Résumé Help

[uconnphil2016]

Hey BY folks,

I'm approaching my final couple of months of school, and with that am beginning to apply to jobs. I've never really had to have a proper résumé other than what I used to apply to school, and am trying to write something that both looks professional and is professional in content. I'm wondering if there are some folks on the Yard who might have extensive experience in résumé building who may be willing to share some tips, or if anyone would be willing to have me send over my finished product. Like I said, I've never really had a 'serious' job in a career sense, so this stuff is pretty new to me. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[JMick]

If you have a google account, Google sheets/docs has some pretty solid resume templates

 

[polycom]

Google resume template for whatever job you’re apply to.

 

[uchusky32]

Office 365 Word has Resume Assist built in. Under review click Resume Assist, LinkedIn appears on right. Type the Job, career you are in and resumes will appear of those in that field. You can also go right into LinkedIn and look at more resumes. Job postings. You will see the terminology that is used in top professionals resume.

 

[Exit 4]

Remember not to talk about The Boneyard on your resume or in your interview.

 

[RSTuthill]

What is your major? PM me if you like.

 

[temery]

Check out Let Recruiters Groom You For Interviews - Career Tips by GoResumes

Their daily email interview tips are outstanding.

 

[crazyUCfan23]

myperfectresume.com helps format everything for you. It's like 15$ a month but you can just cancel it once you're done.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Remember not to talk about The Boneyard on your resume or in your interview.

Or on your wedding night.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

What field are you looking to work in?

 

[DoctorWho85]

As engineer, I had my resume looked over several times by"professionals" and the biggest thing they said was that recruiters want to see "result based" descriptions not just a list of things you did at your job. So for example instead of saying "created new product lines" say something like "generated 'x' amount of dollars in revenue by creating new product lines"

 

[CAHUSKY]

Remember not to talk about The Boneyard on your resume or in your interview.

If he was interviewing with me he would get bonus points for it.

 

[Vowelguy]

Two comments:
1) It's a good job market.
2) I know it's difficult for new college grads to have enough to say to fill up a resume, but don't list smiling as a skill, and you'll already be better than 1 resume I got last week.

"Assisted guests with requests and problems related to their stay at the property, smiling and greeting them promptly when they enter the lobby, and answering any questions that they had regarding the property and local amenities."

 

[Chief00]

Two comments:
1) It's a good job market.
2) I know it's difficult for new college grads to have enough to say to fill up a resume, but don't list smiling as a skill, and you'll already be better than 1 resume I got last week.

"Assisted guests with requests and problems related to their stay at the property, smiling and greeting them promptly when they enter the lobby, and answering any questions that they had regarding the property and local amenities."

I think you underestimate the value of a good smile in customer service. It’s a welcoming and accepting gesture that speaks volumes without the muddy waters of words.

As for the resume, and let’s assume for a moment, your resume is actually read by a person and not initially scanned by artificial intelligence, as the first screening cut. If the later it gets more technical about how to make that non human first cut. Others can do that better than I. Chief will just address the former scenario.

Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes, how can you add value, make them successful and be pleasant to work with. LOL it’s not about you but them. That’s a fact many new job seekers don’t realize.

What skills do you have that apply to success in that job? Highlight those skills and I agree, give brief but specific examples of results delivered or feedback from key stakeholders in quotes. Be sure, you have documentation handy to back up your claims.

In short, you will take some work off your boss’s plate, make them look good and add to the environment where people like to come to work.

One last thing, and it piggybacks the above, give the impression you can ramp up quickly, be a self study but have the ability to recognize when an occasional intelligent question is necessary to clarify direction.

 

[temery]

"Assisted guests with requests and problems related to their stay at the property, smiling and greeting them promptly when they enter the lobby, and answering any questions that they had regarding the property and local amenities."

I don't think Phil is Walmart greeter material.

 

[ct06111]

Keep to 1 page (work with spacing and margins if you have to)

Short and simple. Recruiters spend very little time with each resume. Input LOTS of acronyms and buzz words in the industry. Helps you get pass the filters. Recruiter may not know what is, so spell it out for them. (Also helps w/ the filters)

I heard on one job if you didn’t score 85% or more on certain keywords, you resume didn’t even get to an actual person to see it. Could be the most experienced person, but if it doesn’t pass = no response.

No pointless info like Home address.
Keep to name/phone #/email.

Format I use
Header : personal info above
Summary of Technical Skills:
Education:
Job Experience: only put job experience related to the position you’re applying for. Don’t mention dishwasher if your trying to go for a professional job. It’s better to be empty than filled with pointless BS. Just talk to it if they ask about gaps in your career. You’re young, so you mention I worked @ X, but I mainly focused on my education

Be careful on past and future tense.
Current job: working on...
Past jobs : worked on....

Don’t put address of your high school or UConn.

Make your 1st or 2nd technical skill POP. Like dang.... OK, he knows X, Y, Plus Z And he went to UConn and got a degree? They won’t even have time or put in the effort to read the whole thing because you already impressed them enough.

Most jobs want you to be trained and molded to their style and expectations. They rather have a noob than someone already trained a certain way at a previous company.

Good luck. Read it out loud, have multiple people read it and take their feedback and improve on it.

Have a base resume template and cater and customize to each new job you apply for.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Lot's of good info from CTO...especially keeping it to one page. Nothing more annoying to me than a recent college graduate with a 3 page resume.

I would add not to leave gaps in work history. While I appreciate CTO's comments to not list dishwasher, it's better to list a job at a restaurant for 6 months than to leave a timeline gap. I look for stability and open gaps can raise a concern.

Lastly....be honest on things that are easily provable. For example...dates of employment. Don't hide the dishwasher job by falsely extending other jobs. It will be caught....and you won't be considered. Now when explaining what you did in the job...a little exaggeration is ok. And it's hard to prove it false.

 

[SubbaBub]

Remember this is his first job out of school. The tips by CT0611 are good, esp. about the filters. I haven't ever had to deal with them personally but I know they are used.

As a new grad you aren't expected to have a ton of experience but even a little in the applicable field will help set you apart. If that is a co-op, summer job, course work, personal projects then use it. Also, don't be afraid to include your high school part-time jobs for your first search (drop them after you have real experience).

From a grad application, employers are looking for evidence of work ethic, competence, technical education, relevant skills (communication, leadership, and teamwork are huge) and a sense that you have a brain in your head and are willing to learn and adapt. We are not expecting you to know everything about the job you are applying for as if you've been in the business for a decade. In a word, I am looking to see that you have POTENTIAL that is worth my time. New grads are the loss leader of the workforce. How quickly I think you can get up to speed and commit to a professional lifestyle inform decisions. Don't worry, you have a couple years before the never-ending stories of weekend debauchery raise questions about your commitment.

 

[SubbaBub]

Btw, all of you who missed this is a new grad get a demerit in the attention to detail column.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Higher than 1:1 post to like ratio must be included

 

[Excalibur]

For an entry level resume, industry buzz words are less of an issue. Anything in the filters should be easily identifiable in the job posting, since it will be based almost entirely on whether your educational background is applicable. For entry-level stuff, mentioning relevant coursework is a good way to hit the key words that may be in a filter. If you've taken courses that are on point, list them below your degree information.

If you have any applicable work experience like an internship, co-op, even volunteer work, go out of your way to call attention to it.

 

[huskysupporter]

I would focus on building a solid LinkedIn page as well.

 

[CL82]

Remember not to talk about The Boneyard on your resume or in your interview.

Conspiracy Kitty says: Or should he?

 

[CL82]

Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes, how can you add value, make them successful and be pleasant to work with. LOL it’s not about you but them. That’s a fact many new job seekers don’t realize.

This advice should be obvious but people, especially young kids, miss it frequently. I really don't care all that much about how much you want to work for me or how my business is your dream, etc. I want you to justify why I should spend money for your salary, particularly if I am also going to have train you. Explain to me why you bring more value than everyone else who sent a resume and I may be interested enough to sit down and talk with you.

 

[Guapo]

Don’t use the same cover letter for every application, tailor it for the job you are applying for; ex: point out the parts of your resume that you feel especially qualifies you for the position.

Also, don’t be afraid to work with recruiters! They are free for you.