Re: Resumes - writing your own

[Sue Ellen Adkins <sea -at- NETCOM -dot- COM>]

Tom Potter wrote:

> Don't worry about the length of the resume; those who told us to hold
> it to one page never hired anyone.

I agree that one page is almost always too short.  However, I don't expect
many resumes to exceed two pages. If you have exceptional depth in one area
(such as articles published), list several that represent your total
experience and state that a complete list is available. Of course, you want to
include the most relevant ones. (This is one reason why I don't like one-size-
fits-all resumes.  They usually don't.)

A description of my resume and the reasons for the sequence may help others.
I start with my name, address, phone numbers, and e-mail address.  (I'm
surprised that people still are impressed by an e-mail address.)

My OBJECTIVES are in the first section. Although my cover letter identifies
the position I want, I make sure that my objectives include the position. (If
the position is for an editor, I'll include editor as one of my objectives.)
I follow my objectives with a one-sentence summary of applicable experience.

My second section is ACHIEVEMENTS.  Specifics are important here.  "I wrote
the Systems Engineering plan for the XYZ proposal that resulted in a $xxx
contract."  "In 199x, my user manual for ABC won the STC Silicon Valley
Chapter award for _____."  "I led a team of 9 writers that produced a set of
12 manuals for the ABC project."  I consider this section to be the bragging
my mother would do about my professional career. I want the reader to wonder
what else I accomplished

The next section is TOOLS AVAILABLE.  (Thanks for the idea, Richard.)  Because
I want off-site contacts, I have access to the hardware and software I list.
This is as close as I come to a key word summary.  In addition to the expected
hardware and software, I include my connections to the Internet and other on-
line services.

EDUCATION is next; my achievements demonstrate my ability better than my
education does. My degree is in business; I list technical courses that aren't
usually associated with a business degree. I also include courses to
demonstrate my ongoing education.  (For example, I start a course titled
"Electronic Publishing on the Web" in January.)

My EXPERIENCE section contains a chronological list of positions and
employer(s). Generally, the more distant the experience, the less I write
about it.  What I considered an accomplishment 15 years ago doesn't even get
mentioned today. I also think it's unusual to describe in detail what should
be routine for an experienced writer.

> Bulleted lists and phrases do just as well as clauses,
> as long as they get the point across.

I agree with this!  Design your resume to use white space.  A conservative
resume doesn't have to be boring; bulleted lists add variety to grey margin-
to-margin text.

> One section which I think is very important and one which most
> resume writers omit is the HOBBIES AND INTERESTS section. I never
> thought about this until I ran across some resumes in which the
> applicants had the same hobbies as I. It made me take a second look at
> the resume. After all, someone who shares your interests
> will automatically get your attention.

I disagree with this.  There are too many stereotypes associated with hobbies.
If I discuss them at all, it would be  at the interview.

My final comment on resumes: Use action verbs and avoid the passive tense.
Let the  resume state your capabilities as strongly as possible.