Mine is actually now 100% true. That wasn't always the case!
Printable View
Mine is actually now 100% true. That wasn't always the case!
I think people put too much thought into resumes. Just put the information you need to know. No bells, no whistles. Just the facts. My resume's two lines long.
Quote:
DOC HOLLIDAY
the internet
If you have more experience than education, that should go first. A functional resume is best when you have years of experience and it's your greatest strength. Everything you list should be from the most recent down to the oldest, and unless you have so much stuff that's not relevant, it doesn't hurt to put all your experience in the general field.
Also, be sure to place any skills you have that are relevant at the top. For example, if you're adept with a bunch of programs that would be in demand, that doesn't need to wallow at the end of the resume. You're selling your experience and skills, and these are the things potential employers need to see first.
The whole one page thing is a myth. If you have a bunch of stuff that's not relevant, then cut it down. If everything you want to put is 3 pages long, then your resume will be 3 pages long. The more experience and jobs you have, the longer it will be, and the impulse to squeeze everything into a single page is wrong.
See that's what's confusing me. Some managers told me to keep it short. You're telling me well that's not exactly true.Quote:
Originally Posted by Melf
I think it falls in the YMMV territory.
I have to disagree. Applications are for details. A resume is a pitch or a trailer. How many trailers have kept your attention for over 2 mins?
It's exactly YMMV, that's the thing. People say that it should be one page - period. That's false, because someone may have a ton of relevant experience that deserves to be on the resume. You shouldn't expect that person to chop off their experience to make a single page so it looks nice.
On the flip side, someone with little experience and/or education shouldn't pad their resume. Your resume should be exactly as long as it needs to be in order to include everything a potential employer will need to see. That can be different pages for different people. Hell, a single person could have several different versions of their resumes of varying length, depending on the job for which they're applying.
There is no ironclad, one-page standard.
OK. Well yeah. I'm just saying it's a good guideline. Your resume better be some James Cameron shit though if you expect the reader to get past the first page.
Alls I'm saying is most people likely don't have so much experience that a second page is required.
I think it depends on what type of job you're going for, and how you list your experience. If your experience breaks down something like this.
TNL, New York, NY
Freelance Writer July 2009 - November 2009
Article Name 1
Article Name 2
I don't think going over a page is bad, or much for them to read. How ever if you list stuff like this.
TNL, New York, NY
Freelance Writer, July 2009 - November 2009
I wrote articles for the website. I also edited other peoples articles and I gave Nick regular hugs and kisses, because some times he gets lonely. I also moderated the forums because some folks just can't play nicely. This was when I earned my legendary status from Nick. He really appreciated my hardwork and all the hugs and kisses. BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH
Then yeah, no one is going to read past the first page. It really depends on how your shit is laid out, how readable it is, and what type of job and the position you're applying for.
I do a lot of hiring, and resumes that are over one page almost always strike me as needlessly long. For example, if you're an applicant that has a bunch of published articles, I'd rather not see a complete list, but either the most recent ones, or one or two directly prevalent to the job.
I look at a resume as something that helps get you an interview; you can elaborate on why you're good for the job and expand on your experience then.
Generally speaking, if I like what I see on the first page, the resume goes in the callback file. Also, a long resume can send the message that the applicant is sending out the same resume for all jobs, especially if the extraneous content is unrelated to the job being applied for....therefore the applicant might not care much about the job itself.
I'd much rather see someone show that they can sell themselves directly to the job by editing their resume; it shows me they can prioritize and organize based on a particular goal, and it also sends the message that they're interested enough in the job to take extra steps.