TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
A CV with portfolio seems like a different animal than just a resume. Recruiters, in my experience, want a resume for the initial submission and a portfolio if an interview is scheduled. They don't really look at cover letters, except for some summary information to introduce the applicant. When working through a third-party like this, it is difficult to compete against the other several hundred submissions for the same job when my only option to make a good first impression is in my resume. The brief resume I offered in the past received responses like there was not enough experience and I don't think that anyone reads past the second or third page of any resume. I provide older experience to show that I have been working more than 5 years, so I wind up with a third page. Many contracts are 2 or 3 months long because I am frequently called in to fix somebody else's mess.
I imagine that if I applied to long-term or semi-permanent positions, then I would have more options for presenting myself, but the short-term gigs leave little room for marketing and I am not interested in staying in one place for very long.
Lauren
________________________________
From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com on behalf of Suzanne -dot- Cole -at- pattersondental -dot- com
Sent: Mon 1/22/2007 1:31 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Tips on Getting Hired
Lauren wrote:
What about contract employees? My resume is made up of short term
contracts. A resume should go back about ten years for people seeking
senior positions. For my resume to go back ten years, I wind up with a
three-page resume that is contact information, some summary information,
jobs with very brief descriptions, and education. A two-page resume is good
for entry and moderate level technical writers and for technical writers
that have had long-term positions. Two-pages for a contract employee with
10+ year career would show someone that lacks initiative because it would
be
filled with gaps. Resume length, I think, is really tied to skill level and
type of career, whether contract or long-term.
Now a five page resume can be a little long, I had mine up to five pages
once when I wanted to see *everything* that I had done for the previous ten
years, but that was not one to submit for a job. Two pages on the other
hand is very short for a professional or for a contractor.
And I reply:
I've mentioned the method I use for my resume clients, one that so far has
been very well received by both my clients and their prospective (and in
many cases, current) employers, some of whom prefer a one- or two-page
summary resume and others a full CV.
For my clients, two of whom have had over 25 years' worth of experience to
document, I create a one-page resume. Yes. One page. This resume targets
the experiences, skills and accomplishments that best suit the advertised
position, headed by a marketing "slogan" that sells the candidate's quality
and position.
But I accompany this with a "professional portfolio" that contains
everything else, and I mean everything. This includes education details
(whether or not that's included on the resume page) for not just academia
but other forms of continuing education and certificate work including
online courses, professional seminars, etc.; detailed work experience
listing tasks, accomplishments and dates for each position (but consultants
and independent contractors often require less of a linear employment
dateline than groupings of experience with date ranges usually by year);
comprehensive lists of tools and technologies; awards, accomplishments and
publications (if applicable); contacts and professional associations; work
samples if available; and volunteer and hobby activities. (The order,
appearance and content of each individual's portfolio can vary.) Each
section starts on a new page (and except for detailed experience, typically
require only one page). This is usually distributed with the resume as a
separate PDF file with a table of contents and bookmarks to each section. I
recommend that clients post the portfolio on their personal web pages, but
I don't know whether anyone has done so. That's up to them.
This lets the reviewer pick and choose the information that's most relevant
after having seen the marketing pieces, the cover letter and resume, and is
flexible enough to give everyone the best of all worlds. Those who want the
details have it at their fingertips, while those who are weeding have
enough information to determine the candidate's qualifications. Including
volunteer and hobby activities helps reviewers judge the candidate's fit
into the local business culture. This method is apparently successful: all
but one achieved an interview, and the odd one out decided not to apply for
the job so never used the resume.
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu -dot-
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today! http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l
Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or
printed documentation. Features include single source authoring, team authoring,
Web-based technology, and PDF output. http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- infoinfocus -dot- com -dot-
