It's old fashioned, I'll agree on that, the old outline form. Depends on whom you are approaching and I'll go with that you're right for most now.
On telling every aspect of what you've done in the resume/cv, I don't know about that either. If I was going to hire a landarch associate, I'd like to see the history of projects and discuss the particulars in person, including the whys and wherefores of the difficulties. I'd be looking closely at compatabilty re my design point of view, and that won't come out until the talking face to face.
Compatability in view re design combined with adventurousness is important; that is why my business partner and I have virtually no design conflicts over several years, leaving us lots of time for design play since we have the same fundamental point of view.
You don't get this from a resume, only an interview, and then, sometimes only from throwaway lines when someone if comfortable.
This is tangential to Craven's situation, I think, so I won't elaborate more.
The latest techniques are to get away from the outline and depending on age, only use the last 10-15 years and don't use dates!
The resume should showcase your accomplishments, what you did for other companies, what you can do for the company you want to work for.
Tailor the resume to fit the job, not a general all purpose resume. Use any and all experience that fits. Don't forget volunteer work where you gained skills.
Dump the objective unless you can turn it around to how YOU can do something for THEM.
Keep it to one page unless you are really experienced and going for a upper management position, then use multiple pages.
I think how YOU can do something for THEM is a little tricky, trying to avoid arrogance. I really react to it on the many resumes I get (I am a member of the national association for landarchs and get some resumes from many aiming to relocate in California.)
(I know I was whining about my business a few days ago, but it's picking up as we speak, (she says, throwing sticks in formation).
osso, Nice to hear your business is "picking up." I've been amazed at how things in our life seems to turn out better than we could have ever anticipated - even having been through some humps and valleys - they all seem good character builders in hind-sight.
I am well used to this, CI, and don't mean to create a tangent to this thread. We just now paid the rent, but on the other hand, the new landlord didn't seem to notice we were late. A western garden magazine interviewed me/us yesterday, and so we will be listed in their mag next February re places to see in north north california. This will be very useful if we make it til then...
Ok, back from tangent....
Oddly enough a few companies were pretty impressed that this was a hobby.
They sink hundreds of thousands of dollars into similar sites and A2K is the highest ranked on the net in this category (Alexa ranking).
That (that this is a hobby) had a couple of people really chuckling over the phone with me recently.
So why don't you mention the ranking on the resume?
Perhaps I will. Right now I'm trying to get over the fact that all of you folk got into A2K before I did.
Ah! This is good, no? It suggests what mighty things could occur when something is work?
Craven de Kere wrote:Perhaps I will. Right now I'm trying to get over the fact that all of you folk got into A2K before I did.
Moses late across the Red Sea????? Quell horreur!
Still, a prophet is never honoured in his own land....or by his own computers....
Please take out the word "Lexical". No one will know what it means.
The "live" translation phrase - I think you mean "simultaneous" translation. In any event, unless you're going to be working translating Portuguese, what you want to get across there is that you can think on your feet.
I'm with Beth on that it should be more of a functional rather than chronological resume. What OSs have you used? What software? What IT languages? Are you self-taught? Have you taken any classes? Do you have any certifications (or are you on your way to any certifications)? All of these are quantifiable. There is definitely a need for soft skills (oral and written communications skills, etc.), but for an IT position your potential employer wants to be able to quickly determine what it is you know.
You might want to start, just below the objective, with bullet points something like:
* Languages: Java, PHP, Perl, XML, HTML
* Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows XP Professional
* Software: Oracle 9i, Excel 2000, Pagemaker Pro 3.1
This is one of the raasons trying to write anything by committee is a bad idea. LOL 1) Let the individual keep his own style of writing in the "resume," 2) in the over-all scheme of things, or as resumes go, it's pretty darn good, and 3) he's accomplished 99 percent more than most without having a college degree: It shows motivation to learn, it shows accomplishment, and it shows that he's creative. YOU'RE HIRED!
Of course you'd hire him c.i., you know him and love him. But the purpose of the resume is to sell yourself. Craven, frankly, I'm astounded. For a man with such extensive writing skills, your resume is bland and says nothing at all.
As phoenix has indicated, a resume needs DETAILS, the more the merrier. Use strong action verbs. You've too many redundancies. I would seperate skills, and place them under appropriate headings. Marketing, Interpersonal/Communication, Management, Computer Skills, ect.
And place your jobs into a list with your titles, contact info, company info.
Been way too busy with work to think about resumés these days.
Interestingly I've been reading other's resumés (97 today) and helping interview people for my company.
They gave me a raise again (3rd in my last year with the company) and they obviously want me. But I'm still looking because the company itself might want me but it also might not last.
In any case, I'll have to wait a bit before I can tackle all these suggestions.
Since I'm the only person from my office that will be working for the company after Friday I'm being trained in a mad rush to help the incoming people.
Once things settle down (might be a few weeks) i'll revisit the resumé.
Good news, for whatever time it lasts. Fun that you can work with the resumes.... (fun, except there are all these people looking, hard on at least some of them).
There's a lot to be said for being ready, in case of incipient company demise; maybe it won't 'demise' after all.
I saw some really funny ones. Seen a few hundred this week any any coherent resumé is looking damn good.
One dude sent us a resume in all caps listing elementary school under education and "NEVER BEEN ARRESTED" as a qualification.
I had to resist the urge to remove the contact info and distribute it on the net as a joke.
