Some follow-up items...

• With regards to having a lot of experience:

“Don't list too much experience on your resume. The rule of thumb for someone with many years of experience is to list about

15 years worth of jobs. Age discrimination, unfortunately, is a reality, and even more likely, employers may think you're too expensive if you list too much experience on your resume.”

sourced from:http://www.quintcareers.com/resume-dos-donts.html

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to having a lot of experience:

“Too many dates going too far back isn't the only factor that ages a resume. Another common mistake is to brag about depth of

experience as a virtue unto itself. By contrast, recent accomplishments that are relevant to the job opening

automatically make a candidate appear more youthful. ”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/get-your-50-plus-resume-right/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to having a lot of experience:

“One concern employers have about hiring older workers is that they haven't kept up with technology. So you should flaunt what

you've got in this area, whether it's an impressive list of certifications or a simple mention of office-productivity software

training you've undertaken. ”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/get-your-50-plus-resume-right/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to having a lot of experience:

“Obsolete skills are a sure sign of a dinosaur, so omit them. If you aren’t sure, ask a trusted colleague or potential hiring manager

whether a particular skill is still current.”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/long-term-employment-resume/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to having a lot of experience:

“If you’ve been with a company for many years, chances are that you boast a long list of achievements. However, your resume

should present only the experience, skills and training related to your current goal. Since a resume is a marketing piece rather than

a career history, don’t feel that your resume must cover every detail of your career. Edit your experience so your resume is

tailored to your current job target.”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/long-term-employment-resume/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to having a lot of experience:

“A well-written qualifications summary at the beginning of your resume will present your career in a positive light. The summary

provides an initial hard sell, demonstrating you are highly qualified for your stated goal.”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/long-term-employment-resume/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to military experience:“Proudly Display Your Military Experience

Weh has received some of the best resumes from veterans who include their billet title and military rank. "People who don't acknowledge their military careers are not helping

themselves," Weh says. "I saw a retired lieutenant colonel's resume that simply listed vague managerial skills, and the only reference to his military career was that he served in the US Air

Force. An employer could have mistaken his military career for one at IBM."

Employers cannot glean a complete understanding of your work potential if you disguise your past. Given that a typical HR manager won't comprehend the significance of title and rank,

veterans should also include an equivalent civilian title. For example, a commanding general can list the equivalent civilian title as chief executive officer. ”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/present-your-military-skills/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to military experience:“Assume No Knowledge of the Military

Demilitarize your job titles, duties, accomplishments, training and awards to appeal to civilian hiring managers. Employers with no exposure to the military don't understand the

terminology and acronyms, so translate these into civilianese. Show your resume to several nonmilitary friends and ask them to point out terms they don't understand. Refer to job

postings and Military.com's skills translator for help substituting civilian keywords for military terms.”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/out-of-uniform/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to military experience:“Your military experience is an asset and should be marketed as such. Many employers realize the value of bringing veterans on board. Attributes honed in the military include

dedication, leadership, teamwork, positive work ethic and cross-functional skills. If you fear a potential employer won't realize the significance of your military experience, make sure your

resume clearly communicates the value you bring to the table.”

sourced from:http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/out-of-uniform/article.aspx

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to GPA on a resume:

“As a graduating senior, your GPA should always be mentioned, as long as it is above 3.0. Most recruiters will assume that it is below

3.0 if they do not see it on your resume. (The phrase "3.2/4.0" indicates that you have a 3.2 GPA on a scale that runs up to 4.0. Some schools use a 5.0 scale.) Your GPA is printed on your most

recent BC transcript. Do not round up your GPA. If you have a 3.90, put that down. Do not round up to a 4.00. Employers want to see accurate information and may compare your resume GPA with

your official transcript.”

sourced from:http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/skills/resumes/whatisaresume.html

Some follow-up items...

• With regards to GPA on a resume:

The 3.0 or above rule of thumb seems to be the common recommendation. The following links will take you to additional

articles mentioning this general rule of thumb:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/719/02/

https://career.berkeley.edu/tools/faqResume.stm#8

http://smg.bu.edu/upo/docs/Guidelines-IncludingGPAonResumes.pdf

Resumes Part 2

Video on Resumes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5UNHhIe_ec

Peer Review of Assignment 4

Readability!

Strive for a resume that easy to read not only to you as the writer, but to someone who knows

nothing about you

Fonts

• Utilize a clean & easy to read font• Some suggested fonts include:

TahomaArial

KroneSoutane

CG OmegaCentury Gothic

Gill Sans

Times New RomanBookman

Book AntiquaGaramond

Century SchoolbookLucida Sans

Verdana

Fonts• Play around with font size. One particular font may be very readable in

size 10 whereas another might not be

• A change in font type or size might turn your slightly over 1 page resume to just a single page resume

• General font size recommendation: choose between a size 10 – 12

• Be consistent in your font use

• You can utilize more than one font type (ex. Tahoma and Arial), but I recommend not going overboard with different font usage

Fonts

• The use of bold, italics, underlining, and CAPITALIZATION can help bring attention to targeted areas of your resume

• Be careful not to over use them

Bullet Points

• Can make a resume easy to read• Be consistent in their use• Be careful on the style of bullet points you use

and don’t go overboard with them (ex. have 4 different styles of bullet points in your resume)

White Space

• White space can be key in creating a very readable resume

• With proper use of white space your resume can appear less cramped and help draw the reader’s attention to key sections more easily

Utilize the formatting options/capabilities within word processing software (ex. Microsoft Word)

• Become comfortable/skilled in Microsoft Word (or some other commonly used word processing program) or become friends with someone who is

• Don’t use the space bar to line stuff up!

Resume Length

• Probably 1 – 2 pages

Name/Contact Information

• Traditionally seen and encouraged to be placed at top of your resume

• Things to include:– name– address (current/permanent or home/mailing)– phone number (home/cell)– email address (encourage you to use a

long-term/professional sounding one)– url to online portfolio (linkedin, wordpress, etc.)

Name/Contact Information

• The header feature in Microsoft Word can be a handy place to place this information

• By utilizing the header feature your contact information will appear on subsequent pages if you go beyond a single page resume

Writing Style“Always write in the first person, dropping the word "I" from the front of each sentence. This style gives your resume a more aggressive and more professional tone than the passive third-person voice. Here are some examples:

First Person

Manage 12-person team in the design and market commercialization of next-generation SAP technology.

Third Person

Mr. Jones manages a team of 12 in the design and market commercialization of next-generation SAP technology.

By using the first-person voice, you are assuming "ownership" of that statement. You did such-and-such. When you use the third-person, "someone else" did it.”

Sourced from: Wendy S Enelow and Louise M Kursmark. Expert Resumes for Computer and Web Jobs, 3rd Ed (Kindle Locations 265-268). Kindle Edition.

Objective, Professional Profile, Career Summary, etc.

• In my opinion, can be very challenging to write a good one

• Can add a lot of power to your resume

• If you utilize one don’t be vague

Objective, Professional Profile, Career Summary, etc.

• Simply stating “To obtain an entry-level programming position” is really quite vague

• An objective like the one above is stating the obvious and does not add much (if any) value to your resume

• Cater your statement/profile/summary to the employer/position

Objective, Professional Profile, Career Summary, etc.

• A couple resources:

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/whats-your-resume-objective/article.aspx

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/resume-dilemma-no-defined-objective/article.aspx

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/sampleresumes/a/sampleobjective.htm

Education

• Things to include:– Name of school– Month/Year of graduation or expected – Name of degree/certification– Major(s)/Minor(s)

• You might want to consider a “Related Coursework” section or something similar if you are having difficulty with detailing experience or want to convey how far you are in your degree

Resume Formats

• Chronological• Functional• Hybrid/Mixed

Chronological Format• Listing your experience in reverse chronological

order• Provides employer timeline of your

experience/accomplishments/progression• Generally includes– job titles/names– employer/location– employment dates– accomplishments

• Very common format

Functional Format

• Lists experiences in skill clusters• Might be a more viable option for people with

limited job/experience history, spotty job history, or for breaking into a new career

Hybrid/Mixed Format

• Blend of the chronological and functional formats

• One example would be to list accomplishments in skill clusters (functional) while also providing a basic employment history section (chronological)

Resume Format Resource

http://www.quintcareers.com/best_resume_format.html

Some Additional Resume Advice

• Proofread, proofread, and proofread some more.– Have a friend look it over– Have a peer look it over

• Be careful with special characters or symbols in your resume

• Try converting it to a PDF file. Some employers convert your resume to a PDF, which may result in loss of format

Some Additional Resume Advice

• Try to keep it updated• View your resume on different computers

with different resolutions• Find samples to look at. Samples will help you

come up with ideas for formatting and on how to word things.– books– internet

Some Additional Resume Advice

• Cater your resume to the position you’re applying for

• Do not discount or under-value your past experience even if its not specifically in the industry you’re trying to enter.

Some Additional Resume Advice

Remember, everyone has an opinion. What one person or employer likes may be the exact thing another person/employer dislikes. Ultimately you need to arrive at a resume that you’re confident in.

Employment Gaps

• The following are some resources on dealing with employment gaps

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/resume-gaps-hot-jobs/article.aspx

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/resume-dilemma-employment-gaps/article.aspx

Quintessential Careers Press The Quintessential Guide to

Surefire Resumes for New Graduates and Other Entry-Level Candidates

http://www.quintcareers.com/Quintessential_Careers_Press/Surefire_Resumes/

FVTC Resume Resources

http://www.fvtc.edu/public/content.aspx?ID=1965&PID=22

Resource on including technical skills on your resume

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/show-your-skills-on-your-it-resume/article.aspx

Another good Resume Resource

https://www.cco.purdue.edu/Student/Resume/ResumeTutorial.shtml

For next class

• Read/Look-over chapter 6• Begin working on 2nd resume draft;

incorporate formatting and structuring concepts we discussed tonight (note: this is not an official assignment yet, but it will be in the near future. You can get a head start on it now)