Resume Writing

check your email

[Blueface]

I would say I have looked at more resumes than I care to rememer with all the interviewing I have done through the years.
I did my son's and my daughter's and they both got great jobs right away. I would like to take some of the credit for that.

Best tip I can give you:
KISS (keep it simple s.....)

Make it one page.
Keep descriptions and responsibilities simple but provide enough to sell yourself relative to the skills the employer seeks.
Make it something you would want to read if you have many sitting on your desk.
Make it have enough about you but yet leave the reader wanting to speak to you to learn more about you.
Make it stand out from all others. A resume that is different but concise always gets more attention.
Most important, more than the resume itself at times for me, was to see a well thought out and prepared cover letter that showed me you know what type of job you are seeking, what we offer, and how you can fit that bill.
Hope that helps.

[bigloo]

You can PM if you need a hand. NEver just send out any resume, target your audience. If you are applying online (which is a waste of time IMHO), you need buzz words so a computer and flag it and an HR person who knows nothing can decide if you are worthy. Trust me on this, you would not believe the "matches" that get dumped on our desks at work because of this. IF you are handing your resume to someone, as has been said, KISS. Keep to the point, factual, SPELLCHECK, sell yourself without obvious bull$hit and keep it to one page (again, this is job specific). I have a 1 page resume and a 4 pager, the one page resume gets passed around, the 4 pager is on request only, but in all honesty, no one coming out of college needs more then a page, EVER. I can tell you when I get resumes only the first page gets read, I cannot tell you how many resumes I have seem where page 1 contained NOTHING. mmm, off the top of my head those are some key points to consider. One more tip, if you know the person you are giving the resume too, give it to them printed then send an email after, not by email alone. IF you put a piece of paper in someones hand they read it almost 100% of the time, not so with email.

[boonedoggle]

Here's my 2 cents: My wife had a poop-hot (we thought) resume. We got man excellent writers to look at it, re-write it, offer input...the works. She never got any call back. She decided to go to a professional resume writing company. She sent them her resume, and they tore it up. When she got it back, it looked unreal. Within 2 weeks she was getting calls for interview's. I feel relatively confident in my writing skills, but I suggest getting the pro's to write it. The way I look at it is, yes, you have to pay mad cash to get these done professionally, but most of those pro companies offer guarantees. If hiring someone like that causes you to get an interview for a higher paying job...or any job, for that matter...I say do it. Personally, when I get out of the military I plan on using a professional service to do mine. My wife was able to get a job at the State Department, I think mostly due to her getting her degree, but also in the ability of the company to profile her highly in her resume. I know there are alot of botls out there who can do this, and no discredit to them, but I suggest hiring out. Again, this is just my honest input.

[pnoon]

One bit of advice I would offer is that you should tailor your resume to the position for which you are applying. Don't use one resume for every position you apply for. Make subtle changes to your "baseline" that make you a better fit based on the position description. When looking for work, I had about 8-10 different versions of my resume.

[gettysburgfreak]

Originally Posted by boonedoggle

Here's my 2 cents: My wife had a poop-hot (we thought) resume. We got man excellent writers to look at it, re-write it, offer input...the works. She never got any call back. She decided to go to a professional resume writing company. She sent them her resume, and they tore it up. When she got it back, it looked unreal. Within 2 weeks she was getting calls for interview's. I feel relatively confident in my writing skills, but I suggest getting the pro's to write it. The way I look at it is, yes, you have to pay mad cash to get these done professionally, but most of those pro companies offer guarantees. If hiring someone like that causes you to get an interview for a higher paying job...or any job, for that matter...I say do it. Personally, when I get out of the military I plan on using a professional service to do mine. My wife was able to get a job at the State Department, I think mostly due to her getting her degree, but also in the ability of the company to profile her highly in her resume. I know there are alot of botls out there who can do this, and no discredit to them, but I suggest hiring out. Again, this is just my honest input.

How much does it cost to have it done professionally? I have thought about this a few times. I really would like a federal job.

[gettysburgfreak]

Around 75% of the jobs I have been applying for only give you an email address to send your resume. I have probably applied to 50 staff assistant/legislative assistant positions for the US Senate and House and have yet to hear back from any of them. All require resume by email.


Any tips for cover letters?

[boonedoggle]

Originally Posted by gettysburgfreak

How much does it cost to have it done professionally? I have thought about this a few times. I really would like a federal job.

She went here:

http://resumewriters.com/

She paid $300, but she got the generic cover letter, the thank you letter, and all the other bells and whistles that come with the actual resume. I think there are other options for less money. Man, I was totally shocked when I found out how much these things cost, but they do have 100% guarantees and really good reviews. Good luck!