Resume Format

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NSEARCH

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I'm updating my resume (needing a change in the near future) and would like to see a current resume that has been successful for someone on here. I have been with the same company since graduating (8 yrs ago) and I do not have any references to draft up a working resume. If you have one that you are willing to pass along please email it to:

[email protected]

Thank you for your assistance and time!!

Bryan

 
^^^ I will send you a format that I have been using that seems to be acceptable. I have gotten lots of first and second interviews .. but haven't quite closed the deal. I think that is more a function of my 'demands' rather than of the format of my resume. :D

Good luck in your search!

JR

 
^^^ I will send you a format that I have been using that seems to be acceptable. I have gotten lots of first and second interviews .. but haven't quite closed the deal. I think that is more a function of my 'demands' rather than of the format of my resume. :D
Good luck in your search!

JR

JR - I really appreciate it!!! I'll keep everyone updated on the process.

 
I'll send you mine as well. I got several complements on how great it looked. Also got 2 job offers during phone interviews (I think that was desperation, not the resume, but who knows!) Look for it tonight.

 
^^^ I will send you a format that I have been using that seems to be acceptable. I have gotten lots of first and second interviews .. but haven't quite closed the deal. I think that is more a function of my 'demands' rather than of the format of my resume. :D
Good luck in your search!

JR
Would you be willing to put a template on PE Notes?

 
If you have some research background, I can send you mine. It's in a little dirrferent format than the "traditional" resume format.

ktulu

 
Looks too wordy to me... I think some HR people would hesistate to read all of that... Your resume reads more like a coverletter... Which is not that bad, because you can take points out of here and make a coverletter to accompany your resume (anyone else, do employers actually read coverletters?).

My resume (although I only have about 4 years experience) is mostly in point form... Descriptions are brief, but give enough information ...

Also, your list of Design and Computer skills looks a bit ugly. Try to make the one column into three columns going across the page; otherwise, you are just wasting space. Although most people think that quality counts, you need to have your resume at least somewhat pleasing to the eye. So think about formatting...

If I get around to it, I will find my resume and either post it or send it to you to look at.....

I hope my suggestions sound more like constructive criticism rather than just plain ol' criticism....

 
^^ I actually like yours ssmith - much more 'compact' and specific than mine. I think that has been the problem with mine all along; I have tried to fit in too many 'general' duties while sacrificing the big picture items.

JR

 
Im pretty happy with it for right now. The only thing that bothers me is how many acronyms it uses. The options are either use much fewer acronyms with general language instead to appeal to the engineering illiterate or use the vernacular of the job and risk talking over the heads of the HR pukes who screen the resume. Right now Im doing both, but Im trying to figure out a better balance.

 
Ssmith, your resume is tight!

Nsearch, i agree w/ Casey's points - The career summary portion seems more appropriate for a cover letter, and the technical skills area could arguably be removed altogether. Your design capabilities / skills are presented nicely in your career & project experience portion, and on computer skills, I've been told they're totally not necess to put on a resume, because 1. in the industry, software use & familiarity is implicit w/ the design experience you list & 2. they're gonna throw you on the software they have in-house anyways, your use of it previously probably wouldn't be a deal breaker. In other words, not much of a factor in whether you get in the "to call' pile or the "throwaway" pile.

A tactic i've tried of late is a "Value offered" statement (what can i do for said company), that in your case could go right where your career summary is - then the rest of your resume would back up that statement, in a similar fashion. Course out of 30+ submittals i haven't had a single good-bad-or indifferent response on any of em. :sniff:

good luck -

 
Here is a link to my resume. In Word, its formatted to fit a single page.
This is a good rsume because it is concrete, and it lists specific accomplishments with numbers. XXXX dollar programs, XX% improvement. And since nobody is going to check this stuff out you have carte blanch to characterize things the way you want. I'm not saying lie, but you can always come p with good sounding numbers that have some basis in fact.

 
Im pretty happy with it for right now. The only thing that bothers me is how many acronyms it uses. The options are either use much fewer acronyms with general language instead to appeal to the engineering illiterate or use the vernacular of the job and risk talking over the heads of the HR pukes who screen the resume. Right now Im doing both, but Im trying to figure out a better balance.
I feel your pain! My regulatory background is in a federal program/statute called the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This term is pretty well known in my industry but there are MANY follow-on acronyms that I cannot assume the reader (HR dork) is about to know, understand, or decipher, so I end up spelling everything else and lose A LOT of valuable space.

A tactic i've tried of late is a "Value offered" statement (what can i do for said company), that in your case could go right where your career summary is - then the rest of your resume would back up that statement, in a similar fashion. Course out of 30+ submittals i haven't had a single good-bad-or indifferent response on any of em. :sniff:
The headhunter website STRONGLY suggests that that you need to provide details for what you can do to help the company accomplish its' goals. In other words, a blanket statements of your skills is not enough to garner attention from most employers. I have been seriously rethinking about how I can retool the layout of my resume in order to emphasize accomplishments rather than my basis of knowledge.

Hey EM ... good luck to both of us catching a bite! :p10940623: :thumbs: And of course NSEARCH as well! :)

This is a good rsume because it is concrete, and it lists specific accomplishments with numbers. XXXX dollar programs, XX% improvement. And since nobody is going to check this stuff out you have carte blanch to characterize things the way you want. I'm not saying lie, but you can always come p with good sounding numbers that have some basis in fact.
Good point! I think I am going to start listing SPECIFIC programmatic accomplishments (e.g. how many permits isused, sites remediated, power plants environmental assessments, etc.)

Aaarrgghhh ... now you guys have me seriously rethinking a rework of my resume prior to sending out the next wave to interested parties! :eek:ldman: It probably needs it and I was going to call in sick to work tomorrow since I was feeling a tickle in my throat ... *cough* *cough*

JR

 
I will PM you a recent resume that uses a format designed for inclusion in a proposal for CM work. It uses a narrow column on the left to allow you list the line-consuming, but relatively short titles of software and training and credentials, while leaving most of the page to the left open for describing your jobs in more frinedly text. I think it works well, and allows you cram in more than I ever thought possible onto two pages, yet still look neat and professional (IMO).

(I am not comfortable sharing in public because of too many specifics about projects, but if anyone else wants to see it, PM me)

 
^^ That is something else - I have been forcing my resume onto one page. If I had a two-page resume, I could really flesh out my work/project experience. I might do that as well. :)

JR

 
^^ That is something else - I have been forcing my resume onto one page. If I had a two-page resume, I could really flesh out my work/project experience. I might do that as well. :)
JR
I think of paper resumes as a business card. How many business cards have you seen on two pages? :deadhorse:

 
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