Resume advice

1ddqd

Hey guys, I need some advice on what to include on my resume. I think the resume is pretty solid, as in formatting and wording, but let me explain the job history.

I worked at Best Buy for about a year, so that's my last big job on the resume. In January, I started working for a small electricity broker, but cut that off after the 1st week in February. I left on good terms, since I'm a pretty likable guy. I put it on my resume when I applied for my current job (call center stuff for mortgage company).

My question is this: do I need to include this job on the resume? My current employer asked me about it in the interview and I said basically "It was a job that sounded great on the description but was utterly horrible in implementation (close as possible to the wording I used lol)"

If anyone would like to look at the resume, please let me know, I could use any helpful criticism.

TychoCelchuuu

You don't need to put anything on your resume that you don't want to (although if it's something like "cannot work indoors" they'll find out eventually either way).

Ioga

Since you left on good terms, see if you can get someone from that job to be a reference.

A) It looks good if you left a good impression in such a short time being there.

It shows that you are goal-oriented and are taking initiative in finding a job that you want to be successful in and not being complacent and wasting time in a job that doesn't motivate you.

If you can't get a good reference, keep it off, because it isn't very representative of your previous work history since you spent very little time there.

Improvolone

Sure, I'll take a look.

1ddqd

I can get a couple good references from it - currently I have no references listed, only "references provided upon request" - so far, no requests lol

*edit* On that note, I have a number of personal and professional references. One is a personnel consultant (never a client, she was actually a client of mine, I fixed her computer issues for her business) who has been in her field for 20 years. Kind of a windfall, I suppose, but is this an acceptable reference? I think anyone who realizes what she does would know she can read people like a book, but I don't want it to seem like she'll expect some sort of commission for her endorsement of me

Improvolone

You fill up the space, but theres too much on it.
One page. That's it.

edit edit edit edit

I'll go through it myself to see what I can come up with, but yea, editeditedit.

Comahawk

Basic advice that I rarely see implemented in resume construction: Have two or three people proof read your resume.

Seriously, had a person apply to our kitchen with aspirations to become a chief. Those types of resumes get made fun of for the amount of fail in them.

Also, don't correct your resume using crayon. This should go without saying, but some twenty three year old people seem to think it is acceptable. In fact, if you find an error, go back and fix it, then reprint your whole resume.

1ddqd

Ok, so the whole 1-page-resume formula is still popular? I can hone it down, but wasn't sure about doing so.

chamberlain

The first people who see your resume are looking for a reason not to hire you. Keep it one page, and if you can get a good reference for the last job put it on. Gaps in work history are a red flag.

Lewisham

Because it's less than a month, I wouldn't put it on there. You didn't have enough time to learn anything from the job. If anyone asks you about it, then by all means say what happened. What I would say is that you need to show what you learnt from it: why you aren't going to make the same mistake again and leave their job after a month. Be honest, but not honest to the point of "I hated it there and didn't know". Something like "I hadn't fully understood what was involved in the work environment, and I've learnt to ask more questions during the interview process. I can assure you that if I am offered and accept this job, it will be because I am 100% confident it is somewhere I wish to be, and can thrive in"

Or something.

1ddqd

Essentially what I said in *this* job's interview. I said "the things i learned from that job I can count on one hand: to recognize the signs that your job description wasnt YOUR job description and to get in writing that your duties only include the duties listed in the proper job description.

I followed that up with "That's the case here, right?" That got a chuckle

spacerobot

It is my understanding that you should only list things in resumes that the employer would find impressive so they would want to hire you. This past week I was revising my resume to work on finding an internship. I went to my colleges career adviser for help with it. The reason I was revising is because she ripped me a new one on my first resume. The first thing she yelled at me for was for making a 2 page resume.

The second thing she yelled at me for was for making lists. I guess the employer doesn't want to see a list of jobs you've had or things you've done. Apparently they don't care what kind of jobs i've had unless they are relevant to the one I'm applying to.

The thing I was most surprised about when having my resume critiqued was that they had me list my jobs as the last thing on the resume, and when I did list them it was just the title of the jobs and where I worked. It seems that the things you put on a resume should only be things that will impress the person looking at it, and make you stand out from the rest of the applicants. So, I guess if the job you're wondering if you should list would look impressive on a resume and help you stand out, then add it in. If not, just leave it out.

shutz

I disagree with the idea that a resume should never be more than 1 page. It all depends on what you have to say that's pertinent to the job, and what type of job you're going for.

If you're trying to get a job in retail, basic clerk stuff, or mostly unskilled manual labor, then one page is all you should need, yes.

But for any job that requires specific skills or training, you should make sure that your resume clearly shows (highlights, even) when and where you learned or acquired those skills or training. In some cases, that might mean a short descriptive paragraph to go with a particular previous job or course you completed.

Significant personal accomplishments, when relevant, can also help you stand out. Having a popular website, for instance (don't just put in your blog, unless it's popular, or relevant to the job.)

Professional accomplishments can also be worth mentioning: for instance, while I was doing QA at my first job in the games industry, I eventually volunteered to put together the master candidates, including building the installers, creating autorun menus, and setting up the files on the CD. Since this is outside the scope of QA, it ends up showing initiative, as well as versatility and a willingness to do what has to be done. That point has ended up being relevant in multiple job interviews since then.

Two pages should be the limit, unless you're aiming for a highly-specialized post with very technical requirements.

At the same time, if you will be submitting your resume electronically, it's better that it be longer so that any automated filters will have more chances of seeing relevant keywords.