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The resume that wasn't (update pg. 2 / contract work?)

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Posts

  • DemerdarDemerdar Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    guar wrote: »
    Here's a revised copy:

    th_resume2.png

    ed: Is the formatting better? Still a bit too cluttered?

    Dude.. put that education section at the VERY top.

    They want to see that you have a degree first, IMO

    Demerdar on
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  • SerpentSerpent Sometimes Vancouver, BC, sometimes Brisbane, QLDRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Your objective is to get a job.

    that's why you are giving them a resume, right?

    When I read an objective on an applicant's resume it pisses me off because my time is being wasted when you could be getting to the content.

    Serpent on
  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited October 2009
    The advice I've read tends to suggest that everything on your CV should be focused on what you can offer the recruiter. So in your past employment section it should be less about the description of your role (unless your role is vague or the duties involved for a particular job title vary widely from company to company, typically the job title tells the recruiter everything they'd need to know about what your duties involved) and more about the tangible results you achieved for that employer. So if your past employment was as a Sales Executive you don't need to clog up your CV explaining how your job involved talking to clients, networking, playing Golf and never hanging up the phone until the mark buys something but it would be worth describing some of your biggest sales or by how much sales increased for the company before and after they employed you or how you championed cross-department communication between sales and marketing that lead to a 65% increase in lead-generation for the sales department via better-targeted marketing material.

    Someone hiring sales executives knows what the job typically involves, the decision to recruit is going to depend much more on promised performance of one candidate compared to another.

    Likewise, there's still value in having a statement at the beginning of the CV because it briefly tells an employer whether the CV is worth reading or not but instead of it being all about what you want to get out of the job - which Objective Statements invariably tend to do - it should be about what you can give the employer. It's basic marketing - you sell yourself not on your features but on your benefits.

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    guar wrote: »
    Here's a revised copy:

    th_resume2.png

    ed: Is the formatting better? Still a bit too cluttered?

    1. Ditch the objective section. As others have said, it is a dated concept, and not really applicable to the sort of entry-level just out of college jobs you're looking for.

    2. Move the education section to the top. You are a recent college grad - this is the best part of your resume

    3. In your descriptions of the jobs you've had, highlight the skills that you think are applicable to the jobs you're looking for. In your case, highlight responsibilities you had, etc.

    4. The bullet points under your jobs should be short bullet points, not long sentences. Break those up into information bits each with a bullet point.

    tsmvengy on
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  • guarguar Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Quick question;

    I spoke with a recruiter at one of the nearest staffing agencies, and he told me the only positions they have to fill for an entry level are contract work. The only skill set required is a proficiency in Excel. Like everything else, I'm not 100% confident in my abilities, but I'd wager this is something I could learn, if I need to, fairly quickly. The question I have is this: how often does contract work lead into a secure position? The job I have, while part-time, is at least covering some of my monthly expenses.

    The positives and negatives, as I seem them:
    + part-time job is indefinite, i.e. I don't plan on becoming jobless in the upcoming months
    - part-time job doesn't pay well (this is a pretty big issue actually, thus why I'm looking for another job)
    - part-time job doesn't offer many transferable skills (obviously considering I'm having trouble deciding what to say on my resume)

    + contract job would be a step up, at least in terms of relevancy to where I want to be
    + contract job would undoubtedly pay better
    - job security? where will I be after the contract ends?

    I realize there exists the possibility of landing a secure job through the contract work, but it's not really a chance I think I'm in a position to make. However, to be quite honest, I'm becoming fed-up with my part-time job. They've been cutting my hours and hiring a bunch of new people, most of whom are to cover the day shifts, when I've stated repeatedly that I prefer working in the morning/day. There's pretty much 0% chance of advancement and it is killing me how much I'm being payed. I've had to sacrifice what little social life I had because I can't afford to go out at all.

    So where was the question in all that? Hmm.. I guess, thoughts?

    guar on
  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    guar wrote: »
    Quick question;

    I spoke with a recruiter at one of the nearest staffing agencies, and he told me the only positions they have to fill for an entry level are contract work. The only skill set required is a proficiency in Excel. Like everything else, I'm not 100% confident in my abilities, but I'd wager this is something I could learn, if I need to, fairly quickly. The question I have is this: how often does contract work lead into a secure position? The job I have, while part-time, is at least covering some of my monthly expenses.

    Contract work with 'excel proficiency' as the requirement is bullshit work. Still, you'll learn more real job skills there than where you're at now so that is a motherfucking win.

    Deebaser on
  • JasconiusJasconius sword criminal mad onlineRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Deebaser wrote: »
    guar wrote: »
    Quick question;

    I spoke with a recruiter at one of the nearest staffing agencies, and he told me the only positions they have to fill for an entry level are contract work. The only skill set required is a proficiency in Excel. Like everything else, I'm not 100% confident in my abilities, but I'd wager this is something I could learn, if I need to, fairly quickly. The question I have is this: how often does contract work lead into a secure position? The job I have, while part-time, is at least covering some of my monthly expenses.

    Contract work with 'excel proficiency' as the requirement is bullshit work. Still, you'll learn more real job skills there than where you're at now so that is a motherfucking win.

    Correct. Likely bullshit work, al a data entry for very low pay. But you'll get on the books. In this economy, that's not a terrible choice of action.

    Just make sure that if you sign on, you can get out of it without penalty.

    Jasconius on
  • werehippywerehippy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Deebaser wrote: »
    guar wrote: »
    Quick question;

    I spoke with a recruiter at one of the nearest staffing agencies, and he told me the only positions they have to fill for an entry level are contract work. The only skill set required is a proficiency in Excel. Like everything else, I'm not 100% confident in my abilities, but I'd wager this is something I could learn, if I need to, fairly quickly. The question I have is this: how often does contract work lead into a secure position? The job I have, while part-time, is at least covering some of my monthly expenses.

    Contract work with 'excel proficiency' as the requirement is bullshit work. Still, you'll learn more real job skills there than where you're at now so that is a motherfucking win.

    This. When you're talking to a staffing agency and "Excel skills" is listed without somethings quasi scary sounding like Master's Degree in statistical analysis, what they really mean is "have you ever seen a computer, and do you know how to open excel and type in the little squares."

    werehippy on
  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    werehippy wrote: »
    Deebaser wrote: »
    guar wrote: »
    Quick question;

    I spoke with a recruiter at one of the nearest staffing agencies, and he told me the only positions they have to fill for an entry level are contract work. The only skill set required is a proficiency in Excel. Like everything else, I'm not 100% confident in my abilities, but I'd wager this is something I could learn, if I need to, fairly quickly. The question I have is this: how often does contract work lead into a secure position? The job I have, while part-time, is at least covering some of my monthly expenses.

    Contract work with 'excel proficiency' as the requirement is bullshit work. Still, you'll learn more real job skills there than where you're at now so that is a motherfucking win.

    This. When you're talking to a staffing agency and "Excel skills" is listed without somethings quasi scary sounding like Master's Degree in statistical analysis, what they really mean is "have you ever seen a computer, and do you know how to open excel and type in the little squares."

    During the interview at my last company:

    Number of times they asked me if I could create pivot tables during the interview: 3 (at least)
    Number of Pivot tables created / used by me in 2 years of service : zero

    Deebaser on
  • SmurphSmurph Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Job security is a myth. If your current place has a few rough months, you could be gone pretty easily. Employers don't have loyalty to the people who work for them.

    This doesn't seem like a bad opportunity but I just get the feeling that with a CS degree you can do better than data entry, but I'm not sure about the market you're in. Even if they keep you on after the contract (which they often do if you're not a fuck up and they are doing well) I can't see it developing into a Software Engineer position. If you want to get a job and pay the bills, go for it. If you want to help your career by getting experience in something CS related, I don't know if this will do that.

    Of course you could always keep looking for CS related jobs while working there and then try to switch when the contract is up.

    Smurph on
  • EskimoDaveEskimoDave Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I got a resume question. Actually two now.

    First is that my university changed names, I'm assuming I update the name.

    Second is what is the difference between a CV and resume? Fundamentally I don't see a difference, but apparently there is quite a difference.

    EskimoDave on
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    CV is a cover letter. It is more of a personal letter to the person reading it rather than a list of awesome.
    Regarding objective; change it to a personal statement. This puts the personal touch of the CV into the resume, plus it gives you an outlet for covering things not in the resume.

    Improvolone on
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  • DeebaserDeebaser on my way to work in a suit and a tie Ahhhh...come on fucking guyRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    I got a resume question. Actually two now.

    First is that my university changed names, I'm assuming I update the name.

    Second is what is the difference between a CV and resume? Fundamentally I don't see a difference, but apparently there is quite a difference.

    CV is what they call resumes in Europe. They're essentially the same thing.

    Deebaser on
  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited October 2009
    CV is a cover letter. It is more of a personal letter to the person reading it rather than a list of awesome.

    Yeah, that's wrong.

    CV = Curriculum Vitae not CoVer letter

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • TechBoyTechBoy Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    I got a resume question. Actually two now.

    First is that my university changed names, I'm assuming I update the name.

    Second is what is the difference between a CV and resume? Fundamentally I don't see a difference, but apparently there is quite a difference.

    Yeah, a CV is a Curriculum Vitae. It's usually used in academics or other such professions where having a large amount of academic knowledge is required.

    Unlike a resume which is a page or 2 pages tops, CV's don't have a limited length. In fact, the longer the CV the usually the better it is because a CV is where you list everything you've achieved. Stuff like published papers, patents,etc. in addition to the usual stuff of work experience and education.

    TechBoy on
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  • guarguar Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Smurph wrote: »
    Job security is a myth. If your current place has a few rough months, you could be gone pretty easily. Employers don't have loyalty to the people who work for them.

    This doesn't seem like a bad opportunity but I just get the feeling that with a CS degree you can do better than data entry, but I'm not sure about the market you're in. Even if they keep you on after the contract (which they often do if you're not a fuck up and they are doing well) I can't see it developing into a Software Engineer position. If you want to get a job and pay the bills, go for it. If you want to help your career by getting experience in something CS related, I don't know if this will do that.

    Of course you could always keep looking for CS related jobs while working there and then try to switch when the contract is up.

    At this point, I'm looking at any excuse to get out of the job I'm in. If it pays enough, I'll probably take it. I've been meaning to get my A+ certification ever since it was mentioned back in the other thread, and I think any opportunity that provides me with enough excess income to take a course for it and get the exam out of the way would be a plus. Then I may be able to get my foot in the door with a help desk position.

    guar on
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