Question on resume wording etc....

[applecrisp]

Since it has been raining for all weekend, I am tackling my resume. For those HR experts etc... what are your thoughts on the length of a seminar. I always heard that it should only be one page. But having a hard time doing that since I've worked 20 years and had 5 jobs (some within the same company). Do you always list all your jobs -- is there a point you don't mention the oldest ones, if you say worked 20+ years?

Also, it looks like the new thing for resume, is either ditching the objective or add a summary/areas of expertise. Any suggestions.

Last thing, any suggestions on....
I worked for company A for 9 years, then it was acquired by another company (that was out of state) and let's call that company B, and they kept us going as is for another 2 years. Then, they decided to close up our office, and move everyting to their headquarters. Hence, we were all laid off.

My job description did not change at all (when we were acquired).

So how do I mention the company name in the resume. I don't want to say I worked for company B for 11 years since I didn't. And if I leave out company B, it might seem strange, since that will definitely come up when discussing why I left the job.

Thanks so much.

[Canice]

I'm not an HR person (though I did recruiting for a time) but it's been a long time since I've seen a one-page résumé for a person with substantial work experience/career growth. And we always discouraged the "objectives" area anyhow.

I've worked for several companies that were acquired and have them listed as either:

ABC Company (later CBA Company) 1990-2000

CBA Company (formerly ABC Company) 1990-2000


Just one perspective....

[applecrisp]

Thanks Canice,

I didn't see how I can condense it to one page -- I could probably bareley give three bullets per job. When I was barely fresh out of school, then piece of cake!

After all these years and grey hairs -- want to list some of those tasks!

Now to just figure out on a format that I like. Checked the Word templates on line and didn't much care for them.

Thanks again.

[tbb113]

Last year I was laid off and as part of the severance package, I worked with a company that helped create resumes, etc. I have a two page resume highlighting the last 10 years. My prior jobs are listed with company names and titles only (otherwise I would be over two pages in length).

I do have an objective and a summary of selected skills (I work in a technical field - programmer analyst)

[Gumbeaux]

Be sure to have a scannable version of your resume.

[Aubergine]

you might like to consider an alt resume/CV form which name i of course cannot recall at this moment. but it is how i did my newest one, and i have basically been out of the paid workforce as a SAHM for many years. part of my problem was that most of my former employers are either out 9of business and/or deceased.

mine begins (after the name, etc.) with a one-sentence, two-line "OBJECTIVE," which of course i can alter to suite the job search.

next is "EXPERIENCE," wherein i have a 4 sentence, one-paragraph summary of my work experience and my vast volunteer work while raising the kids.

next section is "CAPABILITIES," using bullets, listing exactly that--about 12 items/areas, each one sentence, but some two lines.

next comes "WORK HISTORY," and i only list my last 4 jobs, very briefly. after that comes "LANGUAGES" and, finally, "EDUCATION."

mine takes up about a page and a half. as a former HR person (one of my job stints), i can tell you that most resumes only get the briefest glimpse, if they're seen at all. Same as cover letters--first and last sentences.

i would be happy to share more info with you when i get home in another week, but i must stress these points:

Keep it SIMPLE

Have it proof-read several times; do NOT rely upon spell-check.

no fancy paper; plain white or off-white heavy bond is best.

in today's world, you need to be prepared to submit it via internet, in either word file, plain text, or pdf format--the employer will specify.

cover letters are important, as are thank-you notes the day after the interview.

best of luck!

suzanne

[HejazSunKat]

I have a two page resume highlighting the last 10 years.

I had a career coach review my resume when I was job searching in 2005 and her advice was to ditch anything older than 10 years, the reason being that employers only look at the last 10 years of a person's work experience.

A professional summary at the top of the resume instead of the usual 'objective' is becoming more common. HR departments and recruiters are getting thousands of resumes for any given position nowadays and if a human being actually looks at it (as opposed to a computer program that is just scanning your resume for keywords) it helps to have the skills and accomplishments that you want highlighted to be right up at the top. A generic objective is not going to get you in the door.

I don't know what field you're in but if it's a business related field employers are becoming alot more picky in terms of what skills they're looking for - wanting industry specific experience or experience with specific software programs. I was counseled to make sure I put a line in my professional summary listing all of my software experience. As I mentioned before most resumes are getting scanned electronically these days and in order for yours to 'kick out' so that a human being looks at it, knowing what keywords are important in your industry and getting them onto your resume is extremely important. You might want to pick up a recently written book on resume writing for helpful information and also if you have a local, state-sponsored career center that would offer resume review services I'd take advantage of that as well as anything else they offer.

One more thing I learned (from talking to people at networking groups during my unemployment) was that if you post your resume on any of the large, online job boards like Monster.com you have to make sure you go in periodically (like once every 2 weeks) and update your resume. I mean just doing something ridiculous like switching one row for another and then 2 weeks later switching them back. Alot of recruiters and HR departments are scanning for recently posted resumes and if yours has been 'updated' in the past 2 weeks it will show as a recent addition when they do a search.

Good luck with your job search.

[Gracie]

These are all great advice. If you are highlighting the last 10 years of your experience, what would you do if you've had the same job for 14 years and a ton of other jobs before that? Would you just go really nuts describing your 14-year job and how you moved up through the ranks during that time and highlight your accomplishments then list the older jobs (many of which are with companies that no longer exist)?

Thanks for any advice!

Loren

[Aubergine]

These are all great advice. If you are highlighting the last 10 years of your experience, what would you do if you've had the same job for 14 years and a ton of other jobs before that? Would you just go really nuts describing your 14-year job and how you moved up through the ranks during that time and highlight your accomplishments then list the older jobs (many of which are with companies that no longer exist)?

Thanks for any advice!

Loren


well, i wouldn't 'go nuts' describing the 14-year job, but that length of stay, in and of itself, is a strong point, imo.

yes, you can make that job a focus of the resume. what you need to do is come up with brief phrases that can be bulletted using action verbs and highlighting your accomplishments while there. things like: Iniated, Developed, Increased, Improved, Advanced -- i mean things that you did for the company. ex:

Increased sales volume by x%
Developed new program for xyz
Iniated and supervised training program for blah blah

i hope you get my drift. it may take you some thought to fully realize all that you have done for them, and to find the jargon in which to phrase it, unless you choose to hire a consultant.