Resume rules different in "crazy" California? (appointed, how much)

[TomReinold]

Hi, I'm from Germany and I'm currently helping my daughter, who has just graduated with a BA in TV Production from a reputable US college, land an entry-level job here in LA. The resume writing rules are very different here compared to Germany, such as NOT attaching a photo.

But is that true also for California? You know that the rest of the US thinks that everything is different here and that the Californians are "crazy" anyway.

So what's your opinion? And how about adding a link to a professionally designed personal webpage that shows a photo (professional headshot), includes a CV, and gives a little more personal information than the resume alone? I'm NOT talking about a verbose personal blog with photos of your friends, cats & dogs, and whatever, but more about a personal portfolio describing your skills, strengths, background. To me personally, this would give a positive impression that's standing out from the masses, and as a reviewer it's my choice whether to look at the site or not.
Or this is considered also too tacky or politically incorrect due to anti-discrimination rules in the US, like the photo?

Any Californian inputs are very welcome!

[SurekRZA]

In very few jobs here they require a photo shot of you attached to your resume, like a bartender. If I had a personal web site I would add the link under "interests" or "skills". Information like skills, strenghts and backgrounds should already be found somewhere on your resume. Many employer's today have resume scanners which automaticaly disqualify several from the rest, not because of how much you qualify for the job but because of word usage primarily. This link could help you with that-http://www.resume-help.org/resume_action_words.htm

[TomReinold]

Thank you. Yes, of course, the skills, strengths, and backgrounds should be in the resume. But I think you have more options to present (and promote) yourself in your own webpage than in the rigid form of a resume, and you can give more details. The idea is to signal to the recipient of the resume: if you want more details about what I have to offer, you can get that from my website, and be it how I look, for Christ's sake. Even the fact that you have a professional website would, in my opinion, show the recipient that you approach worklife more actively and with initiative than just providing a resume like the vast majority.

But again, this is my opinion, and I come from a different cultural environment. Nonetheless, I would be very interested in your opinions.

[katenik]

resume etiquette is fairly rigid, and deviating from it can land yours in the round file, post haste. some industries are more flexible than others, but for the majority i think a website would be not only unnecessary, but inappropriate. it might sound like a good idea, but the recruiters and HR personnel with whom i've come into contact don't have time do anything but skim a resume for a few minutes, and if the candidate doesn't make an impression in that page, NEXT. they're not going to go looking at the candidate's website to see if there was something she failed to convey on her paper resume that would make her a shoe-in for the position. once she lands the interview, she might then mention that she has a website that offers more detail about her professional accomplishments and offer to send a link if they would care to look at it before the scheduled interview. at that point, it can't hurt, and might lend more substance to the interview.

i suggest your daughter asks a career counselor at the school where she is a graduate to find out what the boundaries are in her chosen field, but avoid anything that might be perceived as gimmicky. that might work for acting or modeling jobs, but not much else. there isn't anything "crazy" about california when it comes to professional etiquette!

[TomReinold]

That's interesting. The impression in Germany about the US, and especially California, is that everything is much less conservative than in Germany. The opposite seems to be true, as far as resumes are concerned. Do you really get a job here when you're doing what just everyone else is doing, especially when you're just setting out and don't have those work achievements to speak for themselves yet?

Anyway, I would not rub it in on the resume that I have a website, just mention it. Furthermore, my daughter's email address actually has her first&last name as the domain name (mail@firstnamelastname.com), which already hints to the fact that she has her own website. Knowledgeable people will know that, but not all reviewers may be smart enough.

And, please don't get me wrong, I don't expect the website to be the killer feature that wins them all. No, just the final push when it comes to yes or no.

[DMenscha]

I serve on a fire district board and we are in the process of hiring a new fire chief. I don't usually see resumes but out of 11 applications, we threw out the fanciest (heavy Paper multi-colored, 6 pages long) as the applicant claimed a PHD in Fire Science, he also claimed a divinity degree (dude we're looking for a firefighter not a preacher).

The others were garden variety and I think the OP has a great idea, I'd love to see the German way. I was disappointed in the variety of formatting, the lack of pictures and the like.

Most of them listed ALL of the certificates they have, most of which they obtained by taking a free online class with the certificate issued when they passed an open book exam at the end.

I would give any applicant that had a well organized website bonus points. Save the trees!

[TomReinold]

Hehe, your fire-fighting preacher may have been worth meeting...

Anyway, I lived in Japan for 8 years, and they have the most boring resume rules there: you buy a dedicated preprinted form at a stationery shop, fill it out, and attach a picture (which usually looks like taken from a funeral). No way to express yourself as an individual, but it's well known that the Japanese take care not to stick out from their group (otherwise you're going to be hammered in, as they say).

In Germany, the free-form resume is the way to express who you are as the unique person that you are. Of course, there are rules, but not as strict as I'm coming to realize here in the US. What you include, in which order, and in which structure and layout tells volumes about the way you are organized and what type of character you are. And adding an "application photo" and mentioning your birthdate, place of birth and interests, and your education down to the highschool level is just mandatory. The point is to get to know you as a person, to judge whether you fit the particular company culture. To learn the obvious only during the interview is considered stealing time.

I would have thought that the US also emphasizes more the individual and unorthodox, but it seems I couldn't be more mistaken.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by TomReinold

Hehe, your fire-fighting preacher may have been worth meeting...

Anyway, I lived in Japan for 8 years, and they have the most boring resume rules there: you buy a dedicated preprinted form at a stationery shop, fill it out, and attach a picture (which usually looks like taken from a funeral). No way to express yourself as an individual, but it's well known that the Japanese take care not to stick out from their group (otherwise you're going to be hammered in, as they say).

In Germany, the free-form resume is the way to express who you are as the unique person that you are. Of course, there are rules, but not as strict as I'm coming to realize here in the US. What you include, in which order, and in which structure and layout tells volumes about the way you are organized and what type of character you are. And adding an "application photo" and mentioning your birthdate, place of birth and interests, and your education down to the highschool level is just mandatory. The point is to get to know you as a person, to judge whether you fit the particular company culture. To learn the obvious only during the interview is considered stealing time.

I would have thought that the US also emphasizes more the individual and unorthodox, but it seems I couldn't be more mistaken.

photos and vital statistics are not acceptable on resumes because of the potential for claims of race, sex or age discrimination, real or imagined. perhaps germany is a less litigious society where that isn't a consideration, but it works for us. btw, if you're so enamored with the way things are done elsewhere, i have some advice for you, but you probably don't want to hear that, either.

[TomReinold]

Oops, it seems I inadvertently stepped on somebody's toes here. My intention was not to glorify the German resume rules, but to reply to DMenscha's message.

If the rules here work for you, which they seem to do, that's great. I may be uttering some surprise noises, though, while climbing the learning curve, but I hope that may be forgiven.

And BTW, I like it here, especially the palm trees...

[JerZ]

Originally Posted by TomReinold

Do you really get a job here when you're doing what just everyone else is doing, especially when you're just setting out and don't have those work achievements to speak for themselves yet?

It depends. If you go too far in trying to "stand out," prospective employers will wonder why you have to try so hard, seem so desperate and add so many bells and whistles. They'll wonder why your abilities don't speak for themselves.

As for the website, to be honest with you, if I were a prospective employer that would look pretty cheesy to me. My oldest son had created his own website by the age of 13. It's not like creating and having one's own website puts you ahead of the pack. Everyone and his brother has a website. Showing that off as if it's some great skill will make you seem, I don't know, unskilled. I really don't think it's necessary, AND telling an employer, "if you want to know more about me, go to such-and-such a place and figure it all out for yourself" will pretty much make your resume wind up in the garbage can. Because the 35 other resumes that came in that day, that don't require any research but just have skills presented plainly, are potentially just as good as future employees, and without the hassle.

Sorry to give it to you like that, but I'm trying to tell it to you straight.