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skrpune · November 2008

Hi all. I'm looking for some feedback/critiques on my resume - it's under re-re-reconstruction at this point, and I would like to see what the general reaction is to it in its current form so I know if I'm on the right track here.

I know the bottom/footer got cut off when I converted it into a jpg for posting, so that part doesn't need critiquing, but I'm interested to see what the opinions are for the general layout, content, etc. I have a long history of working in construction administration, and rather than leave out non-IT jobs (which would leave me with GIGUNDO gaps in my history), I decided to try to focus on the "soft" skills that employers might like and the techy-type things that I did while I was at those non-techy places. Besides, most of my professional references are from my time in construction, and I have two kick-arse reference letters from former bosses in construction, so I feel like I need to have those included in my resume. But I would appreciate feedback on that decision...

Some specific feedback I'm looking for:
- should I drop the "Administaff University" stuff under the Education & Training section? It's corporate- or HR-type training for "soft skills," i.e. how to squeeze more out of your team & not being an arse to your co-workers, etc. One help desk interview I went on last year specifically mentioned these as a positive since they used the same training sessions (and said that it would put me on a fast track for management if I were to accept the job there), but other than that I haven't gotten much response to it, either positive or negative.
- do I drop the mention of the 1 class at MCC? It was basically an intro to computers class, and I'm not sure if it should stay.
- software: do I drop the construction-specific software (Corecon, AIA, Prolog, Timberline), or leave them on there? Will they confuse/distract people?

Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated!

*REMOVED*

unclerico · November 2008

Personally, I think it looks pretty good. The format is laid out pretty well and as a matter of fact looks pretty close to mine.
- I would take out the course from Mesa Community College and the Concepts in Computer Training. Most places would assume that you've got that basic knowledge if you're applying for a job in the field especially if you can back it up with work experience.
- I would most definitely leave in the Adminstaff course work. Priority Management, Moving from Conflict to Collaboration?? Great, great stuff right there. In the industry today it doesn't matter what level of the totem pole you're on, the business will look to you to be more than just a geek that likes to sit in the corner and punch out code. You need to have great interpersonal communication and conflict management skills. Hiring managers want to know two things; 1) Do you know what you're doing, and 2) Are you going to cause me or the organization touble. To me, if I was the hiring manager, these types of skills put you over the top of a lot of other candidates. It would at least get you face time.
- In regards to the gaps in employment history, this is what a CV is for. Lay it out in the description that you have had a long successful career in the construction industry and you are looking to make a change. Make as many parallels between the construction industry and the computer industry as you can.
- One thing that would make me hesitate would be the relatively short periods of time that you have spent at any one employer. It makes a hiring manager wonder if investing time and money into your development will be for naught if you're just going to bolt in 2 years. You need to find good, justifiable reasons why you have left those companies.
- Include as many buzzwords as you can and indentify the technologies that you have worked with by name. This is mostly for the resume databases that will do full-text searches on your resume.

skrpune · November 2008

thank you so very much for the feedback, I really appreciate it!

I do have some pretty good "excuses" for my shorter times at previous jobs. Here's the rundown on my history, some abbreviated version of which I say in my cover letter and/or in interviews: the main reason I left company 1 was because I was offered a job at company 2 that was much closer to home & higher pay & working on people's dream homes, rather than working on abandoned & foreclosed HUD homes (VERY depressing to prosper off other people's misfortunes - company #1 was also semi-crooked & I caught them red-handed committing tax fraud but I keep that part to myself!)...then got laid off from there due to business slowdown. Company 3 was the only place I left in a really short period of time, and that was two-fold: I took that job because I was laid off from my previous job and had just gotten married and neeeeeeded money & the company plain old sucked (but I can't put that on a cover letter or say that in an interview!) and I was recruited to company #4 where I was allowed free reign with the construction database program and where I was starting to be tapped for my computer-smarts. They needed someone who knew Crystal Reports & who wasn't afraid of databases & also knew construction, and I wanted a place that would challenge me & let me play with computers part time. I stayed there until I had to relocate to Canada temporarily (husband's work took him up there for a couple years), and then I worked remotely for them until they got someone else and I trained staff remotely (not easy) & performed database cleanup and created how-to manuals for the database & other programs. After a while, they didn't need my services anymore, and in the meantime I had gotten my A+, so I started my first "real" job in IT as a technician for the XYZ tech shop in Mississauga, Ontario. Now we've relocated again to Chicago and are setting up shop here for the long-haul.

So that's my history for the last ~11 years, summed up into one paragraph! I do generally mention my relocations in my cover letter, but I don't go into detail about the segue from job to job unless it's asked on a job application or if it comes up in conversation before or during an interview. I NEVER do the taboo & speak ill of a former employer so I resist the urge to spill the gorey details about tax fraud or the like.

Good idea to drop the MCC & Concepts in Computer Training - I thought that putting it on there would show that I've got some "official" coursework/training in IT, but you're right, it's basic stuff that an employer expects me to know and it makes it look like I'm grasping at straws to keep them on there.

Still not sure how I feel about dropping the construction stuff off the resume though - my Administaff training is related to the job at company #1, and there's (in my opinion) a good chunk of computer-related stuff that I did at those companies, and I guess I'm just having a hard time "letting go." Any other opinions on whether to keep or drop the construction-related stuff & give it a computer-skewed-mention in the cover letter?

Thanks again for your input!!

MCPWannabe · November 2008

Wow! Very, very nice.. But I'm going to be honest with you, and I am only saying this from experience. Well-paying entry level jobs will be scared to hire you. They will read right through that resume, see that you are highly intelligent and on the move, and then they will take the person who they believe will stay in the position without as many qualifications.

What will eventually get you over the hump is being able to offer employers so many skills that they will go ahead and forego their fears of you leaving to offer you a job.

On the plus side, once you get a higher level certification (MCITP, MCSE, etc), you will have jobs calling you left and right with some pretty sweet offers.

skrpune · November 2008

MCPWannabe wrote:

Wow! Very, very nice.. But I'm going to be honest with you, and I am only saying this from experience. Well-paying entry level jobs will be scared to hire you. They will read right through that resume, see that you are highly intelligent and on the move, and then they will take the person who they believe will stay in the position without as many qualifications.

What will eventually get you over the hump is being able to offer employers so many skills that they will go ahead and forego their fears of you leaving to offer you a job.

On the plus side, once you get a higher level certification (MCITP, MCSE, etc), you will have jobs calling you left and right with some pretty sweet offers.

Thanks! I appreciate the honest feedback, although I can't say that I like to hear that my brain might be a hindrance to getting an entry level IT position, but I do see what you mean.

That's a no-win situation though - I don't exactly want to 'dumb down' my resume, so I guess I just have to keep sending it out until the "right" people see it and want to give me a shot.

I actually just got a call from a staffing company (based off an older version of this resume) for a 3 month contract to hire position working help desk for the freight company that I used to move from AZ to Toronto & from Toronto to Chicago. They're SW of downtown and I'm in northern Chicago so the commute will stink, and I have to look into whether it would interfere with me going back to school next semester...I'd hate to have to turn this one down, especially since I be po' and could also use some experience to beef up that resume some more.

Not to sound all naive, but how exactly do contract positions work anyway? Do I actually have to sign a contract that commits me to a specific timeframe, or does it vary from company to company?

motogpman · November 2008

Basically, a contract position means that the headhunter has the contract to provide a support role for a predetermined time frame. They can be like a military recruiter, they can and will tell you things that sound better just to fill the position, and times are tough right now over all.

If you do a contract position for the company directly, then it should be the same but you will not be dealing with a headhunter, which can lead to a quicker time to get hired and may get you a better pay scale since they aren't giving an additional 20-30 percent to the agency.

there are benefits to both, and coming from a secure job that i decided to leave ( almost 8 years there), it ws a little scary. I took the chance and haven't looked back. PM me and I can at least give you some names that may help in your area. I don't get paid for that service either...lol, just trying to help.

MCPWannabe · November 2008

Beware of staffing companies and contractors. You'll find that they tend to lie a whole lot. I'll let you find out about that one on your own. Nearly everyone who has been in the industry long enough learns this lesson.

skrpune · December 2008

Hi all - thanks for all the feedback on the resume, it was really helpful. I decided to take it down for reconstruction...and also since it got openly plagiarized on another site, so I'd like to try to minimize the damages at this point. Sigh.

Anywho, thanks again for the help & advice!

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