DISQUS

By Teresa Wu: 10-Step Resume Refresher Course

  • Noel · 12 months ago
    I still can't believe I got away with hearts as bullet points. I didn't even realize that until you mentioned it because I've been using hearts as bullet points my entire life.
  • Teresa Wu · 12 months ago
    Haha, I suppose if you're Gala you can. :) And obviously it depends on the industry in which you're working... magazines might be slightly more receptive, but chances are slim anyone in finance would look twice if you had hearts!
  • Ben · 12 months ago
    :-) It's funny that you should ask... http://bnjammin.blogspot.com/2007/09/recruiting...

    I agree with all of the above, but especially on "don't be vague". I did resume reads for my firm's college-level applicants, and nothing stands out as "useless" as a vague sentence saying absolutely nothing.
  • Teresa Wu · 12 months ago
    Ooh, you're useful. I've updated my post with a little link love.

    Before I actually had any substantial work experience on my resume, I was probably guilty of being vague. But I've learned!
  • Serena Wu · 12 months ago
    took business communication over the summer and I'm taking business writing right now and you pretty much nailed everything about the resume :)

    might also be a good idea to add one line of "interests", not as in "yoga and greek food" but like "graphic design and marketing" so recruiters know you're actually applying for something you're interested in
  • Teresa Wu · 12 months ago
    That's a good point — I was about to discourage an "interests" line in my next post about resumes (I have a lot to say on the matter... heh) because so many people try to use it to "inject personality" into their resumes. Personality that should, frankly, be better left to the interview if anything. But professional interests are totally legitimate!

    I kind of incorporate it into my "skills" section, because it says more if it's a "skill" than if it's just an "interest" of yours right? Mine looks like this:
    • In-depth knowledge of social networking sites: Facebook, MySpace, Digg, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
    • Fluency with RSS feeds, blogging platforms, emerging web 2.0 technology and new media trends
    • Copyediting, event planning, marketing, written and oral communication, social media

    Sometimes reading my own resume makes me feel like a tool, but where else can I toot my own horn?
  • Shang · 12 months ago
    Overall I agree with what you said, and I think a lot of your points speak to the industry you're interested in.

    Given that Ben and I work in consulting, things are a little different. Education + GPA has to go near the top, followed by work experience, then leadership / extracurrics, then skills, which should be a much smaller section than the above. For us, GPA is the first cutoff. Also, bullet points need to be clear. For further elaboration we also use a cover letter, and then if we have remaining questions we ask in an interview. Given that our interviews are 50%+ case questions, the resume isn't talked about as much.

    For most jobs that are business-related, not showing your GPA is a negative signal... it makes the reader wonder if you have something to hide.

    As for the line of interests, most typical ones I've seen include various forms of travel, sports interests, etc. It helps the interviewer start a conversation. Usually limit interests to 2- 3 things that you can really talk about otherwise you come off as not focused.
  • Teresa Wu · 12 months ago
    You make a point there. :) Though in my opinion, where you went to school will get less and less important with time. True about the different industries — at least in editorial, as one editor pointed out to me: if you show your GPA and it's high, people think all you did in college was study — and why the hell are you bragging about your GPA? The publications you've actually worked for shows a hell of a lot more than that. If it's too low, well, that doesn't say anything good about you either. Though mine's a (healthy, IMO) 3.6-ish, I've taken it off ever since, and I've still had considerably good results.

    Out of curiosity... do they ever verify GPAs? I can't see an employer asking for a transcript, yet that seems like a number people would just flub if they had to.

    Personally, I'm still anti-interests section — I think it can do more to hurt than help you (what if your interviewer HATES... golfers?) You never know! But that, like many other things about resumes, can be debated for days on end.
  • Shang · 12 months ago
    Again, stylistically it can be all over the board, but I am still pro-interests because I don't want a person who studied all the time. I don't necessarily like say... baseball but I think it's a positive that a person shows a diverse background.

    As for GPAs, our company, we request transcripts. The way in which schools apply to us is all electronic so it's not that hard to put all your stuff together, and we can catch fakes since we usually only recruit at a dozen schools and are familiar with students from that school. Given that the majority of people don't study to be a banker or consultant, a GPA, for us, the indication of how smart the person is and may possibly succeed in our industry (i don't agree with that, but whatever), but yeah, I can see how it'd be different for media.
  • Ben · 12 months ago
    Hi Shang! :-)
  • HeyStephanie · 12 months ago
    Teresa,

    These are awesome suggestions. When I used to be a recruiter, I would be amazed at the quality and format of resumes that our company would receive from recent graduates. One resume that I remember was in pink font. It was unbelievable.

    I would suggest to individuals without a blog to put a link to their LinkedIn profile. It's a great way to learn more about a student's interests and accomplishments.

    Keep up the good work!

    Cheers,
    Stephanie
  • Teresa Wu · 12 months ago
    I'm tempted to pimp my resume out with my blog, LinkedIn, AND Twitter. Overkill? Or a good demonstration of understanding the playing field (if I want to work in social media)? After all, you CAN find both my LinkedIn and my Twitter from visiting my blog...

    Many of my peers still don't have a LinkedIn yet. I am writing more posts to change that ASAP. :D
  • Ben · 12 months ago
    I can't really overstate how important LinkedIn is. I've had numerous recruiters find me through the site, and I have been able to use the site to find subject matter experts to talk to and -- well, frankly, no one can do the topic the same justice that Guy Kawasaki can, who lists out 10 ways to use LinkedIn: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to...
  • Laura · 12 months ago
    Great advice, I have one more point to add - if you have anything interesting/unusual INCLUDE IT. The potential employer is looking through hundreds of resumes of people who have similar majors and job experience. I studied furniture design in denmark and that was on my resume. When I was looking for jobs the interviewer ALWAYS mentioned that, and pretty much spent more time asking me about that than anything else. It made me unique.
  • Xtine · 12 months ago
    Really good, practical tips, Teresa - mind if I send you mine after I get this dissertation business over with? Like this weekendish?
  • Sandy · 12 months ago
    This is going to be slightly irrelevant.

    Hahaha, I felt bad when you emailed me at the (Hotmail) address I left for my last comment. Hotmail/AOL def screams 1990s, it's just that I try to use that one when leaving my email around on the internet/signing up for random crap. I actually kind of wanted to be like, "By the way, I usually use Gmail. I'm not behind the times, I swear!" Just wanted to redeem myself a little :)

    P.S. I don't know how many Sandys comment here but I'm the Facebook creeper one.
  • charlesju · 12 months ago
    wow, that was a really nice post.

    My resume is such a piece of junk, haha
  • connie · 11 months ago
    i work at the career center and those tips pretty much sum everything up. come check out the career center for a book that has powerful verbs to use and sample resumes and skills that you can use. :)

    some more tips: put all your contact info in one line to save space, make sure your margins are only 0.5 inches around the page. use BOLD to make titles and stuff stand out! :)

    express advising @ the ucsd's career center is mon-thurs from 1:30-4:00. check out more info here: http://career.ucsd.edu/sa/resumeCLCV.shtml