List your certifications separately. This section can go before or after the technical summary as well as after the education section. Certifications can really set you apart especially if they are well established certifications such as the PMP and the CISSP.</br>
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
Highest degree to lowest:
• Ph.D.
• Masters
• BS/BA
Do not list your high school. Having no higher education is like having no education at all if you are in the high tech so why waste space? They will ask anyhow.
The education section could be positioned before the experience section especially for recent grads. Remember.
You do not need to say when you graduated from college. If you are over 40, don’t assume that the law protects you, take precautions yourself.
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
This is the body of the resume. No matter how short or long you decide to make the body, make sure it is technical and filled with keywords you put in the technical summary. It is very frustrating to have to figure out when your candidate did something and often causes resumes to be discarded. </br>
There is an endless debate about how long a resume should be. I don’t agree with the one page idea because a good technical person cannot fit all his experience on one page. If you are just starting out then a one pager is good. However, if you have experience and you cat out significant keyword portions you risk being overlooked. </br>
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
This is a good place to put all the keywords that appear in your resume. Search engines will find your resume faster if there are more specific keywords in it. Depending on your line of work and experience your summary will be longer or shorter. This is where you should use a table for organization. </br>
For Example:</br>
Technical Skills
Platforms: Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, VxWorks
Languages: C, C++, Java, HTML, XML, Intel/MIPS assembly, VB, Perl, SQL
Software: Tornado 2.0 tools, GNU toolkit, Microsoft Visual Studio, Install shield, Agere Simulator, MYSQL, MS Office suites, MS VISIO, DDK, SDK, CVS, PVCS, BUGZILLA
Hardware: Intel 80×86 Processors, MIPS RM7000 processor</br>
If you have only been exposed to something and you cannot support it in your resume, you may put it the technical summary, but makes sure it is supported in the body of your resume. Recruiters cannot tell where and how much you have used a tool off this summary, so be sure to tell them.</br>
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
Unless your resume is all over the place and you feel the recruiter or hiring manager will have no idea why you even sent your resume to him, do not have an objective; most of the time it’s pretty obvious that if you are applying for a Java Developer position you want to be a Java Developer and not a Business Analyst. If the recruiter does not realize this, you have bigger problems.
A Summary is just that: a short 3-4 bullet point about your best qualifications for a specific job. This is the hook.
For Example:
Summary
• Entrepreneurial, ambitious team player with 5+ years of work experience in Sales, Account Management, and Recruiting while developing relationships with clients and candidates.
• Extensive experience with Web 2.0 social networking communities, SEO, and in thinking about how IT solves business problems.
• Solid understanding of information technology supported by a MS degree in Computer Information Systems and practical web development experience.
This is a good summary of what you will find in my resume.
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
Most resumes have around 5-7 subject areas:
1. Summary/Objective
2. Technical Summary/ Skills Summary
3. Professional Experience/Work Experience/ Experience
4. Education
5. Certifications
6. Activities/ Hobbies/Interests
How you use these sections is up to you, but my next tips will discuss how to use them effectively.
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
If you knew that leaving off your bachelor degree because you are from another country increase your chances of getting the job, would you? Perhaps leaving off 15 years of your employment history? Or changing your titles to align with the job description?
What if doing these things helped overcome a xenophobic aspect within the screeners or help fight age discrimination? Would you do it?
Companies discriminate all the time and you have to figure out how to fight it. It won’t be in the courts, but how about on paper? Do not lie on your resume or overstate your abilities, but do make slight tweaks that can mean the difference between a garbage pile and an interview.
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
You would not use a blow torch to light a candle, would you? The same goes for a resume. Your resume is a tool that needs to be adjusted, within limits, to the jobs you are applying for. Do not lie about what you can do, but if a position calls for a Business Analyst and you are a Project Manager and you submit your resume as a project manager, you will not hear back from the company.
Many PM’s do BA work and vice versa so adjusting certain aspects of the resume to fit the job description would not change the content of your skill set, whereas it would increase your chances to get the interview.
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
If you have a company and you are the only employee, you may want to list yourself as something other than owner. If you are working for a constructions company, call yourself Sr. Project Manager or Lead Engineer and describe your job responsibilities as though you were working for a larger firm.
Every recruiter I know who sees “Self-employed” thinks “unemployed”. In addition, if you are looking for a job after owning your own business a recruiter may ask himself if you are really that good at what you do. You need to eliminate these questions and get the interview.
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
Sometimes experience can be your worst enemy. While it is illegal to discriminate against workers over 40, age discrimination is still rampant. One way to protect yourself is to limit your resume to the last 10-15 years of your experience. Cut everything else out and don’t give dates for your education. Recruiters are trained not to ask how old someone is because while technically a legal interview question, if the candidate is over 40 this kind of questioning could later lead to a discrimination filing if the candidate believes his age was a factor.
If you or someone you know needs help with your job search feel free to call me toll free at 1-800-791-7794 for a brief consult.
