Michael Hrivnak said the following on 8/26/04 6:13 PM:
1. Be clear and concise. One page only. Make sure it is very well organized so that on first glance, the reader instantly understands what information is where.
I don't think keeping it on one page is as important as being well organized. If you need to, continue it onto a second page. I wouldn't go past that if I could because with just two pages you can do front and back but with more you have to deal with staples and the potential of losing the second page, etc..
2. List accomplishments instead of responsibilities. For example: "Software engineer for XYZ Inc. responsible for designing lots of software." vs "Software engineer for XYZ Inc.-- designed ____, _____, and _____ software suites which turned record-breaking profit."
3. Your resume gets a maximum of 30-45 seconds review. Stick to what's important, and if you have any differentiating characteristics, make sure they stand out! Don't be afraid to put key words in bold, even mid-sentence.
Along with this, put a section at the top of the resume highlighting things you want to bring out. For an example, see my resume: O:-)
http://wtl.wayfarer.org/resume.html
This allows you to draw out things you want a potential employer to see.
Contact info across the top, with name in big print in upper-left corner.
Start with an "Objective", and make sure it fits with the job to which you are applying! You should review and likely modify this before each use.
Having an "Objective", I think, isn't necessarily a good idea. Why give a reason to reject you (i.e. if you don't match the position). I much prefer having an "Overview" section where you can draw out items of interest.
Other sections to consider, in order:
Curent Status
Accomplishments
Work Experience (chronological order from most recent)
Degrees/Licenses/Professional Associations
References (try to pick people from different parts of your career. If two references know each other well, keep looking.)
Other things to add:
Academic Experience (if you've done interesting projects in school, especially grad school)
Personal (if you speak a foreign language, have a license in something, add it)
Open Source Experience (have you worked on an OS project? Put it down...)
Find some examples online. Particularly look for resumes of people who are responsible for hiring! I'll post mine later if I can dig it up. Post back here when you have something or if you have questions.
I'd also suggest looking into XML Resume: http://xmlresume.sourceforge.net/ And, go to your local library and check out "What Color is Your Parachute?"
Good luck, Tanner -- TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ TriLUG PGP Keyring : http://trilug.org/~chrish/trilug.asc
