Resume time

ptilsen

It has been about a year, and I'm updating my resume. I had N2IT give it a once-over before bringing it to the group. I'm pretty comfortable with it, but I'm open to suggestions all around. I do switch out accomplishments and descriptions a bit based on where I'm applying, but this is my default, and I'm not actively seeking right now anyway.

Do your worst, lady and gentleman. Note that this doesn't display correctly in Word 2013 outside of editing mode. It is exactly two pages with essentially no extra room when viewed in editing mode.

Sr Systems Eng.doc

Asif Dasl

I'd be inclined to drop the MCP and move the certs around so that MCSA 2008, then Windows 7 and then MCSA 2003 were the order. Other than that, flawless, very impressive.

ptilsen

Thanks! It got a lot of good eyes on it last year.

MCP I think is silly, but the sad fact of the matter is I still see enough postings with it that I will probably keep it for the time being. If I find time and motivation to start getting certifications again it will definitely get kicked off my resume.

danny069

Love the check marks never seen anything like it before, and I love MN too lol. My eyes immediately went to whatever was bolded, didn't spend much time on the summary, skimmed through each company and title, didn't go into work detail, carefully read what certifications you had, and education. I thought it was a solid resume and I like the format I thought it was very clean, great job.

ptilsen

Have to give N2IT a lot of credit here. I had the general format, but he put in some of the nicer details and gave me some direction. The check marks and borders were all him. Everyone else (especially Everyone, if you'll pardon the pun) in the thread from last year helped a lot, too.

networker050184

I love it! Exactly how mine is laid out (so I might be a bit biased) and the content reads well.

krjay

Love the format, I might steal it. I don't really like the check marks, but the overall layout I really like.

dave330i

Really like it. Very clean, easy to read and minimal white space. Personally prefer to have the certs listed before experience. I like to give the reader a concise list of skills/abilities right off the bat.

krjay

If I had as much experience as ptilsen I wouldn't put the certs first. I put mine first, I have much less experience to list.

ptilsen

dave330i wrote: »

Personally prefer to have the certs listed before experience. I like to give the reader a concise list of skills/abilities right off the bat.

I agree, but I am grossly under-certified relative to my skill level and experience. I would come off as a mid-level or junior admin if I listed my certs first. If and when I get my CISSP or MCSE or something, they will go first. I would probably put my CS degree when it's finished first as well, depending on what sorts of jobs I'm going for. I would put your certs front and center if they were mine.

ajs1976

First glance reaction: "oh, sh!t, that's a lot of words". Not sure what is the right answer or wrong answer on the too many words vs too few words.

I agree with leaving the MCP. Some people may still be using that in keyword searches.

I would also list the certs in a most valuable to least valuable order. MS - MCSA 2008, MCSA 2003, Win7, MCP. CompTIA - Sec+, Net+, A+

In the small lawfirm section, why does a three-week project take three months? Looks odd.

ptilsen

ajs1976 wrote: »

First glance reaction: "oh, sh!t, that's a lot of words". Not sure what is the right answer or wrong answer on the too many words vs too few words.

Yes, this is tricky. If I downplay my accomplishments and experience for the sake of brevity, I might miss out on opportunities. If I am too verbose and try to list everything I've ever done, I may miss out on opportunities because it's too much to read. It's a balancing act, I think. However, I feel the scarcity of qualified people for the type of jobs I'm searching for is so great, at least in my area, that erring on the side of more is the right call. That being said, it can become considerably less wordy as I remove less-relevant items when applying for positions. If I were going for a team lead position at an MSP, for example, I would have different content than going for a senior engineer position at a Fortune 500. I think in either case it will be less content total than what's seen here, but there are some jobs I would apply to with exactly what I've attached.

ajs1976 wrote: »

In the small lawfirm section, why does a three-week project take three months? Looks odd.

This was an error. I was thinking about combining it an the next entry into a "short-term contract" entry or something like that, and had already changed the dates, but I couldn't figure out a way to do it that wasn't really awkward. I've uploaded a corrected version.

I also re-ordered the certs. I agree with your order.

N2IT

Looking like a champ PT! Great experience

petedude

krjay wrote: »

Love the format, I might steal it. I don't really like the check marks, but the overall layout I really like.

Yes, but. . .

You have to be careful anymore with fancy table formats and odd characters. Problem is that HR departments have become so dependent on ATSes (application tracking systems), that if you give them a fancily formatted resume they'll gloss right over it.

Stuck in the black hole applying for jobs? | thebrandedResume

It's an irritating state of affairs, but it's the way of things, especially with so many people looking for work in a recovering economy. HR people will look for a way to automate sifting through that pile, and ATS gives that.

ptilsen

My resume imports perfectly into almost every system I've tried. Obviously I can't speak to every system, but it hasn't been a noticeable problem thus far. There are no non-standard characters (the check mark is just a bullet), so I don't see any big problem with it. I certainly have not had any problems finding work with it, and I've been using tables to keep it organized for years.

That is not to discredit your point, which is valid, but I haven't seen any evidence my resume format in particular has problems.

matt333

I have education, certs then experience. I think it flows better.

ajs1976

matt333 wrote: »

I have education, certs then experience. I think it flows better.

When you are new to the field and don't have much experience or any relevant experience that is ok, but after a few years, experience is king.

My resume goes experience, certs, then eduction. I emphasize my certs over education, because I have an Associates and I think the certs are more important. When I complete a computer or business related BS, I may switch them.

dave330i

Resume should follow a white paper format. When you think about it it's a wp on you. White paper layout is exec summary, intro, body. Following it, resume would be professional summary, cert/education, experience. Odds are your resume isn't the only one being reviewed. Might as well make it easy to process. When I review a stack of resumes, I look at cert/education first and quick scan of work history to see if it's worth spending time doing a detailed review.

N2IT

Dave I think this being a certification forum you will get that lean. However it's been my experience managing, that experience is what is sought after. I don't think it's as clear cut as dropping experience or certifications first. If that resume falls into most management I think they want to see the summary and the experience first, however there are some managers who would rather see the other. I however think there aren't as many as those.

krjay

petedude wrote: »

Yes, but. . .

You have to be careful anymore with fancy table formats and odd characters. Problem is that HR departments have become so dependent on ATSes (application tracking systems), that if you give them a fancily formatted resume they'll gloss right over it.

Stuck in the black hole applying for jobs? | thebrandedResume

It's an irritating state of affairs, but it's the way of things, especially with so many people looking for work in a recovering economy. HR people will look for a way to automate sifting through that pile, and ATS gives that.

Well I would actually tone down some of the fancy features in it like the check marks and border. I really like the fact I could very quickly scan through and read the summary, past positions he held, and education. Maybe it's just the fact mine was so poorly put together, it just didn't flow as nicely as this example.

RoyalRaven

I'm a formatting-geek and here's my honest opinion (only on formatting, not actual content):

- Drop the checkboxes, use bullets.

- Drop the border, leave it as white space.

- Bold your cert acronyms, and/or better, use them as a prefix so the reader can QUICKLY find them.

- Might want to consider justified text (if it looks clean) or getting some alignment of items on the right-hand side. You have the left-hand side crisp and orderly - do the same for other side. I like to align time worked/dates on the right edge. For people who are alignment freaks, this looks messier in the current state. *This is only a personal-preference, but it did stand out to someone like me

- Put your city/state of the colleges/universities on the same line as the institution name. Use a comma to seperate. Provides room for more experience items later (to stay on two pages). Better yet, put the degree name in bold and on the first line (flip-flop it with institution name). Do you want me to know more about the degree or the institution?? I just switched this on mine and like the degree name first as it shows WHAT I did first. Much cleaner in my opinion.

The key here is that your indended audience are going to focus exactly on your bold items and the first line(s) of each section. These are the "hot spots" that need to draw the reader in. Borders and non-standard icons (anything other than blocks or circles) draw away from your best "hot spots". Just like the newspapers do - put the reader EXACTLY where you want them and nowhere else. Studies have been done that show the most important part of the resume - do a quick search on this and read up...rather interesting if you can see that info as it would help you fine-tune that one-minute scan that might make or break your opportunity.

Otherwise, I love this format and it's very professional already.

ptilsen

RoyalRaven wrote: »

I'm a formatting-geek and here's my honest opinion (only on formatting, not actual content):

- Drop the checkboxes, use bullets.

- Drop the border, leave it as white space.

That's is how I used to have it. N2 added both, and I love it. Have to disagree here.

RoyalRaven wrote: »

- Might want to consider justified text (if it looks clean) or getting some alignment of items on the right-hand side. You have the left-hand side crisp and orderly - do the same for other side. I like to align time worked/dates on the right edge. For people who are alignment freaks, this looks messier in the current state. *This is only a personal-preference, but it did stand out to someone like me

They are in a table, left-aligned so that all start dates line up with each other. It looks much better than being right-aligned, if that's what you're suggesting. Just try it on mine, and try to skim down the dates to see how long each job was. It's much more difficult when they're right-aligned, and it makes the whole thing look off, to me. I'm definitely open to improvement in this area, but I haven't found a way that actually makes it look better to me yet.

RoyalRaven wrote: »

- Bold your cert acronyms, and/or better, use them as a prefix so the reader can QUICKLY find them.

I get what you're saying and don't necessarily disagree, but I think it looks awkward, and frankly I'm not too concerned about them at this point. Compare my experience and my certifications and tell me anyone in their right mind is hiring me for a bunch of entry/mid-level certs.

RoyalRaven wrote: »

- Put your city/state of the colleges/universities on the same line as the institution name. Use a comma to seperate. Provides room for more experience items later (to stay on two pages). Better yet, put the degree name in bold and on the first line (flip-flop it with institution name). Do you want me to know more about the degree or the institution?? I just switched this on mine and like the degree name first as it shows WHAT I did first. Much cleaner in my opinion.

I may do some of this, actually. The way I have it now makes more sense in that it follows the same flow as job experience (employer, experience | school, degree), but I do agree that the degree is what I should be highlighting, not the institution, and I will need the space quite badly in a year. I will play around with it a bit.

dave330i

N2IT wrote: »

Dave I think this being a certification forum you will get that lean. However it's been my experience managing, that experience is what is sought after. I don't think it's as clear cut as dropping experience or certifications first. If that resume falls into most management I think they want to see the summary and the experience first, however there are some managers who would rather see the other. I however think there aren't as many as those.

Managers I deal with are always short on time, so they appreciate whatever you can do to make them more effective. They want the highlights first and if it's interesting, then they want more details.

bridgestone

This is a great achievement style resume. But I wonder if it's worth me changing my own to this style. Traditionally, I've just listed what technologies I've used and not put down any achievements and it doesn't seem to have hurt me.

Especially in IT, where people are looking to check boxes on technologies you've used, I wonder if an achievement style resume can actually be worse because it leaves less room to put down all those product-related keywords.

Plus I wonder if anyone believes all the achievements. It's a bit like on LinkedIn where nobody believes what most people put down for job titles and experience. I read some achievement style resumes and just don't believe what I see. Into the trash it could go...

Thoughts?

Chev Chellios

Hey ptilsen, just wanted to say thanks for sharing the resume it looks great. Here in the UK I've gone with the bullet type overview of key skills for each position and always done ok but I really like your approach. Might base my new one on it and see how things go as at interview stage they always ask for achievements etc anyway.