So I just got an email from the University and they are looking for someone with CAD experience, inventory control experience and things like that. Turns out thats right up my alley. The only catch is that my Resume isn't quite as polished as I hoped it would be.

The problem I'm having is describing the job I've had the last couple years. Here is what it says right now:

Work Experience
Ace xxxxxxxx, WY 1995 to Present
Certified Inspector
Crew leader on time critical jobs supervising up to five people at a time
Helped develop and maintain detailed mechanical integrity programs for several gas processing facilities in the Wyoming and Colorado regions, which included extensive AutoCAD and Data Entry Work
Experience with inventory control on


Basicly what I'm trying to put into words that will look good is that I worked in the oilfield doing inspection on piping doing corrosion surveys (mechanical integrity) as well as working in the shop doing inventory control, lots of computer work, rebuilding of hydraulic pressure equipment, and general other shop work (welding, fabrication, etc)

by my experience you want to be detailed but brief...employers do not want to sift through resume to find what they are looking for. Just my suggestions

Supervisory experience as a crew leader

Extensive AutoCad knowledge, including developing and maintaining integrity programs.

Inventory coordinator in a shop enviroment

etc....
I would also include in under the company name what they actually do.

Company name is "Ace Inspection Service" don't really think I need to put what they actually do under that (it says that, just edited it out for the quote)

I guess that is just what I have on my resume. Just so the potential employer has an idea of what types of things you may have dealt with with your previous employer. I don't know to me it is different since I have worked in both manufacturing and office environments....

- Describe everything in detail, but keep it short. Don't let an employer guess what you did (Or more likely didn't do), spell everything out.
- Action words!!! Devised, integrated, engineered, facilitated, collaborated, maintained, founded, etc etc.
- Resume should flow nicely. Even without reading any text you should get a general idea of what's where. Change the font to wingdings and take a look at it.
- Don't look over the small stuff. Even if you took a course years ago and completed some sort of achievement pertaining to business, list it. Even if it's not directly related to the line of work you're interested in.
- List volunteer work... Employers like to see community involvement. One out of every two or three people that sees my resume makes a comment to me about Eagle scout.
- Use a professional email address (Not 2hot4u@myspacewhores.com) and record a neutral greeting for voicemail.
- Might also help to google your name and see what comes up... seen horror stories about employers searching fecesbook/myspace for job candidates and seeing evidence of excessive alchohol consumption/wild sex/etc. Probably not the best way to impress an employer.

I'm sure ther'es other things I left out...

Include words that have something to do with safety. For some reason, HRO people (the ones reading these things) love that stuff.

-Completed such and such safely
-100,000 hours on the job with no accidents
-completed X in compliance with all OSHA requirements and State safety regulations

Things like that (use your imagination) are always good to stick in there.

I hope I am relevants to your interweb.

As one of those "people" that reviews resumes regularly, you better keep it concise and to the point, and use proper grammar for fuck's sake! I might get 5-10 via email per day - I'll scroll down, see the job history, review employment dates and make my decision. If the grammar is poor I usually don't bother.

And for the love of pizza, keep it to one page!!!

And for the love of pizza, keep it to one page!!!
I've got it trimmed to just less then a page. My sister is one of those people that read resumes every day as well and hers is barely two pages with smaller margins.

I did a complete revision on it last night, still working on it and trying to get my office packed right now though.

My understanding on the page length is 1 page for every 10 years of working in the field. And even then, that includes published papers, promotions, hopefully several degrees, etc.

Someone under 30 looking for a real career should never have a resume >1pg.

Also, in my several courses of resume-writing, ive been told its best not to put "References available upon request" on the resume. If an employer wants references, they'll ask anyways regardless of whether its on your ruesme or not.

Eatmyclutch: High school shouldn't be on a resume unless you graduated #1 in your class with a 4.0GPA and participated in every volunteer activity your high school offered. Or if you're just out of high school and that's the only formal education you have.


Another thing to consider that's usually overlooked is the cover letter... there's a lot of resources and examples online... I still hate writing them, but employers see that before they even see your resume.

Another thing to consider that's usually overlooked is the cover letter... there's a lot of resources and examples online... I still hate writing them, but employers see that before they even see your resume.
yeah... I really need to start working on the cover letter myself.

Don't include your crack smoking habbit on the resume.

I rarely look at résumés unaccompanied by cover letters.

you say what you do, but you leave out the impact of what you did

put it in and it'll be better

Exactly. Employers don't necessarily care about what you did, more about what impact it had on the company you were at. Accomplishments with results are key.

Dont listen to these retards.

You got to study the fucking company you are applying for (and their competitors) and send them a letter stating how you can make them better with some examples and would like to schedule a meeting to discuss further with details (Thus the interview). They are only interested on what your skills can do for them. Well, tell them!

In the interview, you can give them your resume.

Homework first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A letter without a resume may be a ticket to an interview, or it may be "round filed".

I found not to have an overly wordy resume, but just short and precise. Also you should do a cover letter no matter what. If they like your resume and cover letter they should schedule an interview with you. This is where you do your homework. Make sure you know not only what the company does, but what it stands for, extra things it may do in the community, scholorships, etc, etc. I've found this technique to work the best (getting hired for an even higher position that i didn't even apply for :D ).

Oh, and you said your job involved a lot of computer work, so don't forget to mention this. Also you could always spice the job title up a bit. For example:
Garbage Man = Sanitation Engineer
Pizza Delivery = Outsource management - soliciting products to cliental.
blah blah blah.

Good luck!

^ puffery. And transparent. And inaccurate.

A letter without a resume may be a ticket to an interview, or it may be "round filed".
We call 'em 'vertical filing cabinet' around here.

Look, if i studied your corporation or place of business, I should be able to nail down what it is you need for your place of employment to be successful. If I feel I can help you with my skills, and can smartly target those words onto a piece of paper, onto a letter, you wouldn't care if a resume showed up or not. You would be TOO curious to not invite me over for that fine fine interview. It's human nature at work.

You HAVE to study the business anyway.
You have to write a resume anyway.
You have to write a cover letter anyway.

But I say the sequence in getting my ass into the chair across from you, mine is outstanding. (oh yeah...it works ;) )

btw, I am always right

btw, sent 'letter' must go to target. I hope you'd figured that one out already.

Oh yeah. I am always right.

if the cover letter is extremely strong, sure. But I've binned several letters-only applications because it didn't seem the prospect was making the extra effort to itemize what s/he could offer my company.

I'm currently hiring for my electric car project, for example - the girl hosting the doc just submitted her headshot, a Kokanee calendar she was featured in, and a cover letter, and that worked to get her an interview. The sculptors submitted pics of their work along with a simple card with their contact info. The welders, résumés only without letters. The electrical engineers specializing in high voltage AC for automobiles didn't get interviews without a strong cover letter to show they were articulate in plain english (so they could communicate with the rest of the film and build crew) and a résumé to show they know what they're doing.

in short, it varies depending on what you're applying for and the skillset you offer. But best to submit both letter and résumé to be on the safe side.