Those are just some suggestions, but you can look around in libraries, on the web, etc. for samples. There are lots of samples of resumes out there.
 

joohang

Lifer
Oct 22, 2000
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<< Im not sure exactly where to start. What kind of info do i want to say??

(On a side note: should a resume be no longer than 1 page?)
>>


Depends. What kind of job are you seeking?
 

Spooner

Lifer
Jan 16, 2000
12,025
1
76
Aphex,
you definitely want to keep it to 1 page. The general rule is a resume is 1 page per 10 years of experience.

I personally don't even have an "objective" line on my resume. It's really only important if the information on your resume doesn't truly reflect what job you're looking to land. For example, if you have 4 years of experience doing IT work, and you want to try and break into the Sales world, you may want to put as your objective something along the lines of "to obtain a fulltime position leveraging my information technology skills and experience as applicable to the sales business line"...... obviously worded better than that, but you get the general idea
 

Spooner

Lifer
Jan 16, 2000
12,025
1
76


<< The limit of only one page is not correct. You should not put in useless data, but it is fine to go well over one page, since you need to put in everything you know or have accomplished that would relate to the job you are seeking. >>


Totally disagree with that one. Look above for what the general rule is
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
I also don't agree with the one page resume thing. It's not like it really matters that much if the employer has to go through two pages and cramming stuff in or shaving out words to keep it within a page is doing yourself a gross disservice.
 

Ameesh

Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
23,686
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My resume was 3 pages long and i got every job i applied for. i think if you have the stuff to say add a page or two but since this is your first resume i highly doubt that you will have enough info to fill a second or a third page.
 

joohang

Lifer
Oct 22, 2000
12,340
1
0
I personally need at least 2 pages for my resumes.

If the employer is an @$$ who just glances at the first page to hire someone, I don't want to work for them any ways.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
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Thanks for the responces.

Ive never actually held a job related to my major (Im going onto my senior year in Business Admin/Global Business).

My only experience is with various part time jobs, so keeping it to one page won't be too hard :)

 

Spooner

Lifer
Jan 16, 2000
12,025
1
76


<< My resume was 3 pages long and i got every job i applied for. i think if you have the stuff to say add a page or two but since this is your first resume i highly doubt that you will have enough info to fill a second or a third page. >>



how long have you been in the workplace?
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
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I think Ameesh only has a year or something after school but had interns as well.

In my opinion if you're working in IT, for instance, you need a good section listing your skills and if you've had a lot of jobs you need ample text to explain what you've done. A 10 word description for a job you spent 2 years at simply isn't going to cut it.
 

joohang

Lifer
Oct 22, 2000
12,340
1
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I agree.

I always had some sort of a skills matrix in the second page.

I list my objectives and experience in the first one. And they can look at my second/third page for my capabilities.
 

zimmie6576

Senior member
Apr 7, 2002
499
0
0


<<

<< The limit of only one page is not correct. You should not put in useless data, but it is fine to go well over one page, since you need to put in everything you know or have accomplished that would relate to the job you are seeking. >>


Totally disagree with that one. Look above for what the general rule is
>>



It is a suggestion, not a rule. Mine ends up being about a page and a half. I took a short resume course that was required before I started going on co-ops here (at college), and that is what I learned. I have seen several that are over one page. There was even an article about the false "rule" on MSN.com.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
bTW personally mine is about one and three quarters. I'd like to hit the page two mark but I can't, and sucking it down to one I can't really do without killing content. Nobody is going to hire you based on your ability to make a good resume anyway - they are looking for content. Obviously you can't have spelling mistakes though.
 

GasX

Lifer
Feb 8, 2001
29,033
6
81
Regarding the number of pages in your resume, if you have less than 5 years of work experience and have a multi-page resume, then you are probably over doing it. (yes, of course there are exceptions, but as a rule this works). Basically, a resume is a document that represents your education, skills, experience and potential. If it is just a list of minutae, you are not doing yourself any favors.

If you are just getting out of school, your future employee knows you are an inexperienced twit with (hopefully) some brains and potential. If you go on harping about all of the marvellous things you did in your part-time computer lab job the hiring manager is going to toss your resume in the garbage can. Outline what you have done in the best favorable light without over doing it. An experienced hiring manager can smell bullsh!t a mile away.

I am 33. I have a Master's degree and over 10 years of work experience. My resume less than2 pages long. I would be glad to share if someone wants to host it. If you want to go to 2 or 3 pages, go for it - but make sure you are packing it with substance and not fluff.
 

Calcio

Senior member
Sep 28, 2001
253
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keep it to one page. Hiring managers don't want to see multiple page resumes. They are too easy to misplace other pages. Too much to read. They just want tohe main points of your background. The interview is when they can go deeper asking questions into your past.
 

Ameesh

Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
23,686
0
0


<<

<< My resume was 3 pages long and i got every job i applied for. i think if you have the stuff to say add a page or two but since this is your first resume i highly doubt that you will have enough info to fill a second or a third page. >>



how long have you been in the workplace?
>>



im 23, ive had sevreal internships during school.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
38,572
2
91


<< I am 33. I have a Master's degree and over 10 years of work experience. My resume less than2 pages long. I would be glad to share if someone wants to host it. If you want to go to 2 or 3 pages, go for it - but make sure you are packing it with substance and not fluff. >>



Hosted Resume
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Something I learned last week that I now consider critical about .doc files - you notice the underlined in green and red? Right click and click "ignore" - you can set the document to ignore these "spelling errors" for words it doesn't know about.
 

joohang

Lifer
Oct 22, 2000
12,340
1
0


<< Something I learned last week that I now consider critical about .doc files - you notice the underlined in green and red? Right click and click "ignore" - you can set the document to ignore these "spelling errors" for words it doesn't know about. >>


You mean you didn't know that for all these years? ;)
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0


<<

<< Something I learned last week that I now consider critical about .doc files - you notice the underlined in green and red? Right click and click "ignore" - you can set the document to ignore these "spelling errors" for words it doesn't know about. >>


You mean you didn't know that for all these years? ;)
>>

No :eek: No wonder I had such a hell of a time getting a job last year ;)