Résumé Help

[Guapo]

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 me, 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 resume and I be interested enough to sit down and talk with you.

“Sir, have you ever heard of ‘The Boneyard dot com?’ Here is a portfolio of sample posts...”

 

[CL82]

“Sir, have you ever heard of ‘The Boneyard dot com?’ Here is a portfolio of sample posts...”

Hahaha, that's kind of the opposite of showing how productive you would be.

 

[Chin Diesel]

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.[/QUOTE]

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.

Adding on to listing all your jobs, volunteer, co-ops, interns, etc.

Employers know every bit of time you spend doing stuff outside of school is less time you have to study, complete term papers, labs, etc. You should be able to explain how mixing these activities demonstrate you can manage time, prioritize tasks and accomplish goals.

 

[Dooley]

I don't know what will be on your resume, but your use of e accents is quite impressive.

 

[uconnfan68]

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.

Good luck. I always hated doing resumes and interviews. Glad it’s over for me (but still working). My son-in-law does it for fun and to keep connected. He’s doing ok.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Or on your wedding night.

I’m definitely making a wedding day post. Gotta get those likes

 

[uconnphil2016]

Hahaha, that's kind of the opposite of showing how productive you would be.

Here is a list of all of the twitter accounts who have screen shotted my boneyard posts for how preposterous they were. Could also link a quote from a DiMauro column.

Seems my boneyard resume is far better than my real life one, unfortunately

 

[Nostical]

This won’t apply to you but when I was interviewing candidates for a job I was usually late in the process. They already were vetted on the technical stuff. I would focus on other things. I liked talking about their education and usually commented on their alma mater to see their level of involvement in the school. Sometimes for nothing more than small talk . Interestingly, doing so resulted in discovering several falsities. One guy’s resume said he went to Va Tech. One of our guys had gone there also so I called him in to “meet a fellow Hokie” That proved disastrous to the applicant as he stumbled over dorm names, hangouts etc. He abruptly stood up and left the office. Bottom line, be bold but don’t lie.

 

[BlueandOG]

If you are looking for work in public education in eastern Massachusetts, send me a PM.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Thank you everyone for all the help. I am trying my best to take all of this into consideration while fitting everything on one page! Much appreciated.

 

[storrsroars]

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.

Yep. Anytime you apply for a new job, first copy the job description verbiage and paste it into something like Wordle, which will give you a word cloud. Make sure you're using the words in the largest 2-3 fonts in your cover letter.

As for resumes from recent grads, back when I was a hiring manager, I looked for specifics on resumes as to what you contributed vis a vis volunteer work or internships more than GPA or other metrics , and if you did any sales/customer service work, that was always a plus (I was never in a position to hire coders or software engineers, in which case having developed social skills might disqualify them )

 

[Chief00]

Thank you everyone for all the help. I am trying my best to take all of this into consideration while fitting everything on one page! Much appreciated.

Finally, act like you belong. That’s half the battle.

 

[Devland]

If you get offered a job below your expectations at a company with room for advancement, don't be afraid to accept it. Then work your butt off to advance. Sometimes getting your foot in the door and showing them what you can do is the easiest path to success. I gave this advice to one of my daughters when she was (in my opinion)being too picky in her job search after graduating from UConn. She received three promotions in her first two years on the job. She was then at the level job she was originally looking for.

 

[UConnDan97]

End your resume in italics and with "...". It keeps them waiting for whatever great thing you'll say next...

 

[temery]

Thank you everyone for all the help. I am trying my best to take all of this into consideration while fitting everything on one page! Much appreciated.

With that extra info I can offer this advice: Don't ask Dogmania for help.

 

[Greg]

Sure, I was a career services director at a college and have helped over a thousand students write resumes. Some ideas I ask students to think about are what are their differentiators, do you have any accomplishments yet nd be able to back up what you write on a resume. Other things like keeping the tense consistent are important. A common error is mixing past and present tenses. A couple of my thoughts are, do you have a LinkedIn profile? If not, I think it is a good idea to get one. Do not be afraid to make different versions of your resume so you can tailor each resume to a specific company. Take a look at mission statements, and make sure you mirror some of the company mission, vision and values in you summary or personal statement. Best of luck to you.

 

[huskypantz]

FYI I personally don't care if a resume is more than one page. I don't want to see crap but if you did good, tell me about it.

 

[CL82]

End your resume in italics and with "...". It keeps them waiting for whatever great thing you'll say next...

For a second I thought you were suggest that he end resume with "It gives me a job or it gets the hose again."

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Is this a resume request for Susan Herbst, soon to have a lower paying gig at UConn -- or -- Randy looking to jump ship?

 

[Guapo]

FYI I personally don't care if a resume is more than one page. I don't want to see crap but if you did good, tell me about it.

Not disagreeing BUT I would say bragging on yourself and showing how you did good is better suited for the cover letter. An effort should be made to make a resume one page, especially for a recent college grad.

 

[JohnFSilver]

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.

Congrats.

Here's advice that I never received out of school. Be persistent. Don't take it personally. These people see 1000s of resumes. Always follow-up in due time when applying and try to get the name of the hiring manager. A phone call will always do better than an email.

Get their emails after an interview and always send a thank you note.

Depending on where you look, if you are trying to get into a medium and big-sized company, don't get too cute on your resume. If you want a small company, you can get something that sticks out.

Here's the thing you have to remember, and I have learned this well searching for work since I left ESPN -- NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU DID.

When I say that, tell the interviewer what you will do for them. What can you bring to the table? Why should they hire you over the other honors student who is walking through that door? Don't expect, I graduated Magna Cum Laude from UConn in molecular biology to save you.

Lastly, one young person I knew absolutely nailed an interview by bringing in a powerpoint. That shows all the skills they will want to know. The powerpoint was how he was going to help the company. You do that at a smaller company, you are hired. Trust me.

Good luck.

 

[Travelman6]

FYI I personally don't care if a resume is more than one page. I don't want to see crap but if you did good, tell me about it.

The one page resume rule is outdated. I mean for young people it should be a page but for people with a lot of exp., no way will it be a page, nor should it. (My wife works in HR.)

 

[Excalibur]

The one page resume rule is outdated. I mean for young people it should be a page but for people with a lot of exp., no way will it be a page, nor should it. (My wife works in HR.)

People generally have so many jobs over their careers that you can’t even recite a basic work history on a single page. For entry level, it should be one page though.

 

[B1GEast]

Don't list Call of Duty accomplishments

 

[CL82]

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.

Just be honest. You can use favorable language but outright falsehoods, whether you think them disprovable or not, should be avoided. Integrity matters.