An Education
Since I'm participating in "Blog Every Day in May," my job as a blogger is easier than usual because I just have to follow the awesome prompts that are provided to me all month. Today's prompt is:
1. Yes, you really should stick to one page. Unless you've received numerous degrees, are a seasoned professional, or are in academia or research, one page is enough. If this seems like too much trouble, work on prioritizing what you want the employer to see first. They won't read the whole document anyway, but put the most relevant/important experiences at the top. Chances are that if you end up with stuff on the second page, it's not as much of a priority. So, in most cases, why have it there?
2. Each resume you submit should be tailored to the job to which you're applying. Gone are the days of a "one size fits all" resume, because your "Related Experience" section might not really be related to each job. Take your time and rearrange or add sections as you see fit.
3. Pictures do not belong on resumes. Nor do your height and weight. I am serious.
4. Pink and perfumed resume paper is great in "Legally Blonde," but in the real world you should skip anything distracting or too fancy and remember that content is what will get you the interview... not lavish font.
5. If you include a "Memberships" section, please only include Professional Memberships. Gym memberships do not count. And yes, I am serious about this too.
6. Be consistent - with everything! This means that it looks very careless and weird to list one set of dates as "7/03-9/08" and another as "June - December 2005." Either way is fine, but keep it consistent!
7. Resume descriptions should be sentence fragments, not full sentences. "I organized three annual programs..." should read, "Organized three annual programs...." with the action verb first. The employer wants to know what you did, and re-reading "I did this..." and "I did that..." gets really old.
8. Spell check. And sometimes the Microsoft Word "spell checker" isn't enough, because although spinach is a word, it does not belong in your "Languages" section, does it?
9. Know what your degree is. Your B. A. is a Bachelor of Arts, for example. And if you are a woman, you do not have a Bachelorette degree.
10. If you ask 10 different people for resume advice, you will hear 10 different things. At the end of the day, your resume represents you so you need to be comfortable with it.
LASTLY...
For some unknown reason, everyone thinks that they are a resume expert. They are not. Please know that writing a resume is a skill that not everyone has!
Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at.Well, my friends, that "something" that I know a lot about = resumes. I critique them every day. I educate students about how to write them. I attend webinars, meetings, conferences, etc. to discuss them. And I would like to take some time to teach you some of the valuable things I have learned about these ever-so-important documents.
1. Yes, you really should stick to one page. Unless you've received numerous degrees, are a seasoned professional, or are in academia or research, one page is enough. If this seems like too much trouble, work on prioritizing what you want the employer to see first. They won't read the whole document anyway, but put the most relevant/important experiences at the top. Chances are that if you end up with stuff on the second page, it's not as much of a priority. So, in most cases, why have it there?
2. Each resume you submit should be tailored to the job to which you're applying. Gone are the days of a "one size fits all" resume, because your "Related Experience" section might not really be related to each job. Take your time and rearrange or add sections as you see fit.
3. Pictures do not belong on resumes. Nor do your height and weight. I am serious.
4. Pink and perfumed resume paper is great in "Legally Blonde," but in the real world you should skip anything distracting or too fancy and remember that content is what will get you the interview... not lavish font.
5. If you include a "Memberships" section, please only include Professional Memberships. Gym memberships do not count. And yes, I am serious about this too.
6. Be consistent - with everything! This means that it looks very careless and weird to list one set of dates as "7/03-9/08" and another as "June - December 2005." Either way is fine, but keep it consistent!
7. Resume descriptions should be sentence fragments, not full sentences. "I organized three annual programs..." should read, "Organized three annual programs...." with the action verb first. The employer wants to know what you did, and re-reading "I did this..." and "I did that..." gets really old.
8. Spell check. And sometimes the Microsoft Word "spell checker" isn't enough, because although spinach is a word, it does not belong in your "Languages" section, does it?
9. Know what your degree is. Your B. A. is a Bachelor of Arts, for example. And if you are a woman, you do not have a Bachelorette degree.
10. If you ask 10 different people for resume advice, you will hear 10 different things. At the end of the day, your resume represents you so you need to be comfortable with it.
LASTLY...
For some unknown reason, everyone thinks that they are a resume expert. They are not. Please know that writing a resume is a skill that not everyone has!
#9 is by far my favorite! What do you mean that I don't have a Bachelorette degree?
ReplyDeleteI so wish that that wasn't a "real life" example... :)
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