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Criticize my resume!
Etelmik
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I wonder if my resume is t3h suck. So, tell me what you think. It's directed a writing/marketing/pr/advertising position.
Background:
The resume:
I'm wondering if there's anything that looks bad or dodgy or is eyebrow-raising. Maybe not? I don't know. I had one interview for a position where there were only 10 other candidates; thing is, I don't get nearly as many interviews as I used to.
Background:
I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that the economy sucks, and that I'm in a sucky place for job-finding--Salt Lake. In Denver, 1 in 10 people are 19-29 years old. In SLC, 1 in 4 are.
Finding an entry level or 1-5 years of experience job is a bitch. I wonder if my resume sends out wacky messages...also, I just barely graduated.
Finding an entry level or 1-5 years of experience job is a bitch. I wonder if my resume sends out wacky messages...also, I just barely graduated.
The resume:
(555) 867-5309
Dudey@dude.com
Some Address
Name
Recent college graduate with marketing and writing background and freelance, project, and deadline-oriented experience.
Recent Work Experience—Where I’ve Been Working
Place A
Content Manager, 1-07 to present
• Edited and wrote instructional tutorials; topics include bug-finding and testing methodology, such as test matrices
• Proposed and implemented marketing plan
• Write copy for press releases, articles, job postings, social networking, and more
• Conduct research and advise on marketing and research decisions
• Work-from-home position; work personally with company head and with contractors
to ensure completion of projects
Place B
Editor-in-chief, 8-07 to present
• Composed, wrote, and edited Snackbar’s style guide
• Editing articles on a daily basis; have final say on review content
• Work personally with each writer to improve his style, content, tone, and grammar
Freelance Work
9-06 to present
• Projects include: email series, articles, landing sites, web and brochure copy
• Videogames Writer (reviews and articles)
Place C
Development, Market Research, 5-06 to 9-06
• Compiled list of New Orleans restaurant management, then contacted for appointments
• Assisted in development of eLearning training modules
Education
• Received a well-rounded education at BYU in psychology, writing, editing,
publishing, and business; graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in April 2008
• Editor-in-chief of an undergraduate journal, X
• Published in two academic journals: X and Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
• Worked on over a dozen group projects
Page break: end page 1, beginning page 2
Skills and Abilities—What I Can Do and Have Done
Marketing, Writing, and Editing
• Web 2.0 and SEO
• Male demographic, 14-30
• Job posting
• Soft technical (user manuals, tutorials/instruction, online help, etc.)
• White Papers
• Press Releases and articles
• Telemarketing scripts
• TV and Radio commercials
• Web copy: landing pages / microsites, home pages
• Brochures
• Speechwriting
• Published in two academic journals and editor of one
• Editor of a high-traffic, high-producing website
• Employee communications and training
• Newsletters / Email blasts
• B2B
Client Relations
• Developed contact lists
• Call centers and offices, restaurants, juvenile delinquents’ home, freelance pitching: from all this, there is no client I can’t work with in person, over the phone, or online
• Project management
• CRM with a heaping number of contacts and clients? No problem
Some Industries I’ve worked for:
Software development
eLearning
Video Games (Journalism, Marketing, Web 2.0)
Internet marketing
Timeshares
Home Security
Restaurant/Hospitality
Call centers
Mentoring Delinquent Male Youths
References and Writing Samples Available on Request
Dudey@dude.com
Some Address
Name
Recent college graduate with marketing and writing background and freelance, project, and deadline-oriented experience.
Recent Work Experience—Where I’ve Been Working
Place A
Content Manager, 1-07 to present
• Edited and wrote instructional tutorials; topics include bug-finding and testing methodology, such as test matrices
• Proposed and implemented marketing plan
• Write copy for press releases, articles, job postings, social networking, and more
• Conduct research and advise on marketing and research decisions
• Work-from-home position; work personally with company head and with contractors
to ensure completion of projects
Place B
Editor-in-chief, 8-07 to present
• Composed, wrote, and edited Snackbar’s style guide
• Editing articles on a daily basis; have final say on review content
• Work personally with each writer to improve his style, content, tone, and grammar
Freelance Work
9-06 to present
• Projects include: email series, articles, landing sites, web and brochure copy
• Videogames Writer (reviews and articles)
Place C
Development, Market Research, 5-06 to 9-06
• Compiled list of New Orleans restaurant management, then contacted for appointments
• Assisted in development of eLearning training modules
Education
• Received a well-rounded education at BYU in psychology, writing, editing,
publishing, and business; graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in April 2008
• Editor-in-chief of an undergraduate journal, X
• Published in two academic journals: X and Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
• Worked on over a dozen group projects
Page break: end page 1, beginning page 2
Skills and Abilities—What I Can Do and Have Done
Marketing, Writing, and Editing
• Web 2.0 and SEO
• Male demographic, 14-30
• Job posting
• Soft technical (user manuals, tutorials/instruction, online help, etc.)
• White Papers
• Press Releases and articles
• Telemarketing scripts
• TV and Radio commercials
• Web copy: landing pages / microsites, home pages
• Brochures
• Speechwriting
• Published in two academic journals and editor of one
• Editor of a high-traffic, high-producing website
• Employee communications and training
• Newsletters / Email blasts
• B2B
Client Relations
• Developed contact lists
• Call centers and offices, restaurants, juvenile delinquents’ home, freelance pitching: from all this, there is no client I can’t work with in person, over the phone, or online
• Project management
• CRM with a heaping number of contacts and clients? No problem
Some Industries I’ve worked for:
Software development
eLearning
Video Games (Journalism, Marketing, Web 2.0)
Internet marketing
Timeshares
Home Security
Restaurant/Hospitality
Call centers
Mentoring Delinquent Male Youths
References and Writing Samples Available on Request
I'm wondering if there's anything that looks bad or dodgy or is eyebrow-raising. Maybe not? I don't know. I had one interview for a position where there were only 10 other candidates; thing is, I don't get nearly as many interviews as I used to.
Etelmik on
0
Posts
On a serious note, looks pretty solid to me. I see no obvious problems. Another thing that I learned about resumes is that it's also the way it looks. Font, size, layout, etc. Make sure you looks eye catching and that certain things just... pop out, you know?
Good luck in a job hunt, if that's what you're after.
The best advice I can give is to make sure there are no possible discrepencies.
It would be horrible to have a great resume where one little mistake kills your shit, so proofread to make sure everything you said is the truth, and you can back it up if called on it.
1) Just call your work experience section, "Work Experience".
2) All job descriptions should start with a verb.
3) Make your tenses match in your job descriptions. For example, your current job, "editing and writing," and your previous jobs, "composed, editied".
4) Try to make your job descriptions about results. You edited and wrote instructional materials to enable...(fill in the blank)
5) If your degree is the most compelling reason for someone to hire you, then list it first. Also, be very clear in listing what your actual degree is in. I had to read it twice to understand that it was in Psychology. Mentioning that you have a well rounded education is something you can do in the interview - on your resume, it takes up too much space.
6) Find a way to limit your resume to 1 page. You don't seem to have enough work experience to justify two pages. You can do this by being more succinct and removing the sections that provide the least value...for example, Client Relations and Some Industries I've Worked For.
Anytime you list things, make sure they start the same way. Makes it easier for the employer to read/flows better, even if they don't consciously notice it. So, worked, helped, learned, executed, etc. for experience lists
Recent college graduate with marketing and writing background and freelance, project, and deadline-oriented experience.
Work Experience
Powerup Games
Content Manager, 1-07 to 12-07
• Edited and wrote instructional tutorials; topics include bug-finding and testing methodology, such as test matrices
• Proposed and implemented marketing plan
• Wrote copy for press releases, articles, job postings, social networking, and more
• Conducted research and advised on marketing and research decisions
• Work-from-home position; worked personally with company head and with contractors
to ensure completion of projects
Snackbar Games
Editor-in-chief, 8-07 to present
• Editing articles on a daily basis; have final say on review content
• Composed, wrote, and edited Snackbar’s style guide
• Work personally with each writer to improve his style, content, tone, and grammar
Freelance Work
9-06 to present
• Produced email series, articles, landing sites, web and brochure copy
• Videogames Writer (reviews, opinion, features)
Proton Communications
Development, Market Research, 5-06 to 9-06
• Compiled list of New Orleans restaurant management, then contacted for appointments
• Assisted in development of eLearning training modules
Education
• Graduated with a B.S. in Psychology in April 2008; also studied writing, business • Editor-in-chief of an undergraduate journal, Intuition
• Published in two academic journals: Intuition and Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
• Worked on over a dozen group projects
What if I used this part, taken out of the resume, in the cover letter or in the email body?
Marketing, Writing, and Editing
• Web 2.0 and SEO
• Male demographic, 14-30
• Job posting
• Soft technical (user manuals, tutorials/instruction, online help, etc.)
• White Papers
• Press Releases and articles
• Telemarketing scripts
• TV and Radio commercials
• Web copy: landing pages / microsites, home pages
• Brochures
• Speechwriting
• Published in two academic journals and editor of one
• Editor of a high-traffic, high-producing website
• Employee communications and training
• Newsletters / Email blasts
• B2B
Education:
X University, New York, NY
Blah Blah School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics with a minor in Economics, Expected May 2010
(Cumulative GPA: XXX)
Except you wouldn't put expected since you already graduated
You ought to be able to fit WAY more than that on a page. Fuck around with the margins, font size (I use 10 or 11pt single-spaced) and the font.
If you are going to apply for a job in (just pulling something off your resume) scripting for Telemarketing, put that first, followed by TV/Radio, Speechwriting, employee training and other things that are relevant. Is your degree something that is going to make you stand out? Put it at the top.
Depending on where you apply, HR might read hundreds of resumes a day, and I can guarantee they aren't going to read every line of everyone, so put the important things at the top of bulleted lists and at the top of the page.
example from mine (Health & Safety)
To help the company achive a culture of Zero accidents, injuries and illnesses.
I still think you should have more than two points in your last couple work experience things. Btw, most people generally only put in their last 3 work experiences, though 4 isn't going to hurt you
I'd also have a list of your skills, no more than the 6 most relevant ones. This can be emphasized in your resume, and have your other (less relevant) skills mentioned then. As someone else mentioned, tailor your resume to suit the job, so feel free to change up your skill listing to suit the job you're applying for
I'd keep the heading of education, as it is important for a lot of not-crappy jobs. At the least, SAY what your degree is in, not the electives you took..
I would remove the "worked-from-home" bit from your first listed job, as I feel it detracts from your mention of working closely with the head of the company, which is most certainly worthy. If they specifically ask you about working from home in an interview, by all means mention it, but leave it out of the resume.
You mention trying to include something about your skills and qualifications. I would avoid a bulleted list, and try to condense what you have into a cogent and concise paragraph. If you care, I've included the Objective Statement from an older version of my resume in a spoiler below. It's much longer that it would be were I submitting it today (and looking at it now, there are things I could certainly improve upon) but that's mostly because back then I lacked practical experience and needed to somehow bolster my qualifications substantially.
I am a dedicated and hard-working employee possessing a strong work ethic. I bring a focused and committed effort to my employment and have the flexibility to multi-task and manage multiple priorities as necessary. I have strong people skills having been very successful in a retail sales role where a consultative approach was required. My computer skills are comprehensive, particularly with the Microsoft Office Suite software including Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, as well as a number of Litigation Support programs. I am a quick learner of new software operations. I enjoy a fast-paced, dynamic work environment with an opportunity to grow professionally.
Anyway, I hope at least some of this was helpful. There's a lot of good info in the thread, so you should be set to knock them dead.
This only should be on there if it is a 4.0. At least, that's what the recruiters I've known casually have told me.
So, I'm still thinking about putting it at the bottom. My previous jobs look better for writing/marketing/editing stuff than a psychology degree does. Not that my degree has no bearing on me, but it's impossible to communicate a psychology degree's relevance on paper. Still at bottom?
At your advice I wrote a real objective, and so I need feedback on that; there are two or three I have in mind, different endings if you will. I'm thinking my shitty objective is what was holding me back.
My previous marketing and writing work in varied industries gives me the needed experience and out-of-the-box thinking you need.
or maybe
Powerup Games
Content Manager, 1-07 to 12-07
• Edited and wrote instructional tutorials; topics include bug-finding and testing methodology, such as test matrices
• Proposed and implemented marketing plan
• Wrote copy for press releases, articles, job postings, social networking, and more
• Conducted research and advised on marketing and research decisions
• Worked personally with company head and with contractors
to ensure completion of projects
Snackbar Games
Editor-in-chief, 8-07 to present
• Editing articles on a daily basis; have final say on review content
• Composed, wrote, and edited Snackbar’s style guide
• Work personally with each writer to improve his style, content, tone, and grammar
Freelance Work
9-06 to present
• Produced email series, articles, landing sites, web and brochure copy
• Videogames Writer (reviews, opinion, features)
Proton Communications
Development, Market Research, 5-06 to 9-06
• Compiled list of New Orleans restaurant management, then contacted for appointments
• Assisted in development of eLearning training modules
Education
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Bachelor of Science in Psychology, April 2008
Related experience: Editor-in-chief of an undergraduate journal, Intuition; published in two academic journals: Intuition and Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy; worked on over a dozen group projects
This is not an objective as this tells the company absolutely nothing about what sort of job you are seeking. Are you looking for work as a technical writer? Website editor? General editor? This should be tailored to each application, but this especially must be clear. Imagine if the interviewer is going to only read one sentence about what you want to do - this is your objective.
CooterTKE has a good example, IMO. Here is mine from ages ago:
Mechanical engineering design position in a challenging environment, combining interests in concept design and technical writing.