Resumes Dos and Don'ts guide line for getting contacted

[keenon]

I've done it for 2 jobs back to back.. being that i was a contractor then got converted over to a permanent employee..

1. Describe current duties and projects

2. If nothing has changed reword the job duties/description to say the same thing but differently..

ex. I ate a hamburger for lunch today.
Today for lunch I had a hambuger.

[Arturasj]

Thanks for that I will try. At the moment I’ve got all of the important duties listed under the current position and some very few and unimportant under the previous. Another challenge that I had was a promotion which was only for the reason to top up my salary, where the most of the duties were the same. Then my title was changed from IT Technician to the Senior ICT Officer. At the time I received some Phone calls from the people that saw my CV and they were asking why I have left my previous job. How would you go around the promotion, without showing it as a new job also without repeating yourself?

[keenon]

i got promoted twice while working for the same company.. a few added job duties from what i was currently doing ( which was all the same) I actually listed mine

current position<< in bold
(promoted from this and promoted from that) << in grey

current position duties, followed by the stuff i was doing anyway..


hope that helps

[Arturasj]

current position<< in bold
(promoted from this and promoted from that) << in grey

Great idea thanks.

[fernandobravo69]

Hi everyone. It's great to have this kind of info available here. I'm new here as you might have guessed. I have a few questions about writing my resume. I just got my A+ certification and I'm very exciting about it since I like to work with computers. The only problem is that I've never had a job involving computers. I'm currently a restaurant manager but I've also worked as a bartender, construction worker and auto mechanic. How would I go about writing my resume without having a lot of experience as a tech? Any suggestions? Thanks.

[garv221]

3. DO NOT USE an OBJECTIVE on the resume at all- reason being as it creates you having to reedit the resume for any job applied for and is very limiting.. it is far better to use a SUMMARY statement to give a brief into to what you have been doing -- the resume body will complete this.
ex.
Experienced IT professional with 3 years of Widget administration. Blah, blah, you get the idea.


NEWLY ADDED
11. Qualiifcations- in certain cases this may be good but for a technical resume its deemed very bad.

I think an objective is the single tackiest thing people add to a resume. Its like a bad pickup line. I tend to see the same ones from resume to resume. It reminds me of a highschool student applying for a summer job at the lumber yard.

I agree putting qualifications on a resume cuts yourself short. I cannot possibly list every qualification I have. If a required qualification is not listed the interviewer might assume you do not posses that skill, it will leave them thinking "Ah they have all this Cisco experience but nothing with PIX's? We need PIX experience"

In my opinion a resume if anything should be broad and not specific leaving the reviewer curious for more information which leads to an interview. Let your experience and education speak for itself.

Like Keenon said No email addresses like " Tripping_On_Acid@hotmail.com" I have seen so many dumb email returns like this.

[Steely]

Keenon,

I'm in a situation where I have no IT work experience and just want to get my foot in the door in an entry position. Since I have no work experience, should I put my certs and high school education before I list some special skills that I obtained during my training. Skills like Norton Ghost and Bart PE for example. Please advise.

[Kaminsky]

One thing that I think would help, especially with people trying to get a foot hold in the industry, is to have a seperate sheet showing what skills you have and what applications you have an understanding of. If you don't have a lot of previous IT experience to write about but it has been an interest for a great many years, write down a list of the things you know how to do already.

eg
PC Support might include installing X, X and X operating systems from scratch and X office product and networking up to other PCs.
Network admin might include building a home network, making fly leads by hand, designing and installing devices for a small business one off job.

Although nothing to do with the CV and it is just a list of things in different catagories and not conversational text, a skill sheet might just tip the balance for you. They don't have to read it!

Agencies will typically just scan in your CV for later text searches and rarely read it. When searching for candidates they will type in what the client is looking for and if you haven't listed a certain thing like "windows 2000" on your cv, you won't come up as a possible match. A skill sheet could possibly end up ringing a lot of bells when scanned in with your CV.

[Steely]

Kaminsky,

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll see if I can work something out like that. I'm really trying to grasp this new career field. Overhauling my previous career resume to IT resume is more challenging than I thought.

[keenon]

Keenon,

I'm in a situation where I have no IT work experience and just want to get my foot in the door in an entry position. Since I have no work experience, should I put my certs and high school education before I list some special skills that I obtained during my training. Skills like Norton Ghost and Bart PE for example. Please advise.

I've been laying low for a minute now.

In response to your question. I would definitely list certs that you have earned as it shows dedication to the "craft". Any experience gained during this would be listed under professional studies as you don't have any "work" experience. I would suggest not using the dreaded OBJECTIVE but using Summary.. ex Self starter looking to gain experience .. blah, blah......

[MQuinn6]

Steely & Fernando –

I’m a career changer too. I used a functional resume, which is used to highlight your transferable skills rather than the types of positions you held. I know some people frown upon deviating from the normal setup of a resume, but it worked for me.

Here is my resume just to show you what one looks like.


***************

Summary of Skills
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks in a pressured environment
- Quick learner who can rapidly master all aspects of a job with minimal training
- Self-starter who can work both independently and in a team environment

Certifications
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)

Professional Skills
TECHNICAL SKILLS
- 80 hours of hands-on experience with Cisco routers and switches
- Demonstrated knowledge of C++ and JavaScript languages
- Developed test scripts to assure the quality of scripts distibuted with ******, a macro language interpreter

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS
- Developed and implemented test procedures for ****** desktop products
- Responsible for scheduling, payroll, and yearly budget
- Developed and implemented behavioral treatment plans for students

INTERPERSONAL AND SUPERVISORY SKILLS
- Supervised and trained 12 employees in a residential group home setting
- Oversaw case management of eight students
- Communicated regularly with parents concerning student needs, progress, and day-to-day activities

Employment History
- Child Care Provider, ****** Household, 2002 – 2004
- Quality Assurance Specialist, ******, 2000-2001
- Residential Group Home Manager, ******, 1998-2000
- Program Specialist, ******, 1997-1998

Education
****** College –Cisco Networking Academy Program
****** University – Certificate of Software Development
****** University - Master of Arts, General Psychology
University of ****** – Bachelor of Arts, Psychology

[addiktion]

All this advice sounds great, but how would you go about describing the very similar jobs. For example say that you at your third job which is exactly the same as the previous two. How can you describe them all without repeating yourself? What if at your first job you’ve done X, Y and Z tasks, as well as at the other two…

I wanted to add something to go along with this. I like to try to make my current position sound tons better then my previous experience. It helps convey that your gaining more experience as you continue down your career path.

Also with education I like to put what I'm currently training for so companies can feel like they are getting a deal when they buy into my resume because not only are they meeting their business needs and requirements they are guaranteeing themselves a more valuable employee in future months down the road. I.E) Oh wow hes learning PHP too. We are implementing a PHP web server in 6 months. He may be able to contribute. etc.

[coldbug]

this Resume Topic is so great!
lots of Professional Resume Writers will probably be hating this site now since they might go out of business...hehe

[Fluidly Unsure]

removed unnecessary quote

How do you spell "Good riddance"?

[Aquabat [banned]]

This thread is great.

Keenon, you should do another sticky on Cover Letters.

[blackmage439]

this Resume Topic is so great!
lots of Professional Resume Writers will probably be hating this site now since they might go out of business...hehe

How do you spell "Good riddance"?

My stepfather had his resume looked-over THREE times by a so-called professional resume writer. I think the end product is crap. The section on his education experience was all just one jumbled mess. On top of everything else, the moron (the "professional") didn't even remove the hyperlink from his email address! Luckily, my s. father's company paid for the sessions.

[keenon]

This thread is great.

Keenon, you should do another sticky on Cover Letters.

I would but i don't do cover letters however in short its good to make it a brief summary of all the jobs and skills.. kinda like a summary but even more vague oops i mean high level.

[Main Event]

Once again, how do you get a foot in the door without actual experience? I have a 2-year but no I.T position... my job experience has nothing to do with I.T. Do non I.T jobs hurt my resume? With my 2 year degree on my resume, my resume gets NO feedback and NO callbacks so I know I'm doing something wrong. I would like some help and if you'd like to help you can pm me.

Thanks....

[Mishra]

What kind of jobs are you applying for?

[Main Event]

Very basic I.T position like PC Support, Helpdesk, PC Tech....

[mrhaun03]

Once again, how do you get a foot in the door without actual experience? I have a 2-year but no I.T position... my job experience has nothing to do with I.T. Do non I.T jobs hurt my resume? With my 2 year degree on my resume, my resume gets NO feedback and NO callbacks so I know I'm doing something wrong. I would like some help and if you'd like to help you can pm me.

Thanks....

Give your resumes to everybody. If they don't call you, call them. See if they're still looking for people. Don't sit around and wait for someone to find your resume on Monster. Just apply anywhere. If you don't have a job now, make "getting a job" a full-time position. You can't wait for a job to fall in your lap.

No, non-IT jobs do not hurt you. It can show the employer different skill sets and that you're a well-rounded person.

Stay focused and keep looking for jobs...it may take some time, but you'll get one. Hang in there!

[keenon]

go after contract positions and firms take short term gigs and all

[Main Event]

Can someone show me a good resume format? More entry level..... you can pm me or email me at militantxxl@aol.com.

Thanks

[keenon]

a good format is something easy to read and very concise to the point.

1. name ( with a professional email address as mentioned in the very first thread

2. summary ( If using an objective keep it very direct but this will have you changing it constantly when applying for new gigs)

3. education or skills ( which ever you decide needs to come first or if last after jobs)

4. past work experience ( this is where alot of people get burned so decide the format bulleted tasks or paragraph form) I use a bit of both which takes a bit of tweaking but i have been writing resumes since 2000

[thorton84]

Really cool stuff, I am actually surpised to see skills listing and omitting the refrences available on request in your thread. I had my resume look at by several people and I actually got suggestions like the ones your purposed! Keep up the good work