Doing a Resume

[Shaolin Monks]

I'm hopeless just can't get the ball rolling. Plan on leaving my current job before the new year but preferably early 2010.

Suggestions?

 

[omit]

make sure to include a detailed list of all your flaws and how they will affect you in the work environment

potential employers should have the right to know what they are getting themselves into

 

[DoubleO7]

make sure to include a detailed list of all your flaws and how they will affect you in the work environment

potential employers should have the right to know what they are getting themselves into

Make your flaws look like a positive though (e.g you like to overwork yourself...).

 

[bit_pattern]

make sure to include a detailed list of all your flaws and how they will affect you in the work environment

potential employers should have the right to know what they are getting themselves into

Bugger that for advice. Lie your arse off! Honesty is never a good policy when dealing with law enforcement or potential employers.

 

[rugby league man]

one of the most important things u can include in ur resume is a "kick ass" personal reference from an ex employer who will make it sound like the sun shines out of ur bum hole

 

[crownie]

make sure to include a detailed list of all your flaws and how they will affect you in the work environment
potential employers should have the right to know what they are getting themselves into

do not do this, save it for the interview if they bother to ask.

 

[chargers 09]

get someone to write a cover letter for u

 

[fryingpan]

Updating mine as I'm applying for a job that has just come up .. need ideas!

Does anyone have anything on the first page to catch the eye of the employer?

Also who has their mobile & email down the side of each page? Or do you just put it once on the first page?

 

[J-Train]

I'm hopeless just can't get the ball rolling. Plan on leaving my current job before the new year but preferably early 2010.

Suggestions?

I don't think you are going to get another job anyway, so just be happy with what you do and grind it out for another 40 years. Then you can retire on a meagre pension and live frugally until its time to die.

 

[BigBadCam]

Make it short and sharp. There's nothing an employer likes less than getting a 5+ page resume and having to shuffle through papers to find out whatever information they want to know. I know a lot of guys who just bin ridiculously long resumes without even looking at them.

Put your personal details on the front page (ie. name, DOB, address, contact details), and try to include something that will make you stand out from the crowd. Most employers have a pile of resumes that reach the roof and something eye catching will draw their attention. If you're a decent looking human stick a photo of yourself on the right hand corner of your first page.

Employers don't want to know every single menial job that you've had since day dot, so just include the ones that you think are relevant, and don't be frightened to fudge a few dates to fill in blank periods where you haven't worked. Your employers aren't going to check up on every single thing you put on there, and there's a way to do it so that you're not actually being dishonest. When I was applying for jobs at uni I might have worked for a couple of months at a particular bar. Instead of putting exact dates like 'March 04 - June 04', I'd put '2004'. Therefore, I wasn't lying, but I was bending the truth to make my resume look better.

The rest is up to you I guess. Relevance is an idea. Don't include things that don't apply to particular jobs. Doctor your resume to suit the job you are trying to apply for...

 

[demonfan9]

Great post BBC. Tailor your resume according to the job you are trying to gain. Don't just print out 20 standard copies and send them to 20 different industries or organisations. If that company has an advertised position description, look for some of the words they used and see if you can apply them to your resume. Try to use actual figures where possible. Example...

DON'T: I helped my department achieve increased sales.

DO: I helped achieve 15% growth in sales for the 07/08 financial year.

 

[FootyJunkie]

Try to use actual figures where possible. Example...

DON'T: I helped my department achieve increased sales.

DO: I helped achieve 15% growth in sales for the 07/08 financial year.

Always hard to do, unless you are in a job where you do indeed do number crunching/dealing with money.

 

[Shaolin Monks]

Thanks for the advice posters! Tried to avoid the "your a loser accept a life of mediocrity" direction.

Basically all the relevant info is there, haven't talked myself up to embarrassing degrees, have 2 excellent references that’ll fill that void and getting doctored up by a friend who works on resumes part time.

Not sure whether the and xoxo’s were a bit over the top?

 

[demonfan9]

Always hard to do, unless you are in a job where you do indeed do number crunching/dealing with money.

Yep, fair point.