I hired my first employee in 1995. He was an immigrant who moved to St. Louis to escape the war in Bosnia. In his home country, he was an engineer. In America, he worked on the Chuckles candy line. He was hired because he showed up, passed a drug test, and was willing to work second shift.
This guy could barely speak English, but he asked me questions about his career options. (Basically, he had no options and he knew it.) He asked — Where should he start? How do you write a CV in America? Why weren’t his engineering credentials valid in this country?
I had no idea. I was twenty years old. Oddly enough, this man’s temporary interpreter, a coworker at the factory, was later fired for fighting with a rival employee who was part of another Serb-Croat-Bosnian ethnic faction.
The 90s were so weird.
*
I still don’t have great career advice to offer, but let’s get one thing straight.
- You won’t get a job based on your resume.
- You will get a job based on how well you sell yourself, which includes your resume but encapsulates so much more.
The fastest way to disqualify yourself from the hiring process? Sit at your computer for several hours each day and wait for magic to happen. Send your resume to every company who might be hiring. Don’t go outside. Don’t interact with real people who are educated, active, and connected. Don’t take a class or volunteer and expand your skills.
Sit in your basement and wait for an email from a hiring manager.
*
I’m in the mood to tackle questions & myths about resumes. Feel free to look at this advice and add your own spin. If you have additional advice to add, or you disagree, please leave a comment. We need to build a repository of better information.
Here we go. Lord help us.
- It doesn’t matter what font you use as long as I don’t have to increase the magnification on Microsoft Word by 200%. Your best bet is Arial or Times New Roman. No smaller than 10. No bigger than 12.
- I don’t care how many pages you have for your resume. You aren’t starting a political revolution, so you should probably keep it shorter than a manifesto.
- Every space on the page is precious. Use it wisely. Aesthetics matter. Margins should be even. Bullet points should be aligned properly. Spacing should match from paragraph to paragraph. Your resume should look like an elegant marketing tool. I won’t hire you based on a resume that looks like a Rorschach test.
- Please use a separate email address for your job search. It should be a simple version of your name. I like something like Scrub.Rue@gmail.com for my cat, Scrubby Ruettimann. Use your new, simple email account for all career-related websites, job boards, and anywhere you need to enter an email address related to your career. Set some parameters on your behaviors, too. Don’t check your email more than three times/day. Use the extra time to network, volunteer, take a class, walk, or clean your basement. Your wife and kids are right. You waste too much time on the internet.
- If your last two jobs are unrelated to one another, or unrelated to your current job search, you need an objective statement on your resume. I don’t know what you want to do. Tell me in fewer than 25 words and get out of the way. Let me see what you’ve done.
- As a professional, your ‘summary of qualifications’ statement should be no more than 100 words. It’s a summary, not an Oscar speech.
- Please don’t include hobbies, interests, or anything that could disqualify you — even subconsciously — in the eyes of a recruiter or hiring manager. I think people who collect dolls are weird. Do you want me to read your resume and think of my grandmother who collected teddy bears? Do you want me to remember that episode of Hoarders where a woman collected dolls because her husband died and she couldn’t get over the pain and sadness? Leave it off.
- I don’t need the month, day, and year of your employment. A year is fine (e.g., 2004-2008). You can add the month. I don’t care. What we’re really looking for is a huge gap in employment that says drug addiction, serially unemployed, or loser who quits his job in a huff because he thinks he’s too good to work.
- If you have a gap in your resume, own it. You are not self-employed, especially if you collect state unemployment benefits. Don’t try to sell me on your imaginary consulting firm.
- You need a cover letter. Your resume should be the beginning of a conversation, not the entire conversation. A resume tells me what you’ve done, but a cover letter tells me what you want to do and why. Don’t be lazy. Write a freakin’ cover letter and shut up about it.
I am sure I missed something. I will forever refer people to this post if I get questions about resumes.
You’ve been warned.
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That’s great advice! Here’s one thing I’ll add, don’t regurgitate your position description for each job. Tell me how you made money for the company and/or how you saved money for the company. Tell me that first, that’s what gets my attention, that ultimately matters the most. I can tell you very few people do this, so if you want to stand out, there’s a great way to do it.
@Puf That is awesome advice but I’m not sure I ever made money or saved money for any company. I was an expensive employee flying first-class to Europe. Should that be my first bullet point? (Crap. I suck.)
Hilarious and right on target.
To add/riff on what Puf said, it’s always better when the context of one’s job history is accomplishments vs responsibilities. When someone very dryly lists “responsibilities and duties” it comes off as “I had a gun pointed to my head making me do this every day.” It’s much better to put it in the context of, “I *made* this happen.”
I’m also a believer in the “tweak each resume a bit and pepper them with keywords from the posted position.” That’s just common sense.
@patrick I haven’t done a job where I didn’t have a gun to my head. Especially when I implemented career ladders at Pfizer.
If you do not want to create a new email, at least do not use the one that you use on the bondage and swingers websites.
Please put at a least a half-assed attempt to tailor your resume & cover letter to my job. Sending me a resume & cover letter for marketing jobs in California is not going to cut for a compensation job in Minnesota.
In addition to explaining what you want to do & why, your cover letter should explain why I should care (Do your want & why align with the employer’s needs?).
@sales I like national compensation plans. makes my life so much easier.
hi,
i agree with all the points, you made me wake up and in few minutes i learn 3 words i can use in my career! i think i’ll get addicted to this blog!
keep the good work.
@janet thanks!
So you’re saying people shouldn’t use “classygirl_jazzygirl@xyzmail.com” as their return email? That’s one of the most recent jewels that stood out. Gotta love ‘em.
I worked for a hospice a few years back. I absolutely LOVED recruiting for chaplains! You’d get the BEST resumes complete with family pictures, religious views and beliefs, detailed personal information, awesome personal references from other religious figures, prayers, all coming from funny email addresses.
If you’ve never recruited for one, I recommend it!
@chris Classy girl is a jazzy girl. That makes sense. Also, I love the comment about hospice chaplains. Wow.
I will be referring people to this post!
I would also add “use the spell-check feature on your word processing program.” And then have another person look at it, just to make sure – spell-check sometimes lets things go that are still wrong based on context.
@Amy Thanks!
Funny enough, all the things you comment on seem to be good advice nternationally – I’m recruiting in Germany and still can agree with all of the above.
Other favourite DON’Ts:
- do never ever write an E-Mail application to a whole list of companies – if you don’t even bother to write to me personally (using my name and not some Dear Sir / Madam adress), why should I consider you to be seriously interested in the job?
- don’t use info@ adress if there are recruiters mail adresses posted all over the internet and on the job offer
- make sure you add the right attachments – I sure don’t want to look for a CV and find your latest holiday picture – that makes me assume you make the same kind of stupid mistakes at work
- be consistent – if cover letter and CV don’t match, I’m probably not going to invite you to find out how come….
@Sandra Thanks for reading! Good feedback.
My favorite proofreading tip is to carefully read the text backward. You are less likely to gloss over a word. Also, my bro in academia who sees lots of resumes once advised me to look at mine and use words like awarded, earned, elected, appointed. Those revisions added true clarity, so, instead of “Member, XYZ School Council”, I had “Elected XYZ School Council member”
@Bobolink That backwards tip is good for blogging. Thank you!
I don’t read cover letters, and I skim resumes. Your last two jobs (occassionally 3) are the only ones that count (to me)…I look at the title and company, then I take a deeper dive if interested. More then two pages is a run on sentence. 20 seconds is a good look. College/grad school big plus…Certifications (CPA, SPHR, B school continuing ED a plus – shows interest in learning/keeping skills sharp). You don’t need to agree…thats how we do it in my organization. It also works (for us). We are profitable, have long tenure, and have an engaged workforce, not perfect but better then many if not most…Agree on pts 1,3,4,7,8,9…
don’t agree on # pages…summary and objective…we know why your applying and if your not qualified it will be obvious from your last 2 jobs…
anyway just one person’s view…
M
@Mark Awesome feedback on resumes. “Objective: make money and get health insurance. Not necessarily in that order.”
I don’t have a problem with people using their real email, just make sure it isn’t explicit, provocative, or cutesy. If I’m going to hire you for a professional position, I want to know you will present yourself in a professional manner. While acting professionally in the applicant stage may not reflect your on the job professionalism, if you can’t manage to do it then I have little faith you will do it after your hired….
it’s you’re, people!
I also agree with @Mark F. on the cover letters, in theory. I hate them, I don’t like reading them, and I never ask for them. I don’t like marketing BS. I want to know what you have done as it is the best indicator of what you can do. That said, follow instructions. If asked, provide one. It is probably not a bad idea to submit one even if not asked. Since they are standard practice, unless specifically asked not to, your not going to lose points for submitting one, so its to your advantage.
The other thing, I don’t want pictures of you (or your family) on your resume. And I DON’T want a video resume. Every time I hear some marketing/branding type “expert” say it is the wave of the future, I want to vomit. Ignoring the added EEO liability risks the to the company (the reason I don’t think pictures are a good idea), I don’t have time to sit through your video. I can read a stack of resumes in the time it take to watch one video resume.
Every bullet point on your resume should reflect the value you brought to the employer with which you gained that experience. As Puff says, cash generated and costs saved are big eye catchers. If you don’t have exact data describing the value brought or costs saved, use estimated figures. If you can’t at least estimate the impact your achievement had on the business, it’s probably not worth mentioning on your resume.
Don’t assume the person reviewing your resume can draw favorable conclusions on their own. There is nothing common about having sense, so don’t rely on “common sense” to tell your story.
Don’t use words that would require the average Joe to use a thesaurus or dictionary to understand. Dennis Miller is not reviewing your resume.
If you absolutely hate making widgets, don’t reference your widget making skills 15 times on your resume. You may want to be a wodget maker. If you’ve only made widgets, tell me HOW the widget-making experience prepared you to make wodgets.
If you’re applying for a position that requires relocation, give a compelling reason for your desire to relocate in your cover letter. Especially if you’re applying to a smaller market job. If I’m going to spend $50k+ to move you to Charleston, WV, I don’t want you to quit after 9 months because you really liked Manhattan better. If I know you really want to be in Charleston for reasons other than having “a job,” I’m more likely to consider the investment to move you there. I don’t need (or want) to know invasive details on your personal life, but telling me that you lived there before and would like to return or that you have family in the area and would like to be closer to them makes me believe you want to sink roots.
If you’ve only been a receptionist or a college student, don’t apply to the VP of marketing job posting. You’re wasting my time and yours.
@scott All good points, especially about relocation.
I disagree with #10. Skip the cover letter unless asked for it. Very few people can write a good one. It usually does more harm than good. My experience is that hiring mgrs really don’t care what you want to do. They are more interested in if you can do what they need you to do.
@Ann Interesting. It can do more harm than good. Solution? Pay one of my awesome friends/bloggers to write it.
1) Agreed – Also, please SEND in Word, RTF, plain text even, just don’t send me image files, PDFs, links to web versions w/o downloadable version, etc. If I can’t put it in the ATS without additional work, then it’s not going in.
2) Agreed – HOWEVER, please note that however many pages you send, I only read about half a page. First half, first page – tells me if you’re a maybe or a no. If you pass the first scan, I read more – if you’re not a no by the end, you’re a maybe.
3) Aesthetics do matter. Not a definite DQ if you’re great for the job and I can tell, and won’t save you if you’re not, but they make my life a lot more pleasant. I also personally prefer all bullets on a list to be one line max length, but that’s a me thing not a general rule.
4) Definitely. Not an outright disqualifier, but it’s always an awkward conversation for me when the IT guys notice “man_ho_69@xxx.com” in my Outlook frequent contacts! DO remember to actually check once a day, however – when I do reach out to folks it’s often timesensitive, and if replying to an inquiry from me two weeks late, the job has likely been filled already.
5) I disagree, UNLESS you are applying to a company for “any available openings” or posting the resume on a job board for search purposes. If applying to a specific job — we know your objective is to get this job. Not true of all companies, however.
6) Word. Or rather, fewer words! Bulleted accomplishments / specific skills might even be better. If you can’t tweet your Professional Summary, revise until you can.
7) Similarly – your birthdate, home town, marriage status, number of children, religion, gender indentity, sexual orientation, favorite soft drink, etc. HOWEVER – I think it’s completely worth your time to clarify if you think there may be questions about your US employment eligibility. For instance – all your work experience is in another country but you just completed a US Masters? Have no US work / education history but list foreign employment as recently as a few months ago? All that and you don’t list any kind of address or your surname on the resume? This stuff makes my delete finger itchy unless you provide some positive context.
9) If you have no client references and generated no revenue, you WERE NOT the sole proprietor of a consulting firm. Just sayin’.
10) Agreed. I may not always read them, but you should have one, and you should be sure to tailor it to each job.
Actually, to add an 11—
11) Be prepared to write x+n resumes/cover letters, where X is the number of jobs you apply to and N is the number of databases your resume is uploaded to. Tailor the submitted resumes/covers to the specific job or company you are applying to, and tailor the searchable resumes for maximum SEO based on the best available info for internal and X-ray search of that particular DB.
12) PS: Whoever told you there would be no math? Lied.
@DG Awesome list. Disagree on months but who cares — I like #11, too.
Please don’t use your current work e-mail address on your resume! (i.e. johndoe@target.com) I’m just going to think that you are spending your time at work looking for other jobs, so how do I know you won’t do that to me?
@Stephanie What if I want you to know how ballsy I am? I’m looking for a job and using my company’s resources because I’m a bad ass. Hire me.
NO pictures. This must be common in Europe, as I’ve noticed that resumes from Europe have photos a good share of the time.
Do NOT tell me your age.
Don’t confuse me by detailing all your expertise and then providing a simple list of job history at the very end. I want to know what you did where and for how long. There’s really no way to cover for a bouncing job history or a gap in employment. Just be straight with me.
Don’t tell me that you’re married and have 3 kids. Honestly, I don’t care. It doesn’t have anything to do with the job.
Give me facts about your accomplishments, but don’t brag. I recently received a cover letter that said, “If you’re looking for a drafting GOD, hire me.” No thanks.
Don’t let your wife send your resumes for you, or vice versa. When the email address says it’s from Tammy, but your name is actually Bob, I’m going to wonder who really wants this job. OWN your job search. And really, REALLY don’t let your wife make phone calls for you.
If you’re a recent graduate, try to be receptive to the feedback you receive. It sucks to be graduating in this mess, but you’re better off taking notes about the actual job-related technical skills you’re going to need to compete against unemployed workers with 2 to 3 yrs experience under their belts instead of arguing with me about the value of your senior project. We have NO budget/time for training right now, so I’m afraid there’s alot more self-education ahead of you after graduation.
@H Aria Ken once told me that European lady-engineers often send pictures. It’s as if they want to say, “I’m hot and smart.” Shoot, that’s a good strategy. PS – All good advice.
Please don’t send me a resume that is more than 1 mb. My email server groans when I receive giant files that will take forever to download. If you have a portfolio you want to share, host it online and send me a link to view.
@MRA More than 1MB? Are they sending you nuclear codes?
Your list captures the main points, Laurie. Nice work and, of course, I love the attitude. To echo HRPufnstuf, show how you made a difference in your current and past roles: What did you do to make money? Save money? Make a process more efficient?
One thing about hobbies and interests: They shouldn’t hurt if it (a) is somewhat related to the job description or company, such as someone seeking a teaching job who is president of a local Toastmasters group, or (b) helps show the employer that you’re not so wedded to your career that you forsake doing interesting stuff outside your professional role.
@Rick Is Toastmasters a hobby or interest? Hm. I guess you’re right. Maybe volunteering for Boys & Girls club, too. United Way. Fine, okay, those are acceptable. I would leave off anything religious or political in nature. What about rescuing cats? Some people really hate cats. Could be a strike against me — I mean — candidates.
On #3: “Aesthetics matter. Margins should be even. Bullet points should be aligned properly. Spacing should match from paragraph to paragraph. Your resume should look like an elegant marketing tool.” This is the kind of resume you should bring to a job interview, but if you are emailing or posting on an online application our ATS is probably going to garble all the formatting and make it look like that proverbial Rorschach test. I always recommend that people have 2 versions of their resumes, the pretty one to hand out at the interview and the simple .txt version for emailing/posting online.
On #8 I disagree, I want to see month/year for all jobs. I suppose this is less important if you have been at a job for several years. However, I hire mostly entry level positions and when I see a job listed as 2008-2009 I don’t know if that was 2 months (12/08-1/09) or 2 years (01/08-12/09).
@Puf – I absolutely agree! I generally know by the job title what your responsibilities were. I always recommend people think about what they did that made a difference at their last employer and quantify it as much as possible.
Great post, Laurie and great discussion.
@Robin I’m yet to work with at ATS system that didn’t garble a resume. Sheesh. Also, do you really want to see months? If you’re out of work less than 11 months, you missed a great opportunity to learn something fun during unemployment. Maybe I’ve been out of the game too long.
@bobolink you’re absolutely correct in that you’re is a contraction of “you are” and it is a comment error found in many blog posts and comments. It is an easy mistake that won’t show up in spell check and most web browsers don’t have grammar check functionality. I suspect most people on here know the difference but thanks for adding to the intelligent discourse.
Let me just interject something. We know grammar rules. We make typos. I make them daily. Who gives a shit? We’re all intelligent people. Every single person who reads this blog owns a copy of Strunk & White. (Okay, maybe not.)
Rule #1 on PRHR: we don’t make fun of grammar or typos. Especially mine.
Yes, that should have been common error not comment error, But again, knowing better and catching it are two very different things.
@corey You’re one of the smartest people who reads this blog. #fact
I am curious when submitting a cover letter and resume electronically does the content of the email suffice as your cover letter. I feel that is should and seldom provide a separate document at the risk of being redundant. your thoughts? and great advice
thanks, Matt
@Matt I am curious when submitting a cover letter and resume electronically does the content of the email suffice as your cover letter. I feel that is should and seldom provide a separate document at the risk of being redundant. your thoughts? and great advice I think you are right but I don’t know how ATS systems scan cover letters into systems, anymore. That’s a good technie question.
SPELL CHECK— and double check words that spell check would miss!! Don’t spell Manager “Manger”, or Server “Sever” — YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT!!!!! No, really, you do– I’m not kidding!!
Most important— don’t put into objectives, or in your job title anything that your experience doesn’t describe. Just because you called a day laborer to load 55 computers into a Penske Rent-a-Truck DOESN’T make you a Project Manager.
@mattymat I forgive typos. Am I the only one?
Loved this list. Sending it to all my friends that claim to be ‘looking for a job’.
@shaun They are liars. They don’t want jobs. They want government handouts.
Serious question time:
How do you network when you’ve just moved to a new city where you know absolutely no one other than your family (who can’t help you network due to the nature of their job, before you ask) and you don’t have a specific career industry (I’m typically an admin. asst. and not industry specific at all)?
@mouse I had that problem when I moved to Raleigh. I found a local Social Media Club. There are all kinds in that group, and it led me to other events. http://www.socialmediaclub.org/
Totally agree with several of the comments made already. Here are few additional thoughts on this topic:
1 – Thumbs down to Times New Roman. Sans serif fonts such as Arial are much easier on the eyes. Either way, make sure to pick a “common” font that will translate properly.
2 – No more than 2 pages. So far, I have not encountered any exceptions to justify more than this; though I constantly hear people say they “need” 3-4 pages to capture their abilities.
3 – Absolutely agree – aesthetics DO matter – pay attention to details – this is your ONLY chance to make a great first impression.
4 – Agree – Not looking to hire hotprincess@girlsgonewild.com
5 – Eliminate passé “objective” statement – usually those are all about WIIFM vs. your value proposition for the prospective employer.
6 – Summary or Profile section (not objective) should be brief, yet powerful. Study and mirror terminology from job postings, but be original.
7 – Agree – unless you are completely certain that your hobbies are job related and not going to invite unwelcome bias, leave them in your personal/private life.
8 – Usually YYYY-YYYY is much cleaner (my preference). However, I have heard of HMs or recruiters being suspicious of “missing” months.
9 – No need to call attention to “problem” areas, but don’t try to make them disappear either. Listing an imaginary consulting firm is lame as is writing some cutesy description saying CEO of Smith Household.
10 – A CL is another opportunity to market your awesomeness for the opportunity. Plus, some people want to see how you communicate, since that is almost always a “requirement” for any job/level/industry.
A few other things to keep in mind… Don’t use a bunch of stale, clichés that you copied from some free online resume sample. Don’t use blow-hardy, over-the-top language, typically found in “professionally” written resumes. If you are uniquely talented and the right fit for the job, your resume should demonstrate how and why, not just read like every other candidate’s resume written since 1982.
The simple resume formula I use is REAL:
R = Relevant and targeted to your NEXT job
E = Edited well, to be concise & 100% error-free
A = Action & Achievement-oriented to show results
L = Lead to interview invitations
@talent Love the REAL comment. Perfect. I’m not sure if two pages or four pages or $50K/page really matters. Just tell me, tell me clearly, and tell me in a way that makes me see you as a potential employee and not a pain-in-the-butt.
On a lighter note, I love Resume Richard – http://www.resumerichard.com – it shows you exactly what NOT to do.
@NW Agreed. I featured Resume Richard once before. He rocks.
Shiny, Laurie. Thanks. =)
Okay…I sold out. Took a job this week and it may actually be a good one. I also have to admit that I have been trying to “sell out” for about a year. Denial, I know. And, being sober for 15 years also taught me that acceptance is the first step to recovery. So, maybe I will get my fill form “da man” and move on in a couple of years.
I gotta admit thought. I am a really good job searcher. I had my resume on over 20 sites…most people think there are only 2. I tracked people down like “Dawg the Bounty Hunter” and got my resume in front of people…even if they didn’t want it. And, I followed up…even if they didn’t want it. I was not going away. Any hint at a possible position, and I was back on them again. I have a 20K+ line spreadsheet of recruiter and HR contacts to whom I would blanket about twice a year. I was very active.
Truth be told, I kinda miss it. I would like to help other people find jobs and get in front of the decision people. But, I am also a little secretive. I don’t share tactics. But, I am not so sure that was a bad thing. I mean, why should I have willfully introduced competition?
@Priest HOORAY. Congrats.
Hey if you are nowhere near the Portland, OR area, I would in no way shape or form be your competition.
I wanted to ask the folks who said they wanted work experience defined down to the month/day a question:
What would you consider an acceptable way to explain a short work tenure due to massive layoffs triggered by the recession?
I had positive, measurable results (listed on the resume) and positive reviews. But when the company was bleeding money, my job and 300 others was the torniquet. Any suggestions on how to explain that? Is blunt honesty the best policy or should I not provide TMI?
@patrick All the experts say to be brief, be honest, and keep that shit moving to the next subject.
I too am a bit paranoid that I never actually made or saved money for any employer. Except in the bare minimum sense of coming in within the billable hours allotted to me for the project, or doing work that nobody else had time to do such that the project would get done. I assume or at least hope that this was enough to justify my salary, but unfortunately that’s all I got.
I TA’d a senior design class in grad school, and the students filled out an information sheet on the first day of class. One of the guys (The “D”‘s were actually another letter just in case I am “outing” him somehow) gave his email address as “DDBallz@[provider].com.” Leaving aside the question of why he would not just use his university-provided student email, I was surprised that he was not embarrassed on principle to tell grown-ups that his email address contained the term “Ballz.” Of course I was a goody-two-shoes myself.
Thanks for this post and the discussion–I will refer to it as I continue to modify my resume for different positions. A lot of my resume “knowledge” is stuck in the ’90s, and there is so much conflicting information out there that I get confused or overwhelmed trying to sort through it.
@Space My whole life is stuck in the 90s. We’ll be fine.
FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!
I’m starting a very small company and posted the job on Craigslist. I do appreciate that the first contact email included a resume over “I’m interested in that job you posted” with no contact info. But honestly, I don’t care about their resume. I would much rather see the specific questions on our application answered, specifically driving experience. Some highlight the driving qualifications in their email, but none have returned the application I sent to them. If I had to choose between two people, the one who took the time to fill out and return the application is more likely (very much more likely) to get the job. I desperately need someone who can follow directions.
@Q Directions??? Really?? Okay, fine. You’re so tough.
Very impressed with the comments. For those job seekers over 50, I suggest you do not try and mislead others via your resume by leaving out graduation date and only covering the last 10 years of experience. Some confused people out there are spreading this as good advise against age discrimination. In my opinion, it comes across as misleading and dishonest.
@Doug Thanks & good advice!
How do you network when you’ve just moved to a new city where you know absolutely no one other than your family
Your family does know people. They have friends. Their friends work and have other friends.
My hairdresser knows people. She cuts the hair of the guy who is a project manager at Harley. This guy would be a great contact for me if I had to return to work.
Church. The lady who runs the chocolate fundraiser at church is in HR at Rockwell. How convenient.
Alumni group. Or high school friends. (If you have moved back to where you were in high school.)
Volunteer. I read to 4 year olds once a month. The lady who got me into this program (whom I met at the church book club) is married to a senior guy at Quad Graphics.
I also volunteer at a 3rd world shop. One of the other volunteers is a retired Milwaukee schoolteacher. She knows everyone in town.
The gym. I go in the morning with the other unemployed women, most of them moms. They are married to men who have jobs.
There are connections everywhere you look. Good luck!
Good list of résumé tips. I do, however, take issue with the idea of including an objective. Objectives typically do one of two things: 1. Pidgeon-hole the applicant by being too specific, thereby eliminating them from consideration for other jobs that match their skill set, or 2. use a lot of words to say absolutely nothing.
Instead, create a brief “Professional Profile” or “Qualifications Summary” that details, quantitatively, what the applicant brings to the table.
I never read objectives. I’m looking at someone’s résumé for one reason: that person wants a job. Period. End of story.
@shawn Thanks. We’ll have to agree to disagree on the objective statement.
Lauren, good post. Well done.
I only disagree with one of the things you mentioned, which is about leaving the month out on the candidate’s resume.
I believe as a professional recruiter, we should request candidate’s to show the month as well. Reason being they can just mention they’ve worked from 2004 to 2005, who knows they could of just worked from decemeber 2004 to Jan 2005, which is just 2 months. If the client finds this out before you, trust me they won’t be happy with the level of service you just provided.
This is what I tell everyone, bad or good you should be the first one to know it not the client.
Apart from that you’ve done a good job posting this Lauren.
@Jari Thank you.
@Laurie Would you hire a Project Manger? How about a Sever Administrator? I know my client wouldn’t if I left it in the resume.
@MM Sometimes I spell check an otherwise awesome resume and fix it. I’m such a softie.
@thegolddigger
“Your family does know people. They have friends. Their friends work and have other friends.”
No actually they don’t. She works from home for a major telecom company. When she has to go to a job site it is out of town. For fun she geeks out on her computer. She seriously has no homies in town. She just moved here a few years ago herself.
“My hairdresser knows people.”
That’s actually a great idea it just made me laugh since I’m my own hairdresser (because no one else can cut my hair right).
“Church.”
I’m an atheist and my family does not attend church. No, there are no local atheist groups (that I can actually get to anyway). Hmmm…maybe I’ll start my own.
“Alumni group. Or high school friends. (If you have moved back to where you were in high school.)”
Opposite; I’ve moved away from the area where I went to high school. Family moved here five years ago.
“Volunteer.”
That’s actually what I started looking into right after posting yesterday. In the past it’s been a non-starter as I lived with roomates who werne’t to keen on seeing a person go to volunteer at the local women’s shelter thrift store when they should be out looking for work. In this situation, where I am actually living with someone with a brain, it’s perfect. I felt super dense after posting for not thinking of it before. Volunteermatch.org is a great site for finding that sort of thing.
“The gym.”
Is against my religion (and my lack of money).
OK, for a little levity and a lot of truth-telling, you might want to read this article (and/or put it on your own recruiting website!):
How to write a résumé that truly portrays your business strengths (While saving time and deodorant during an interview). It’s hard hitting, meaty, direct, and useful. Steal it for your own use…
You can view it here http://www.devonjames.com/write_resume.html
@colleen Thanks.