Career Advice: More Resume Help - Page 3

Exquisite5 · #1 03-13-2004, 01:44 PM

no prob bob

rho4life · #2 03-14-2004, 02:42 AM

I always send handwritten thank you notes, on note cards embossed with my alma matter's seal. I have had people thank me for the cards, and even ask where I got them, even though I didnt get the job. Also, I vote for one card per job, even if you meet with numerous people. For most companies or firms, the thank yous will all end up in the same place, so there's no point to sending form letters to everyone. Good Luch in your job hunt!

Exquisite5 · #3 03-14-2004, 11:34 PM

I was just thinking that a lot of this (letter v. non-letter, typed v. handnote) might have to do with the nature and type of industry one is applying to.

The law is a very conservative and business-formal type of industry and the nature of the legal industry lends a hand in the type of correspondence (formal letters) we send. In industries that are less business formal, then less conservative behavior is quite likely highly appropriate.

I think the main thing is to send a thank you note. I would suggest surveying the particular industry you are trying to enter and act accordingly. If you are unsure as to the business norms, my father who is the former director of the career center at the Business School at Texas Southern Univeristy suggests to err on the side of caution. At the very least, you will always appear conscientious (sp?).

emeralds4kh · #4 03-17-2004, 10:49 AM

Hey sorors:
I do resume and cover letter writing as a side business, so if any of you would like further information, please let me know. I charge $25.00 for the package: cover letter & resume preparation.

Ideal08 · #5 01-04-2005, 03:01 PM

So, I'm trying to condense my resume (from 3pgs to 2pgs). Some of the advice I've gotten is to go from bullet points to paragraphs instead. So my question to all of you is this:

When describing your jobs, do you use bullet points, descriptive paragraphs, or both?

Right now, I have bullet points for all of my jobs. I would like to make at least some of them into paragraphs, but maybe keep the bullets for the two most recent postions. Whatcha think of that?

Also, let's do a poll:

How many pages is your resume?

How many years experience do you have on there?

When do you start to delete your earliest job from your resume?

Example: I graduated from college in '97. I still have on my resume the job I had directly after graduation. It's older than 5 years, but it also lists some good experience. Take it off or keep it? At what point do you get rid of jobs?

Honeykiss1974 · #6 01-04-2005, 04:57 PM

I have two types of resumes, one tailored to a specific industry (which has both a summary paragraph and bullet points) and the other resume is tailored for a specific position (which consist of just bullet points highlighting my skills and abilities). Both resumes also have a quick qualifications summary at the top.

I only have jobs on my resume that I began since I completed college, because considering that I graduated in '97 and have since then had 4 career-related jobs, I don't think it really matters that I was a cashier at Krogers back in 1994 when I'm applying for the Finance Controller position (and have had subsequent jobs that build up to that position). I have ran across some places that want a ten year work history and only then will I put Krogers on the application.

Good luck with the job search!

skeeliteful · #7 01-04-2005, 05:15 PM

I have a bulleted, 2 page resume. Because I'm just now getting started in my field, I still have my 1st job after undergrad (which was 5 years ago) on my resume, only because there are transferrable skills and experiences. I will remove this job from my resume if/when I start another job search since I'm gaining similar experiences from my current position.
HTH

Taykimson · #8 01-04-2005, 09:27 PM

I have bullets with at most two sentences to each bullet. My resume is two pages. I graduated in '92 and I list all positions (I've only worked for two companies but I had several positions within the company).

Soror Ideal, if you like, I will email you a copy of my resume if you want to compare resume styles.

SummerChild · #9 01-04-2005, 10:13 PM

Soror Ideal,
I would say give a cover letter since it will clearly present your interest in a way that viewing an entire resume may not. Further, if you meet the person in person and tell him/her, he/she may forget but if you leave a cover letter, he/she will have it as reference later.
SC

Quote:

Originally posted by Ideal08
If you already work for an organization, but want to post for another position, do you still need to submit a cover letter with your resume? And if you are meeting with the person to whom the resumes go, can you give it to them in person and tell them what position you are interested in?

SummerChild · #10 01-04-2005, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ideal08
So, I'm trying to condense my resume (from 3pgs to 2pgs). Some of the advice I've gotten is to go from bullet points to paragraphs instead. So my question to all of you is this:

When describing your jobs, do you use bullet points, descriptive paragraphs, or both?

Right now, I have bullet points for all of my jobs. I would like to make at least some of them into paragraphs, but maybe keep the bullets for the two most recent postions. Whatcha think of that?

Also, let's do a poll:

How many pages is your resume?

How many years experience do you have on there?

When do you start to delete your earliest job from your resume?

Example: I graduated from college in '97. I still have on my resume the job I had directly after graduation. It's older than 5 years, but it also lists some good experience. Take it off or keep it? At what point do you get rid of jobs?

Soror, I list the job and company in bold then list 2-3 bulleted items underneath for each job. The bulleted items all begin with an action word and I try to make them descriptive. They are one liners

Also, I have used objective statements before which can be helpful to quickly bring the reviewer up to speed on what position types you are interested in

My resume is 2 pages and I am told that that is ok if you have enough substantive information that is pertinent to the position that you are applying for (I have different resumes tailored to different types of positions so will not include all of the same info in both).

I think that the focus should probably be whether the experience is relevant as opposed to how old it is. If the skills that you obtained and the experiences that you had are relevant to the job that you are going for, I would say leave them on, no matter how long ago they happened.

Ideal08 · #11 01-05-2005, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SummerChild
I think that the focus should probably be whether the experience is relevant as opposed to how old it is. If the skills that you obtained and the experiences that you had are relevant to the job that you are going for, I would say leave them on, no matter how long ago they happened.

Soror, would you remove a job that was no longer relevant even if it were between two relevant positions? Even if it would create a time gap between employment?

Thanks, y'all!!! This is really helping me. Every time I get a new job and update my resume, of course, I have to revise it. Right now, my goal is to get it on 2 pages. I've done all I can do with margins and whatnot, so now some verbiage must be deleted. I just don't know how or what.

Soror Taykimson, thanks for the offer! I've sent you a PM.

pointNclick · #12 01-05-2005, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ideal08

Also, let's do a poll:

How many pages is your resume?
My resume is exactly 2 pages long.

How many years experience do you have on there?
I have my experience broken down by industry- higher ed and communications/media. In total, I have experiences dating back to 1991.

When do you start to delete your earliest job from your resume?
Honestly, when I can't fit it on the 2 pages. The other factor is if the job does not fit into my two categories and the skills I gained were minor in comparison to other jobs.

pointNclick · #13 01-05-2005, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ideal08
Soror, would you remove a job that was no longer relevant even if it were between two relevant positions? Even if it would create a time gap between employment?

Soror,

I say keep it on. Deleting it might just cause a red flag to go up for no reason. Even if the job seems out of line, skills learned on the job might still be applicable.

I just think the gap (and the possibility of explaining it to a potential employer) is just not worth the hassle. But I am not a HR professional and some of the other HR- focused sorors might have a better answer.

Hope this helps!

pNc

SummerChild · #14 01-05-2005, 08:08 PM

Soror, I agree with Soror PointnClick here. Perhaps mentioning the job and only putting one bullet point for that one that is not as relevant might be a way to include it so as to not cause any red flags to go up but also not take up too much space.
SC

Quote:

Originally posted by Ideal08
Soror, would you remove a job that was no longer relevant even if it were between two relevant positions? Even if it would create a time gap between employment?

Thanks, y'all!!! This is really helping me. Every time I get a new job and update my resume, of course, I have to revise it. Right now, my goal is to get it on 2 pages. I've done all I can do with margins and whatnot, so now some verbiage must be deleted. I just don't know how or what.

Soror Taykimson, thanks for the offer! I've sent you a PM.

Ideal08 · #15 01-06-2005, 01:06 PM

Because my sorors are soooooooo helpful!!! Ladies, you all embody the meaning of "We help each other..." I am blessed to be apart of such a wonderful sisterhood.

Thank you SO much!!!!

I am in the process of totally revamping my resume and wouldn't even know where to start if it weren't for you ladies.

((((((((((((((((((((Sorors))))))))))))))))))))