Critique John Doe's Resume'

EricO · March 2006

http://www.vci.net/~eoverby/resume/John%20A%20Doe%202006%20Resume%20with%20Logo.pdf

"John" is looking to refresh his resume after a few years out of the Job hunt market

. Please post any constructive comments you have for "John." Your time is appreciated

mikej412 · March 2006

John lost me at objectives -- John should modify this for any specific jobs he applies for -- but he should have a generic/multiple-catch-all that actually states some sort of postion(s), like for job board postings.

John's certifications should have the common abbreviations with them so they get pick up for keyword searches:
"CCSP - Cisco Certified Security Professional" will get picked up when someone searches for CCSP -- the long descriptive version without the abbreviation won't. List the most impressive certifications first -- or the most relevant to the job being applied for (for customized resumes).

Otherwise looks really good -- and for some reason, John being a team player is sticking with me from the Skills and Abilities sections. That might just be something that I look for in candidates, but I think it shows John's resume finished strong.

Alien · March 2006

So this is why all my resumes have been ending up in various "Recycle bins". It's simply awesome. If i was one of those guys at the recruitement, i would paste this one to my desktop as soon as i recieve before sending the rest to my recycle bin.

Perhaps i would suggest minimising the logo's and placing them next to the words in the Certificates section but then it looks extremely professional just the way it is. Nice piece of work.

If i may ask, are you in the resume writting bussiness?

strauchr · March 2006

Seriously man, that is a kick ass resume. Extremely well laid out and professional.

The only 2 things I would offer - put your education first. Some people disagree with this but you have strong certs and that will stand out.

Secondly, in your education you do not really have to spell out that you have done courses and self study. Simply putting the certs is all that is required. Most manager probably won't even read and go straight to the letters. Think it would just clear that section up a bit.

But I do like the way you have used your logos - looks great. I've been thinking of a way to use my logos but everytime I do it it just looks tacky. Mind if I steal that idea?

EricO · March 2006

John lost me at objectives -- John should modify this for any specific jobs he applies for -- but he should have a generic/multiple-catch-all that actually states some sort of postion(s), like for job board postings.

I appreciate that. Whenever "John" applies for a particular postion he always places its name in the objective setting. I thought since he was making it anonymous I would take that out for him.

John's certifications should have the common abbreviations with them so they get pick up for keyword searches:

I will make sure to add that. I wasn't really considering posting it online just yet, but it makes sense to go ahead and format it as if I were. Thanks!

If i may ask, are you in the resume writting bussiness?

No. I am currently in the "I may be a canidate for outsourcing" business in the next 12 to 18 months, and I want to have things ready just in case.

Mind if I steal that idea?

I would be glad for you to.

oldbarney · March 2006

Man, you have definitely earned some strong and rather difficult certs. Congratulations.

On the subject of logos - I have been able to land at least ten interviews during this job search because of the MCP and A+ logos on my resume.

I too, am an Army vet. Never knew you MLRS guys used Unix for targeting back then.

By the way, you may want to make the following corrections:

1. Change "Processed Rocket guidance data..." to "Processed rocket guidance data...". Make the "R" lowercase.

2. Drop the uppercase "C" on "Commendation". Also drop the comma after "commendation". Might better read "Letter of commendation for graduating with honors as a Fire Direction Specialist"

3. Capitalize the current "a" in "achievement". Should read "Good Conduct and Army Achievement..". The AAM is an award, and therefore deserves capitalization.

Judd · March 2006

I have to be honest here, as I feel that candor is important for fellow techies. I sit at the interview table more so than I care to and review and critique resumes quite often.

This resume blends in with the masses, and I immediately recognize the template. The objective statement shows me what John is looking for, not how John meets my needs.

You have to remember that a resume gets approx. 30 seconds of viewing to make it from the acceptable to unacceptable pile. This resume doesn't tell me how John can fill the position I need within 30 seconds, and I have to look at the second page to see the awesome credentials John has. Not a good idea.

Here are some tips:

1. It needs to visually appealing as well as content rich; John's heading is good but elaborate a bit and include the other heading information in a larger font.

2. Lose the objective unless specifically applying for a position. Then word it with something like, "To obtain the position of Technical Support Analyst with XYZ Corp." After all this IS the objective...

3. Immediately list the highlights of John's education and certifications with the industry key words. This is critical is it grabs the attention of the reviewer and distinguishes John from the unqualified.

4. Skills and abilities is good but it should be how John can meet the needs of my position by referencing past experiences. Consider a bulleted format with power statements. Highlight the reference of John's veteran status in here as well as this is a highly desired characteristic among employers. This should follow education.

5. Follow this with John's last 5-10 years of jobs and make these content rich and try to show how these jobs relate to the position John is applying for. Because of John's 10 years in the industry, you can go for the second page but normally one page is the most desirable.

6. Finally, John can lose the references portion because this is no longer expected in today's format. And although the cert icons are nice, they are taking up too much space that could be used for visual appeal.

Overall, John is highly qualified for many IT positions, but John just needs to rethink how he wishes to portray this on his resume. Whether John wishes to boast his experience or education, remember that it needs to grab attention and be tailored to show the employer how John meets their needs. These comments are of course for the resume John will send to an employer, not for posting on job boards. Good luck with John's hunt!

EricO · March 2006

Thank you for all of your candid replies. It looks like I have quite a bit of work to do in order to bring this resume up tp snuff. It might take me a few days but I will get it revised and post it back up here to be reviewed again.

Critique John Doe's Resume'

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