putting together my resume...question to guys that read them.
 

i seem to remember hearing (or reading) that a great resume is condensed to one page. is this true?

thinking of keeping one at the ready. there are some great opps coming up for me. it has been a long time, since i put one together. i dont want to ask around my office for obvious reasons.

Really depends on the position. If you're applying to become a professor at a University, then I'd say that a CV would be more in order, highlighting achievements.

When pilots apply to our company, flight time is flight time. I usually look for something that makes the person stand out: exceptional experience (military pilots get big time bonus points), volunteer work, something other than aviation (different experiences), et al.

Mainly, I won't spend more than 30 seconds looking at a resume. It better catch my eye quickly.

Cliff - it really depends on your level and experience. A five page resume for someone with four years of work experience is just as inappropriate as a one page for someone with 20 years of managerial responsibility.

I have two versions of mine, a full four page brute and a two page (double sided if printed) standard one.

However, resume's don't get jobs, cover letters do. The cover letter addresses the company and position needs and how the applicant can fulfill those needs. The resume provides the evidence.

Oh - and when I apply for jobs, the resume is typically customized for each job, by deleting non-relevant stuff and emphasizing relevant stuff. So keeping a copy with the corresponding job positing becomes pretty important.

Yeah, try to get the job description and customize your resume to suit.

I hired two folks recently based on resumes that were 2, 2.5 pages. I got a lot of 4+ pagers - too much - shows me you're not reading the specifc requirements and qualifications, I dont need to know every little project you managed back to the day you graduated. Got a lot of 1 pagers; too little - I dont want to go back and have to ask for more, if I have to do that, then odds are you don't have the breadth of project experience I need.

2 pagers seemed to give me the right amount of detail without overwhelming. It's as much a test by me to see if you're blindly sending in your generic resume to me and 100 other companies, or if you're really trying to get my particular job.

I hardly read them. I look over to see if you have the required experience in the field, and then I have my people setup a interview. On the day of the interview I go back in with a highlighter and outline what you listed as being expert in, and I go in and see if you are.

If you get past that, then I start interviewing you for real, to see if your someone who can think, and plan, and be a asset.

2 pages is great, 1 is not enough unless it's entry level. 3 for someone with lots of experience is fine. Too long is bad, too short is bad, to hard to read is bad (lots of long paragraphs).

I generally like bulleted lists for most things with possibly a short synopsis before the bulleted list.

Always put the most relevant stuff first. If you got a Masters degree in math, but now you have 10 years of managerial experience and you're applying for a managerial position, then put the "education" section at the end. It's important/nice to know that you're educated, but since it's not directly relevant...

I suspect that by the time most folks have 5-10 years of exp in a field, that either "skills" or your most recent "employment history" are going to be the most relevant.

Always include a photo.

If you don't, you create the presumption that you are hideously unattractive.

photo's are irrelevant

they do not tell a employer wether you have the ability to do a job.
only serves to ID you, which will be used to judge age, sex and racial profile.

fo sure :) ROFLMAO

The cover letter makes me want to look at the resume -- and I don't care how long the resume is. If the cover letter is poorly written, or boring, or simply a compendium of jargon and buzzwords, I won't waste time on the resume. Let your cover letter reveal some of "who" you are.

Rob

I have no idea what to put in a cover letter. Can someone post up an example of a cover letter?

Trust me, when you're looking at hundreds and hundreds of resumes, photos are relevant. You prejudice your application by not including one. You may not like it, but that's the way it is 99% of the time.

Weird, I've NEVER seen a resume with a photo. But then it may be a bit different depending upon the industry/position that's being applied for.

Resume photos are more common in Europe. I've never seen them here. What happens when you have long experience with one employer and only want to remain an account manager? I have no desire to get into management. I like my commissioned sales job and consider a growing commission check to be advancement. Years ago my boss offered to change my title to bureau manager and give me some mgt. duties, but said I'd probably make less. What the hell kind of promotion or career growth is that? When I read my boss's "areas of expertise" on his LinkedIn profile, my eyes glaze over at all the Dilbert-esque boilerplate buzzwords that mean nothing.

KEEP-IT-SIMPLE...When I have to read 20 of'em, it's very nice.

Would anyone care to look at mine? I'd really appreciate it.