Does everyone use bullets?
Therhino
Member Posts: 122
Every resume I see has bullets in it now. There are no paragraphs but just small blurbs of whatever information that seems most relative to the position. Is it wrong of me to be anti-bullets. I just look at it in the same way as Van Halen if they don't have the time to read my paragraphs is that really where you want to work?
Am I wrong for feeling like this?
Am I wrong for feeling like this?
Comments
I'll let someone else give a more serious response to that question
Agreed!
Most HR folks spend 20 ~30 seconds on a resume for positions lower than a managerial level. So you need to put your resume in a format that lets them quickly see your strong points. Think of it in terms of a sales pitch informercial. If you haven't grabbed their attention in that 20 ~ 30 second time frame they're going to turn the channel. Or in this context, your resume is going to end up in the NO pile.
I dig what your saying about not wanting to work there if they don't want to take the time to read your resume thoroughly, but the flip side of that is HR folks are just as busy as the rest of us and have between 50 -70 resumes to look at for a given position on average. They just don't have the time to read each one. So it's up to us to give them a resume in a format that quickly highlights why we are worth bringing in for an interview.
Now if I get to an interview and it becomes obvious that the IT manager isn't familiar with my resume and is unaware of my skills/experience then I agree, that's probably someone I don't want to work for. Because A) They're to lazy to do the work to make sure they know a bit about me before the interview, which spells trouble down the line. or
If I give them a block of text all it's going to do is make their eyes bleed, especially if I'm the 300th resume they have read today.
The only purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. It's an advertisement of your abilities. During the interview is the time to speak in paragraphs.
Besides, you're interview is where you sell yourself, your resume is just a quick glimpse of you.
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Priceless. I thought I was the only one who immediately thought about firearms.
On a more serious note, bullets on a resume are very useful. I follow networker050184's method of paragraph for position responsibilities and bullets for accomplishments. It has proven to be a great combination, at least for me.
Yes, you are wrong; one HR goon's reading preference has nothing to do with the company's work policies.
Of course you use bullets; you need to sell yourself as fast as possible. Even I can't be bothered with paragraphs, especially if going through 100+ resumes. Bitesize pieces is all that is needed; noone wants to read a novel.
And I totally missed the Van Halen reference. What was that again?
Van Halen used to have a contract that specified that backstage they were to be provided with a bowl of M&M's, with all of the brown ones removed. The point of adding this was to ensure that venues were actually reading the specifications in the contract.
This is absolutely irrelevant to resumes. Contracts are legal documents that specify responsibilities of parties subject to the contract, and as such can be very specific, detailed and often narrative in nature, whereas resumes are introductory in nature. Additionally, the people in this thread that are saying that long narratives are appropriate for management resumes are also dead wrong.
A resume summarizes accomplishments, skills and qualifications. Narratives should be minimized. It's about telling a potential employer what time it is, not how the watch was made.
MS
pfft, wimp.
.45 ACP and .30-06!
I suppose that depends on the types of bullets! if one type doesn't get their attention, the other type is bound to!
I knew someone would give me a hard time about that...
But speaking of resumes, I'm generally a big fan of bullets (not the kind that tears through paper). It's quicker to scan, easier on the eyes when speed-reading through and making a quick assessment, and in general gets points across faster for the unlucky soul reading through hundreds of applications a day.
I've seen some resumes that provided paragraphs for job descriptions, duties performed, and so on, but I always got impatient trying to comb through those. Perhaps I'm biased, but it felt antiquated. Resumes are tools, not demonstrations of written art.
I think paragraphs are fine if you get to the interview stage where a writing sample is requested, but until you get there, the easier to scan, the better.
Agreed. When the zombie apocalpse comes I want knock down power.
Also, yes I utilize bullets a great deal on my resume. As the previous posters mentioned it helps keep things consise and easily readable.
and....
+50 for .50 BMG nothing is like shooting a M-82.
MCSA 2003, LFCS, LFCE (expired), VCP6-DCV
Also as far as bullets go I personally have 9mm, .40cal, 45acp, a sweet m4 that is 5.56 for the apocalypse, and a .300 win mag for my long range 800-1200 yard shooting. Oh and some .22's and a 12 gauge. As for stoping power? With the advancement in bullets a 9mm can be as effective as a 45 depending on what your shooting. Take a look at critical defense ammo by hornady as an example. What is key is bullet expansion. If you have crappy bullets that don't expand in a 45 then they are not very useful. If you have quality bullets in a 9mm they will expand and do what they are ment to which is stop the threat.
I've been using bullets since 1999, really not something new.
In all seriousness though, I currently have bullets on my resume. It's just the way I was taught to sort of build a resume with the highlights. Then again, I've never even been called back for an interview. Perhaps it is a mistake?
Agreed...
Oh, I may joke about 9mm being small, but I actually carry one. The .45 is on my hip, the 9mil is my backup. I carry speer gold dots +P 124gr rounds, and have absolutely no complaint about their performance.
There's something incredibly satisfying about shooting a .45 though
This is true. I love my Springfield TRP 1911. It is so accurate and has as much recoil as a 9. I love the 1911 platform so much that my concealed carry gun is a Springfield EMP 9mm 1911.
Just a more personal perspective I guess that I thought I would throw out there. In my opinion, a resume is for getting an interview. Bullet points may not be the best way to describe what you did or do at a job, or what you know, but they are certainly efficient.
I go with exactly this format. Of course not too many bullets though, six max for me (top six accomplishments).
I also top the resume with a couple sentences giving an overview of what I do, and bulletpoint out my main skills / knowledge.
As for the other bullet - .45ACP or 10mm. I'm a 1911 guy all the way
CCW is a Kimber Tactical Pro with Corbon DPX.
I totally agree!!
*Bachelor's of Science: Information Technology - Security, Master's of Science: Information Technology - Management
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