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Attention Business Owners - Resume Advice
This thread has 20 replies. Displaying posts 16 through 21.
Post 16 made on Sunday February 11, 2018 at 16:21
Anthony
Ultimate Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2001
28,867
If I am looking at one I want it to be a as concise and as meaningful as possible (i.e. don't waste my time). It is there to help me decide if I want you to go to the next step or not, nothing more nothing less.

#1. Do you want to see a photo of the person? Why or why not?

if the person is applying to be a model,a stripper, TV personality... appearance has some value and a picture can be worth adding, maybe if the person hiring is racist or discriminates on appearance they might like a pic as well.

Personally if I am looking for someone to answer the phone or pull wires ...... why would I care what they look like? I never got one with a pic but if I did at best it would go at the end of the pile.

#2. What about an About Me section? I thought this would be a short section to talk about her parents who met in the military and interesting facts like she was born in Manhattan and spent 10 years of her childhood living in Puerto Rico before moving to Chicago. Also shes heavily involved in animal rescue.

no, no one cares this is not facebook. You can include a summary (about me) but it needs to be relevant to what you are looking for (eg "heavily involved in animal rescue." for a job as a dog walker, " spent 10 years of her childhood living in Puerto Rico" for a job as a Puerto Rico travel guide.

#3. For work history im just going to include the company names in chronological order (most recent listed at top) with what she did there so like...

this is tricky for example

My mother got me a job at a stereo store at 12. At 15 i was working at a liquor store nearby and the stereo store. At 18 full time at the stereo store. At 19 two full time jobs as a security guard and delivery guy...someone got me both jobs...on and off at a hot dog joint for a few years and full time at my current job for over 20 years.

If you are in your 40's no one cares if you worked at the liquor store when you were 15 or sold hot dogs when you were 20. you would not need to include all that, but since we are an AV firm

the stereo store 19xx-19yy
stock boy until 19zz
sold VCRs
...

even though the tech has changed it is still useful to now

if the job is relevant you need to add more like responsibilities and achievements, if they are old and useless just drop them

Any real need to provide phone numbers to previous employers? I feel like its a waste of time because no one ever calls to check on sub $75k per year employees. Obviously if you were applying for an important job i think it matters.

I prefer a simple "references available upon request". I will ask for them and will check one or two but references are step 2+ while at this point we are step 1, weeding out and throwing away the ones that are not interesting. If you attach 5 reference letters I won't even bother looking at it since I am not there to waste my time and read a small book.

PS I can google the company name and get a generic number if the company still exists, references should be people that know you personally. If I call that number it is to find out if you are the type of person that is dependable or the type of person that shows up 1h late and drunk.

Any other advice?

1) you need an education section (bottom) BUT if you are in your 20's it can be worth it to get into the details (I want to know about you and it will probably say more than your job experience e.g. I am working at McD and finishing my PHD in electrical engineering in....), if you are in your 50s keep it short it was a long time ago and your work experience will tell me more (e.g. 30 years ago I started working at McD while getting my PHD in electrical engineering in....),

2) you need a skills and competencies section(s) (top)

3) One page is OK, Two pages is good, three is absolute max, anything more and it goes to the garbage, time is money.

4) not to be mean, but I feel the monogram comes off a bit as childish but in itself it would not hurt job prospects so do what you want. Don't forget, what you are building is a tool so that the future employer can decide in a minute if you make it to the next step.

5) If there is a large "work gap" (eg decided to stop working to raise the kids) explain it with a line or two something like raising kids or taking care of sick family members I can understand and respect, a blank did not work for several years looks worst.
...
Post 17 made on Sunday February 11, 2018 at 17:39
Fins
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
June 2007
11,627
Have her also go on to FB and any other social media outlets she uses a d clean those up. I’ve talked to several people in charge of hiring that said they have had some very good resumes cross their desk but go straight in the trash after a Facebook search. Get rid of the keg stand photos and any political comments
Civil War reenactment is LARPing for people with no imagination.

OP | Post 18 made on Sunday February 11, 2018 at 17:49
Mac Burks (39)
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2007
17,515
On February 11, 2018 at 17:39, Fins said...
Have her also go on to FB and any other social media outlets she uses a d clean those up. I’ve talked to several people in charge of hiring that said they have had some very good resumes cross their desk but go straight in the trash after a Facebook search. Get rid of the keg stand photos and any political comments

Great advice. Luckily she only has facebook. Her friends list is like 150 people that she actually knows in real life. Not everyone she ever met or random strangers. People we visit on the holidays for example. Facebook is set to private and shes old enough that the keg stand photos are on film rotting away in photo albums across the country.

Me on the otherhand...i would need to hire a firm to clean up my mess.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps
OP | Post 19 made on Sunday February 11, 2018 at 18:11
Mac Burks (39)
Elite Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2007
17,515
On February 11, 2018 at 16:21, Anthony said...
If I am looking at one I want it to be a as concise and as meaningful as possible (i.e. don't waste my time). It is there to help me decide if I want you to go to the next step or not, nothing more nothing less.

if the person is applying to be a model,a stripper, TV personality... appearance has some value and a picture can be worth adding, maybe if the person hiring is racist or discriminates on appearance they might like a pic as well.

Personally if I am looking for someone to answer the phone or pull wires ...... why would I care what they look like? I never got one with a pic but if I did at best it would go at the end of the pile.

I think a photo could play a role in getting a job. An attractive young woman will land a receptionist job if her competition is an old fat bald man like myself. Is that a good or fair thing? No...but in the real world it would make a difference.

no, no one cares this is not facebook. You can include a summary (about me) but it needs to be relevant to what you are looking for (eg "heavily involved in animal rescue." for a job as a dog walker, " spent 10 years of her childhood living in Puerto Rico" for a job as a Puerto Rico travel guide.

this is tricky for example

If you are in your 40's no one cares if you worked at the liquor store when you were 15 or sold hot dogs when you were 20. you would not need to include all that, but since we are an AV firm

the stereo store 19xx-19yy
stock boy until 19zz
sold VCRs
...

even though the tech has changed it is still useful to now

if the job is relevant you need to add more like responsibilities and achievements, if they are old and useless just drop them

If i were to create a resume today it would have...

Name
Contact Info
Current Job
Skills list
Photos of installation work
Screenshots of User Interfaces, logos and other graphical materials i have produced.

I wouldn't even bother listing the 300 industry classes and certificates i have. I cant even remember them all.

But thats me...after 20+ years in a niche market working with a high end firm. My grilfriend on the other hand has always worked sub $75k per year jobs where the skills rarely matter at the next company. For example she has worked at 6 Whole Foods locations over the last 15 years. She doesn't want to work at a grocery store anymore so all of that experience is worthless.

At this point its either go back to school or get lucky with an entry level position in an office so she can learn something new.

I prefer a simple "references available upon request". I will ask for them and will check one or two but references are step 2+ while at this point we are step 1, weeding out and throwing away the ones that are not interesting. If you attach 5 reference letters I won't even bother looking at it since I am not there to waste my time and read a small book.

Great advice.

PS I can google the company name and get a generic number if the company still exists, references should be people that know you personally. If I call that number it is to find out if you are the type of person that is dependable or the type of person that shows up 1h late and drunk.

I asked all my friends on facebook. Not one single person has had a new company contact a previous employer. I dont think companies bother when considering entry level people.

1) you need an education section (bottom) BUT if you are in your 20's it can be worth it to get into the details (I want to know about you and it will probably say more than your job experience e.g. I am working at McD and finishing my PHD in electrical engineering in....), if you are in your 50s keep it short it was a long time ago and your work experience will tell me more (e.g. 30 years ago I started working at McD while getting my PHD in electrical engineering in....),

2) you need a skills and competencies section(s) (top)

Her current skills aren't worth anything right now because she wants to try something else.

3) One page is OK, Two pages is good, three is absolute max, anything more and it goes to the garbage, time is money.

Sticking to one page.

4) not to be mean, but I feel the monogram comes off a bit as childish but in itself it would not hurt job prospects so do what you want. Don't forget, what you are building is a tool so that the future employer can decide in a minute if you make it to the next step.

I don't know if its childish but it does strike me as odd sometimes when i look at it. The goal was to make the resume stand out so there has to be some bling. that doesn't look like white paper with black text. I think the monogram does that. We all know people with monogram towels in their bathrooms. Is this childish? Or something people to do to stand out like custom rims on a car or fancy cuff links.

5) If there is a large "work gap" (eg decided to stop working to raise the kids) explain it with a line or two something like raising kids or taking care of sick family members I can understand and respect, a blank did not work for several years looks worst.

No work gap. The issue is that i make three times what she makes so when i decide to move she comes with and has to find a new job. For example she has worked at whole foods like 8 years but at different locations and at different times. Whole foods Gold Coast was her first job ever and her current job is Whole Foods Kildeer...those two jobs are 17 years apart with jobs at 4 different companies in between. So rather than try and figure all that history out i just included "WHOLE FOODS MARKET" with a list of locations and all the positions she has held.
Avid Stamp Collector - I really love 39 Cent Stamps
Post 20 made on Saturday February 17, 2018 at 16:06
Anthony
Ultimate Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2001
28,867
On February 11, 2018 at 18:11, Mac Burks (39) said...
I think a photo could play a role in getting a job. An attractive young woman will land a receptionist job if her competition is an old fat bald man like myself. Is that a good or fair thing? No...but in the real world it would make a difference.

I am not saying looks can never play a role, but you are missing the point. For the most part an employer will tend to get a lot more CVs, you need to weed out the useless one's, you need to separate the "just not right for the position but might be interesting for something else", and the they go to the next step.

Unless looks are important for the job (like an actor) or there is something wrong with the person making the decision, what is written below will be way more important than the pic of the person. Even if the job calls for someone attractive that can always be checked at the next step.

PS what if the person does not want an attractive girl as a receptionist because his wife tends to be jealous? what if the person looking to hire is a woman that is into fat bald dudes?

If i were to create a resume today it would have...

Name
Contact Info
Current Job
Skills list

OK
Photos of installation work
Screenshots of User Interfaces, logos and other graphical materials i have produced.

again mixing steps, if you have a portfolio that comes in the next step



I wouldn't even bother listing the 300 industry classes and certificates i have. I cant even remember them all.

you don't need it all, but you do need the most important ones.


My grilfriend on the other hand has always worked sub $75k per year jobs where the skills rarely matter at the next company. For example she has worked at 6 Whole Foods locations over the last 15 years. She doesn't want to work at a grocery store anymore so all of that experience is worthless.

skills and competencies are about what you bring to the table for that job.

Work experience is more about character and fit than just experience.

I asked all my friends on facebook. Not one single person has had a new company contact a previous employer. I dont think companies bother when considering entry level people.

It might depend on the job and it might be different in different places, there is also the reality of ignorance (do you think I called up past employees and said "hey X called to check your references" or told new employees " I called X and they said....")


Her current skills aren't worth anything right now because she wants to try something else.

maybe, but maybe not. that is up to the new employer to decide. Maybe for Best buy the geek squad AV guy needs no skills (don't know never tried them) but we are a full service firm, so anyone that goes on the field needs to be able to vacuum and clean the area up properly, needs to be able to patch up and paint any holes they make, needs to be able to update the paper work (Visio, excel, word) needs to be able to do the minimum with the controllers.

what skills are needed, how important each of them are and what can be taught depends on each job and employer.

I don't know if its childish but it does strike me as odd sometimes when i look at it. The goal was to make the resume stand out so there has to be some bling. that doesn't look like white paper with black text. I think the monogram does that. We all know people with monogram towels in their bathrooms. Is this childish? Or something people to do to stand out like custom rims on a car or fancy cuff links.

I got it, and did not mean to insult, you asked our opinion and I gave it. I don't see any benefit from bling, as an employer I am looking for what CVs are interesting (because the person might be up for the job) and what CVs are not
(the person might not be the right fit)

No work gap. The issue is that i make three times what she makes so when i decide to move she comes with and has to find a new job. For example she has worked at whole foods like 8 years but at different locations and at different times. Whole foods Gold Coast was her first job ever and her current job is Whole Foods Kildeer...those two jobs are 17 years apart with jobs at 4 different companies in between. So rather than try and figure all that history out i just included "WHOLE FOODS MARKET" with a list of locations and all the positions she has held.

agree, sounds good.
...
Post 21 made on Saturday February 17, 2018 at 16:25
radiorhea
Super Member
Joined:
Posts:
May 2002
3,264
On February 11, 2018 at 17:49, Mac Burks (39) said...

Me on the otherhand...i would need to hire a firm to clean up my mess.

I don't care who you are....THAT is funny!
Drinking upstream from the herd since 1960
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