need help making a resume

[skife]

anyone have any templates for making a resume, what stuff should i include?

i've never made one before so yeah... heh.

[kruger]

There are several free programs you can find on the net. I havent made a Resume in about 15 years, so I cant name a specific one. But, if you google the words "free Resume maker", I am sure that you will find what you need.

Also, there are several schools of thought on Resume's. It really does depend on what kind of job that you are trying to land. First and foremost, DO NOT LIE. You can embelish a bit on the truth, but do not lie. It would really be a bad day to get a good job, only to loose it because your employer found out that you lied on the Resume. Also, make sure that you use proper spelling and grammer. The way that your potential boss will look at it is if you cant get the spelling and grammer right, then you will be sloppy on the job. Usually, try to make it on one page.

Other than that, it really is sorta specific to the type of job that you are trying to get. Some people try to make theirs stand out, so it will get noticed, some try to look more professional. Both work, both dont work on occasion. Also, if local, try to hand it to ther person that will be filtering thru the applications to be considered. A personal touch can help out. If mailing it, then include a cover letter expressing the position that you are looking to apply for. BE POSITIVE, make them want to hire you. If Emailing it, then also include a cover letter and attach the Resume so that it can be downloaded and printed.

Good luck and I hope this helps out a bit.

[mpsd]

Well, as a Human Resources Director, I'll tell you what I like to see on a resume.

- First: Your contact info (name, full address, e-mail, phone numbers, age etc - you can include other things in this section such as smoking/non-smoking, marrital status, if you have children and if can travel or not)
- Second: a small, 4 to 5 lines text saying what's your main professional objective
- Third: Your working experience, beggining with the current/latest and going to the oldest job. In each company you list, say when did you enter it (month/year) and when did you leave. After that, your job title, what you did there and your main fulfilled goals while there
- Fourth: your education. Again, the last one you did first, always. Ie: Your masters degree, your bachelor degree.
- Fifth: extra-curriculum courses you did. In IT this is very common. If that's yur case, put your certifications first and the courses later
- Sixth: languages spoken (in case you speak more then one) and the level on each of them. In my case, my mother tongue is Portuguese. I'm fluent in English and I can speak and read Spanish, although not fluently.
- Seventh: any aditional information that is pertinent. Some people use this part to tell their hobbies, if they do any voluntary work and so on.

Remember to keep it all in not over two pages. That's why it called Resume. You have to be concise and objetive when doing it. Leave the details to the interview. The Human Resources person who receives your resume will read it in 30 seconds. If he/she likes it, then it may take a little over it.

And Kruger's hints are all good. Specially the one that says: don't lie. In the last three to four years, I've seen some amazing resumes. As I said, I work with IT. I've seen people who says that they are specialists in every technology available in the market. Others said that they worked with some softwares that don't even exist (ie: Microsoft ISA Server 3.0). Other's told that they did a masters at a college that doesn't have this course and there was a guy who came to speak with me and started telling me that he went to Israel and was in the army there for four years, just because he found that I'm jew - and he wasn't. I made a small simple question in Hebrew to him (and believe me, my Hebrew is terrible) and he didn't speak the language. Not only that but his resume also said he was doing a degree here in Brazil, on the same years he suposedly was in Israel. So, really, don't ever lie.

[pito189]

They vary greatly. I just graduated with a degree in Graphic Design and mine was definitely one of the least crazy out of my class.

Just be honest and let them know what you can do.

http://paulchinetti.com/

click on resume, apparently you cannot upload pdf's.

[robnix]

Well, as a Human Resources Director, I'll tell you what I like to see on a resume.
- First: Your contact info (name, full address, e-mail, phone numbers, age etc - you can include other things in this section such as smoking/non-smoking, marrital status, if you have children and if can travel or not)

I have to disagree with you on adding some of this info:

Don't put these things on.
smoking/non-smoking - should be in the job description or part of the screening call
marrital status - I've been warned by HR people not to discuss this in interviews.
if you have children - I've been warned by HR people not to discuss this in interviews.
if can travel or not - should be in the job description or part of the screening call
age - it's against the law to discriminate based on age here

Optional
address - This is optional. I don't put it on. I live in the country and have to commute, putting in the town I live in has cost both my wife and I interviews.

I know from talking to HR people that putting some of these things on your resume will get you ignored in order to avoid any possible issues.

What to put on?

Your a piece of paper in a stack of papers, so you need to sell yourself. Tailor each resume for each employer, sell yourself and what you can do to help their bottom line out. Your cover letter is a great place for this. As far as the resume goes, don't just list your education and accomplishments. You'll look like everyone else.

SPELL AND GRAMMAR CHECK. Make it easy to look at too, don't use colored paper and fancy fonts. Paragraphs are a nice thing.
<-- If you can't take the time to send out a good resume, why would I waste my time interviewing you?

Read it out loud to yourself.
Have others read it.
Have others read it and ask you questions about it.

IDK, just a few rambling thoughts.

[BigEvil]

I have to disagree with you on adding some of this info:

Don't put these things on.
smoking/non-smoking - should be in the job description or part of the screening call
marrital status - I've been warned by HR people not to discuss this in interviews.
if you have children - I've been warned by HR people not to discuss this in interviews.
if can travel or not - should be in the job description or part of the screening call
age - it's against the law to discriminate based on age here

Optional
address - This is optional. I don't put it on. I live in the country and have to commute, putting in the town I live in has cost both my wife and I interviews.

I know from talking to HR people that putting some of these things on your resume will get you ignored in order to avoid any possible issues.

What to put on?

Your a piece of paper in a stack of papers, so you need to sell yourself. Tailor each resume for each employer, sell yourself and what you can do to help their bottom line out. Your cover letter is a great place for this. As far as the resume goes, don't just list your education and accomplishments. You'll look like everyone else.

SPELL AND GRAMMAR CHECK. Make it easy to look at too, don't use colored paper and fancy fonts. Paragraphs are a nice thing.
<-- If you can't take the time to send out a good resume, why would I waste my time interviewing you?

Read it out loud to yourself.
Have others read it.
Have others read it and ask you questions about it.

IDK, just a few rambling thoughts.

These are excellent pointers.

[mpsd]

I have to disagree with you on adding some of this info:

Don't put these things on.
smoking/non-smoking - should be in the job description or part of the screening call
marrital status - I've been warned by HR people not to discuss this in interviews.
if you have children - I've been warned by HR people not to discuss this in interviews.
if can travel or not - should be in the job description or part of the screening call
age - it's against the law to discriminate based on age here

Optional
address - This is optional. I don't put it on. I live in the country and have to commute, putting in the town I live in has cost both my wife and I interviews.

I know from talking to HR people that putting some of these things on your resume will get you ignored in order to avoid any possible issues.

What to put on?

Your a piece of paper in a stack of papers, so you need to sell yourself. Tailor each resume for each employer, sell yourself and what you can do to help their bottom line out. Your cover letter is a great place for this. As far as the resume goes, don't just list your education and accomplishments. You'll look like everyone else.

SPELL AND GRAMMAR CHECK. Make it easy to look at too, don't use colored paper and fancy fonts. Paragraphs are a nice thing.
<-- If you can't take the time to send out a good resume, why would I waste my time interviewing you?

Read it out loud to yourself.
Have others read it.
Have others read it and ask you questions about it.

IDK, just a few rambling thoughts.

Well, of course discriminating someone is against the law here too but I really think this kind of info is important. I mean, knowing if someone can travel or not is important, specially if you're looking for a salesman. Knowing if the person is married or single, if he has children or not and if he smokes or not (there is a study that proves that a heavy smoker is less productive, since he has to go out from time to time to feed his habit) can help the HR decide between two candidates. A married guy tends to be more mature than a single one. Same thing for someone with children. In the other hand, a woman with small children can have issues sometimes that will prevent her for comming to work or to do extra-hours from tme to time (which is totally understandable but can give the employee some problems with delivery times in a critical project). These are all small details and can't be taken as the only point of decision by the HR department.

Knowing where the person lives is also very important, as well as knowing the candidates age. I won't hire a 20 year old guy to be a Director or a Sr consultant. This kind of info can save time to everyone.

You don't have to give lots of personal details of your life but answering this kind of question isn't a bad thing. Also, I've learnt that a persons experience is more important than his education and that's why I like to emphasize this on a resume.

I agree with your "selling yourself" point as well as tailoring the resume to your potential interviewer. That's the best thing to do, whenever possible.

[robnix]

I mean, knowing if someone can travel or not is important, specially if you're looking for a salesman.

It should be in the job description, or asked about during the pre screening. It's not relevant to a resume.

Knowing if the person is married or single, if he has children or not and if he smokes or not (there is a study that proves that a heavy smoker is less productive, since he has to go out from time to time to feed his habit) can help the HR decide between two candidates. A married guy tends to be more mature than a single one. Same thing for someone with children. In the other hand, a woman with small children can have issues sometimes that will prevent her for comming to work or to do extra-hours from tme to time (which is totally understandable but can give the employee some problems with delivery times in a critical project). These are all small details and can't be taken as the only point of decision by the HR department.

Using all of these things except for smoking as criteria here is asking for a lawsuit. I've been in "interview class" at several companies here where they specifically tell you not to ask questions about marital status, kids, etc...

Knowing where the person lives is also very important, as well as knowing the candidates age. I won't hire a 20 year old guy to be a Director or a Sr consultant. This kind of info can save time to everyone.

The only thing that matters is whether or not I can get to work on time on a consistent basis. As far as age goes, you should be able to look at a resume and do some quick math based on education and job history to get an approximate age and experience of any candidate.

Personal information has no business being on a resume. I can guarantee you that he'll miss out on more interviews than he'll get if he puts that stuff on his.

[Hexis]

I think we are seeing differences between what is appropriate in Brazil and what is appropriate in the USA. In the USA those personal details are not relevant at the resume stage.

I limit personal information (beyond professional information) to contact information only. Name, personal cell and personal email only. Don't use a work phone number or email address.


I just have one tip to add: In addition to spell check, also proofread carefully.



Spell check defiantly can led you astray allot.

[MANN]

I think we are seeing differences between what is appropriate in Brazil and what is appropriate in the USA. In the USA those personal details are not relevant at the resume stage.

The difference is probally that here you can get sued over anything. I am not sure about brazil. Never been there.

I personally know some hr people who will not hire smokers. I cant say I blame them either. (no offense to smokers).

[questionful]

Besides experience and education, what would you HR-knowledgeable guys say is the characteristic that will most help you get a job? And what do you recommend for a 16yr old? What would set me apart from all the other 16yr olds looking for jobs?

[Hexis]

Besides experience and education, what would you HR-knowledgeable guys say is the characteristic that will most help you get a job? And what do you recommend for a 16yr old? What would set me apart from all the other 16yr olds looking for jobs?

What industry or job type?

[robnix]

Besides experience and education, what would you HR-knowledgeable guys say is the characteristic that will most help you get a job? And what do you recommend for a 16yr old? What would set me apart from all the other 16yr olds looking for jobs?

At 16, having a neat and tidy resume already sets you apart.

[BlueDragonX]

At 16, having a neat and tidy resume already sets you apart.

Haha, ain't that the truth. Being 16 pretty much limits one's choices in the job market.

[SCpoloRicker]

HR sucks.