WORK, resume help... any ideas?

jim06744

usually 1 page is typical, 2 at most. 4 is ridiculously long. assume you are older and have a lot of experience? in any event, there are tons of books, websites, etc that give advice on how to do a resume, which I suspect you need before even having it reviewed. As to reviewing, lot of career sites have bulletin board type things where you can ask people to look at, just make it sufficiently anonymous by deleting specific names etc. can even do that here

resumesbyscott

I agree that you should keep your rÃ©sumÃ© to one page and at most two pages.

You do not have to list every job you've ever held. A rÃ©sumÃ© is not a career description, it's an advertising tool which showcases your skills to a prospective employer. Take out everything that does not pertain to the job you're posting for. That should chop your rÃ©sumÃ© down quite a bit. If everything on it DOES apply to the job you're posting for (for instance, if you've been in sales your whole life and you're applying for a sales job) then just choose the best experience and the parts that you have the most achievements to showcase.

I'm willing to bet that your current work experience section states what you did, but it doesnâ€™t tell a recruiter why they should hire you. Almost everyone's rÃ©sumÃ© that I review includes this same basic mistake. A recruiter doesnâ€™t want to hire your last job, they want to hire YOU. A rÃ©sumÃ© is NOT a job description. Itâ€™s an account of the achievements and accomplishments that youâ€™ve had which make you a strong candidate for a new job. Tell the recruiter what you achieved, what you accomplished, what projects you led, the difference those projects made, and how you contributed to the success of each company you worked at. You can certainly describe the job as well, particularly if itâ€™s a very unique job that requires some explanation, but for most jobs, itâ€™s not really necessary. Visit my site at www.resumesbyscott.com and download the questionnaire. It gives a detailed description on how to find the types facts and evidence youâ€™ll want to include to set you apart from the competition.

You can also employ some little tricks in Microsoft Word to cut down on the length of your rÃ©sumÃ©. Try adjusting the margins sizes. At the top of the screen in Microsoft Word, just click File, Page Setup, then adjust margins to .7" instead of 1.25". Then change the font size of the blank lines to 5 or 6 point. No one says the blank lines have to be the same height as those with text in them. Also eliminate blank lines when there's no need for them. Try reducing your font size for most of your information to 10 point Arial. This should also save you some space. Look at any bullets you have and see if you can use the marks on the ruler at the top of the screen to drag the bullets further to the left so that you save some more space. If you can't see the ruler, click View, Ruler at the top of the screen in the menu.

I hope these tips help you to more concisely convey your thoughts. The average rÃ©sumÃ© is reviewed for between 7 and 30 seconds by a recruiter so 4 pages simply will not do the trick.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: