Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As a general rule, profiles, summaries and objectives are a waste of time, energy and space. I disregard them. You will note that HR software usually doesn't even have an entry field for them, so they usually don't even get read.
Experience goes first, education/certifications go last. Generally people applying for jobs have the education required, so all you are doing is giving prime space to something everybody applying has.
Skills and affiliations is a bit of tossup. Some people swear that HR software sorts by codewords, so this is a good place to dump things like this. That hasn't been my experience, I have seen HR people sort through resumes, looking for minimum qualifications. To be a bit nit picky, listing skills like MS Office is pointless. Everybody with any real experience or education will claim this.
Overall, the formatting works pretty well. It is clear and easy to read.
Looking at the last resume in particular, I see red flags on the experience that I would question during an interview. The guy obviously dud a degree PT, I see no issues there, but he claims he was a PM and a superintendent for two different companies at the same time? Odd. I would definitely verify employment and if it looked like he lied, that would disqualify him.
The last one is similar to how I have mine formatted. I think the headings make it more clear than using indents alone. A lot of the people I had reviewing my resume said the same thing.
Thanks. I really like it too. I think I am going to get it professionally done. I want to limit it to 1 page. However, I think I need to add back my initial role which span 7 years.
I do not know how to do this. I want to get to the next level. I have too much experience for my current role but I should be okay for the next level. I saw a position that wants a minimum of 7 years of experience. I saw another that wants at least 10.
This is so nerve racking. Everything happens when it happens.
As a general rule, profiles, summaries and objectives are a waste of time, energy and space. I disregard them. You will note that HR software usually doesn't even have an entry field for them, so they usually don't even get read.
Experience goes first, education/certifications go last. Generally people applying for jobs have the education required, so all you are doing is giving prime space to something everybody applying has.
Skills and affiliations is a bit of tossup. Some people swear that HR software sorts by codewords, so this is a good place to dump things like this. That hasn't been my experience, I have seen HR people sort through resumes, looking for minimum qualifications. To be a bit nit picky, listing skills like MS Office is pointless. Everybody with any real experience or education will claim this.
Overall, the formatting works pretty well. It is clear and easy to read.
Looking at the last resume in particular, I see red flags on the experience that I would question during an interview. The guy obviously dud a degree PT, I see no issues there, but he claims he was a PM and a superintendent for two different companies at the same time? Odd. I would definitely verify employment and if it looked like he lied, that would disqualify him.
Why do you think a summary is a waste of time? I think it gives a quick overview of the candidates qualifications.
Why do you think a summary is a waste of time? I think it gives a quick overview of the candidates qualifications.
A few reasons come to mind.
The vast majority of resumes are uploaded to some sort of HR software, and this field does not have a corresponding data field in the extract that goes to the hiring manager. Therefore it doesn't get seen by most people, unless they specifically pull up the resume document. Most people don't.
Even if somebody does read it, it is either puffed up marketing or redundant career facts. If it is simply puffed up marketing, it gets ignored. In the hiring committees that I have chaired or been a member of (many dozens) I have never heard a person advocate for an applicant by saying "we have to hire this person. They are an independent, results driven marketing professional". If it is a rehash of the experience, (18 years of experience in the construction industry), that should be self-evident from the experience operation of your resume.
I find them to be condescending. As a professional, I should be able to tell from your resume what type of career experience you have had. If you feel the need to point this out to me, you obviously assume that I am an idiot.
Although a bit of a digression from your question, I truly loath objective statements. The vast majority of them are along the lines of "my goal is to obtain a job in your industry". Wonder of wonders! Great start by applying to my industry, but it tells me nothing, other than that you have been told by somebody to include an objective statement, you don't know why, and you are currently displaying a lack of analytical power.
Thanks. I really like it too. I think I am going to get it professionally done. I want to limit it to 1 page. However, I think I need to add back my initial role which span 7 years.
I do not know how to do this. I want to get to the next level. I have too much experience for my current role but I should be okay for the next level. I saw a position that wants a minimum of 7 years of experience. I saw another that wants at least 10.
This is so nerve racking. Everything happens when it happens.
You can make a similar-looking format using Word if you’re comfortable with it. What I did was used data tables and then erased the borders. That way you can format each section, and if you have lists such as skills, you can bullet them within the data table. It makes it look much more crisp than just a long list of skills in a paragraph.
For example, if you wanted to have a skills section with 12 skills or something, I’d insert a 2X4 (2 rows, 4 columns) table into word. Erase all the borders. Then in the top row, merge all of the cells together and give it the label “Skills” for this example. Then you can bold and increase the font to make it stand out, and add a bottom border to the cell on the top row to give the line across the screen. For the list, just make a bulleted list in each column beneath and add in 3 points for each of the 4 columns. It looks so much better than a list separated only by commas.
For work experience sections, you can just make another table with 1 column where the # of rows is equal to 1 + your number of job experiences you want to list. Then you can do a similar thing with the borders and have each row in your table besides the underlined section heading be how you would normally format your work experience.
The vast majority of resumes are uploaded to some sort of HR software, and this field does not have a corresponding data field in the extract that goes to the hiring manager. Therefore it doesn't get seen by most people, unless they specifically pull up the resume document. Most people don't.
Even if somebody does read it, it is either puffed up marketing or redundant career facts. If it is simply puffed up marketing, it gets ignored. In the hiring committees that I have chaired or been a member of (many dozens) I have never heard a person advocate for an applicant by saying "we have to hire this person. They are an independent, results driven marketing professional". If it is a rehash of the experience, (18 years of experience in the construction industry), that should be self-evident from the experience operation of your resume.
I find them to be condescending. As a professional, I should be able to tell from your resume what type of career experience you have had. If you feel the need to point this out to me, you obviously assume that I am an idiot.
Although a bit of a digression from your question, I truly loath objective statements. The vast majority of them are along the lines of "my goal is to obtain a job in your industry". Wonder of wonders! Great start by applying to my industry, but it tells me nothing, other than that you have been told by somebody to include an objective statement, you don't know why, and you are currently displaying a lack of analytical power.
Employers tend to find me online. How will they know what type of position I am looking for?
Employers tend to find me online. How will they know what type of position I am looking for?
I have never looked online for candidates, so I guess that I am not competent to address that point. I guess if you are going to post something for the world to find that might make sense.
My comments are written from the point of view of a manager who receives applications through our online application system.
I have never looked online for candidates, so I guess that I am not competent to address that point. I guess if you are going to post something for the world to find that might make sense.
My comments are written from the point of view of a manager who receives applications through our online application system.
Useful comment.
Thank you for your input.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
