Resume Format

[Capt Worley PE]

Wait til you get some serious time in. I have (OMG) almost 20 years of experience, 5 jobs and lots of government, NFPA, and ICC certifications. Comes to three pages.

 

[EM_PS]

^^ It is unrealistic to chronicle your prof. work exp. down to a Campbell's condensed soup version to maintain the magic 1 page criteria. It simply don't work when your experience covers a vast listing of projects, actual jobs held, etc etc. - However, under no circumstances should it exceed 2 pages (cripes, that what inteviews are for). I strive to print mine out double-sided, thus being more friendly in an HR dork's hands, while still provide 2 pages of room for my crazy assortment of jobs & career tracks.

 

[ktulu]

As I have stated earlier, I have been in research for close to 10 years, so my name has been on quite a few published research papers/magazine articles. My resume is close to 5 pages long.

However, if I ever applied for a non-research related position, all that would go, and would only have a page/1.5 page resume.

Like Dleg said, my resume is geared more for project/research project proposals.

 

[benbo]

I think the "hard and fast" rule about a one pager has gone now. Still, I think you want to keep it as brief as possible, and format it so the significant things stand out. Most places have scanners that filter the things for key words. Even after that there are sometimes going to be a lot of resumes to look at. I don't know if anybody here has done much looking through resumes, but for desirable jobs in hard job markets there might be 100 resumes to look through. Nobody is going to read a super long resume in any detail on the first few passes unless something jumps out at them.

It is probably common sense, but my personal opinion is that if any experieince isn't closely related to the job your going to be doing be very brief in describing it. It is probably not that important to most engineering firms that you took a five year detour to teach high school. They want to know if you can do their job. But you have to mention it so you don't have big gaps in your employment history.

I've got some seniority now in a job I like with some security, so I haven't even looked at my resume lately. I hate job hunting.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I've got some seniority now in a job I like with some security, so I haven't even looked at my resume lately. I hate job hunting.

I hate job hunting too, but I always keep the resume updated just in case. Matter of fact, my current job is the one that pushed me over two pages when I updated it.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

The single page resume idea was beat into everybody at my school as undergrads, and I think it is a valuable idea when you are first entering the job market. But once you have several years, or experience in several different positions/companies, that are relevant to your job search, then you need to abandon the notion of the single page resume. I also don't think it is as important these days since about 95% of the resumes I send out are in electronic format anyway. Depending on the format of the file and how the HR person is viewing it, it may not even be apparent that the resume is longer than one page. Then you have the modern resume parsing software that just pulls the information off of your resume and the HR people never even see the real, formatted document.

 

[ktulu]

The single page resume idea was beat into everybody at my school as undergrads,

My technical writing professor always said that you should not limit yourself to one page. That your education and experience should dictate the final length of your resume.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

My technical writing professor always said that you should not limit yourself to one page. That your education and experience should dictate the final length of your resume.

It was done more by the "Career Services" office than any of the professors.

 

[Dleg]

Well, not that I hire all that many people (I try to) - I mostly review resumes attached to proposals for A&E work - but I would laugh at any resume for an engineer that covers only one page, unless they were fresh out of college. I guess if you're going to work for some huge corporation where a machine scans your resume for "buzz words", and your future supervisor never sees it, the one-pager might make more sense. But I don't think I would want to work for that kind of company anyway.

I suppose it all depends on your audience. I also have a monster 12 page resume that lists all projects, presentations, and publications I have ever been involved with. I mostly keep it to chronicle my experience, so I can draw from it to create project-specific resumes. But once in a while, when some politician wants to "investigate my credentials" (translation - look for a reason to fire my ass), I send the monster their way.

 

[SSmith]

The point of a resume isn't to chronicle your professional life. It's simply to market yourself into the front door for a face to face interview. There is a HUGE difference between the two perspectives in my opinion.

 

[Casey]

The point of a resume isn't to chronicle your professional life. It's simply to market yourself into the front door for a face to face interview. There is a HUGE difference between the two perspectives in my opinion.

We call that a "CV". And may or may not be attached to your resume/application. (This isn't directed at you, SSmith)

Resumes should be about 1 to 2 pages and should have information on it that perrtains to the job you are applying for and grabs the attention of the reader. If you want to go into more detail you attach a CV and/or coverletter...

 

[IlPadrino]

An old topic, but I ran across an interesting perspective at http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2009/02/guest-post-memo.html:

Here’s What I Like:
A direct style: use blunt, short words. Most resumes are scanned, not read.

Looks: like a middle-aged man’s apartment. Nice and tidy.

Objective: be direct; your objective is the job you’re applying for.

Verbs ending in “d”: shipped, launched, built, sold.

Results: not responsibilities or experience — but what responsibilities and experience helped you accomplish.

Bullets: 3 ñ 4 results per job.

Numbers: increased traffic from Google 230%, decreased ad spending 40%.

Grades: your GPA, even if it was ten years ago, if it’s over 3.5.

Reviews: ratings from your last review, especially useful if you worked for a tough grader like Microsoft

Honors: we’ll interview an employee-of-the-quarter, every time.

Promotions: if your role changes, highlight that as two jobs.

LinkedIn endorsements: persuasive, even from your friends; excerpted & linked.

A link to your blog: a blog gives you online street cred. For some, it is your resume .

Themes: whether you care about customer service or agile software, tell a consistent story from job to job.

Hobbies: I always want to meet people with fun hobbies. And that’s all a resume is: a request for a meeting. At Plumtree, we received a resume from a Playboy model. A colleague forwarded it to me with a note reading, “I’ve never asked you for anything beforeÖ” I feel the same way about cyclists.

Two pages, max: if you’re under 30, one page.

Anything you did that showed initiative or passion. Eagle Scout. Math Olympics.

Email to the CEO: it takes chutzpah & resourcefulness to go straight to the top. The email address is easy to guess.

Customization: tailor your resume & especially the cover letter to the job.

Completed degrees: I’ve hired plenty of folks a few credits shy of a degree. Some were great; many couldn’t finish what they started. If you have time now, finish your degree.

Gmail address: or your own domain. Nothing says “totally out of it” like an AOL address.

Here’s What I Don’t Like:

Churn: stints at two or more employers of less than two years.

List of generic skills: just show what you actually accomplished at each job.

Typos or misspellings: About half the resumes I get are addressed to “RedFin.” For the other words, spell-check!

Photos: my favorite was of a candidate in tennis whites with a racket.

“Proven”: as in “proven leadership.” We all still have something to prove.

Printed resumes: email a Word document, web page or PDF.

Buzzwords: search bots love it, actual people don’t.

Wordiness: yes, this is the pot calling the kettle black…

The whole post is worth the three minutes to read.

 

[Guest]

The single page resume idea was beat into everybody at my school as undergrads, and I think it is a valuable idea when you are first entering the job market. But once you have several years, or experience in several different positions/companies, that are relevant to your job search, then you need to abandon the notion of the single page resume. I also don't think it is as important these days since about 95% of the resumes I send out are in electronic format anyway. Depending on the format of the file and how the HR person is viewing it, it may not even be apparent that the resume is longer than one page. Then you have the modern resume parsing software that just pulls the information off of your resume and the HR people never even see the real, formatted document.

I agree - I think the one-page resume format was something put out there for people newly entering the job market or without much education/experience as a rule of thumb. It is a good rule because it helps the casual resume builder keep their record focused.

I also agree that after numerous years of experience - it is going to take MUCH more than one page to adequately spell out your experience.

I recall when my dad had just retired from the air foce after twenty-years. Though, my dad never went to a college or held a degree, he was an extremely talented welder having learned and taught welding at air force tech schools. At the time he retired he was also the first seargent of the largest squadron on his base. The combined some of certifications, experience, and accomodations/medals that he earned during his tenure in the service amounted to nearly 15 pages of resume. :true: When he started looking for work post-military, he went to a professional resume developer who wrote his resume that way.

JR

 

[Dleg]

Having recently, and successfully gone through a major new job hunt, I can say with some assurance that a 7-pager is NOT a liability, if you have lists of publications, presentations, certifications, references, etc. that make it necessary to go that long without short-changing your record. Good organization is still key, though - my basic work history, degree and licensing information still made it in the first two pages. I figure no one even looked through the last 4.5 pages - but kind of like the appendices to a report, it gives the impression that you actually did the work to back up your claims...

 

[CivE Bricky]

www.asktheheadhunter.com by Nick Corcodilos (SP?)

is all you need to know. His first book about how to find a job (Ask the Headhunter) turns conventional wisdom on its head and the second you read it, you realize he's right and everyone else is wrong.

Finding a job his way involves lots more upfront targeted work than the conventional process of sending out resumes -- which is why you can really shine with his techniques.....I've read his weekly newsletter for 5 + years and think he's the top.

I'm not going to try to explain his philosophy in detail - but it involves people far more than paper or computers....networking is key.

His second book is just out -- about working with a headhunter - and I plan to read that one also.

I've been with the same employer for nearly 20 years, and the soon to be PE is going to be my ticket to new things. I need new challenges and it's time.

I seen the other side of the fence a bit--I've hired some temporary employees and I'm constantly surprised at how people screw up the job search....every interaction, including with the receptionist, builds an image of you. And ultimately, the people with good enough education and smarts and the right attitude will win over just about anything else. The key is to demonstrate that attitude....and show the direct connection between it and the bottom line.

For the record, Nick's all for multipage well-edited resumes.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I'm an officer in a professional engineering organization --where members often....network. And real networking is about being a friend, not about finding people who could be useful in the future.

Take a look -- and consider subscribing - it's free. The website also has a blog and loads of other useful info.

 

[benbo]

Having recently, and successfully gone through a major new job hunt, I can say with some assurance that a 7-pager is NOT a liability, if you have lists of publications, presentations, certifications, references, etc. that make it necessary to go that long without short-changing your record. Good organization is still key, though - my basic work history, degree and licensing information still made it in the first two pages. I figure no one even looked through the last 4.5 pages - but kind of like the appendices to a report, it gives the impression that you actually did the work to back up your claims...

I'm sure this is valid, but like Dleg says here, MAKE SURE you get the critical information, or a summary thereof, in the first couple pages. I've been a member of teams sifting through piles of resumes and there's no way any of us were going to read through a 5 pager unless there was something very interesting in the cover letter or on the first couple pages of the resume.

Now some jobs and some geographical areas may not get these many resumes, but in this type of economic climate, and in a major city (I live in the LA area) we always got stacks for every job.

 

[jeb6294]

....every interaction, including with the receptionist, builds an image of you.

My old job we had people come in who were, not so much rude, but not too friendly to the receptionist. Guess what...when you're done with your interview and the person who's doing the hiring walks you out, the first person he's going to see is probably the receptionist. Granted, they're not going to base their decision on what the receptionist says, but when her first words are..."man, that guy was a d!ck"...it still doesn't look good.

 

[EnvEngineer]

Looking at alot of resumes and hiring I would have to say that if it is more than 2 pages you better have a great story to tell. I dont think I have seen an impressive enough resume over two pages to make it worth while.

The number one thing I think is missed is How does all the experience and projects you listed add up to what you will do for me?? We post a job announcement and try to be specific on what we are looking for and then have to read between the lines to determine if your experience will in fact meet our needs. Be blunt I can do xxxxxx because on job XXXXX I did XXXX and everyone really liked it.

Really bad stuff... I saved the company $20,000,000,000,000,000,000 , really why are you looking for a job. Did you do this all by yourself??

I am 25 years old and have completed 167 projects (all listed in the 22 pages attached) all by my self. Really .. you have super powers??

Last Rant, In high school I... my college classes were.. I dont care, I need you to work not study.

Bottom line.. take my job description and copy each requirement, add 1-2 projects where you performed the task I need and give me a phone number to call and discuss at least one or two of the projects.

BTW make photocopies, scan to pdf and fax your resume to yourself. If it looks like ____ and is hard to read, it better be really good otherwise into the can it goes. No fancy formats, no colored paper, no itilics or strange fonts. 12pt Times Roman. I got alot of these to read and I am not a happy camper during this period, I love engineering and when I am reading the ____ sent to me I am not doing something I love.

Best note: I am on your side, I need you and want to hire you, its not complicated just make it easy.

Good luck

 

[andrewrallen]

I am also interested in updating my resume........ I would greatly appreciate anyone sending me a copy to look [email protected]

Thanks!