We have many ambitious folks here, some up and comers and some already well advanced in high level careers. Many of us also look at new jobs regularly and think, probably too much, about what's next. I thought it would be cool to have a thread to discuss this.
I'll start by asking for a bit of advice. I've been in my role for four years and in the post college work force for seven. While this gig has been so amazing for my personal growth, and I've gotten to see so much, it's starting to wear me down a bit. As some of you know, I recently explored a new position in my current company, but decided it's not for me given the pay/relocation requirements. I'm starting to look around and was wondering (especially from the guys who actually hire people) what you look for in a resume. I've always avoided bullet point formats and had more of paragraphs about my past jobs. I've always tried to include recognition and achievements of past jobs, while also including buzz words from the job description of what I'm applying for. My posts here may not show it, but when I bother I'm actually a really good writer, both of my parents have written professionally and it runs in the family, so that's not a problem. Should I go to bullet points? I could see where that would be preferred by someone reading them all. Is it a reasonable idea to try to make it stand out a bit from a visual perspective, or better to just keep it simple, basic?
I have many versions of my resume available on my PC, but I think it may be time to rethink it and start from scratch.
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- Calvinball
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Simplify, simplify, simplify. Start it off with something that grabs attention and distinguishes you, but the meat of it you want as straightforward and simple as possible.
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Calvinball wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:31 am Simplify, simplify, simplify. Start it off with something that grabs attention and distinguishes you, but the meat of it you want as straightforward and simple as possible.
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This is along the lines of what I was thinking about.
- Apex
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I like this thread. I shall put some musings in here as I debate with myself about what my next step is.
My boss told me of a position that will be opening up in the near future, and showed me the job description for it. It's what I do now, minus a few things actually. I don't know if that is the direction I want to go in though. Internally there is no one who would get the job over me if I posted for it.
My most recent discussions with my boss included telling me that I still have plenty of room for growth in both skill set and pay in my current role.
My boss told me of a position that will be opening up in the near future, and showed me the job description for it. It's what I do now, minus a few things actually. I don't know if that is the direction I want to go in though. Internally there is no one who would get the job over me if I posted for it.
My most recent discussions with my boss included telling me that I still have plenty of room for growth in both skill set and pay in my current role.
Would this involve more pay for less work but more stress, like moving into management? Seems like an interesting direction for her to suggest, similar job with less responsibility.Apex wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:58 am I like this thread. I shall put some musings in here as I debate with myself about what my next step is.
My boss told me of a position that will be opening up in the near future, and showed me the job description for it. It's what I do now, minus a few things actually. I don't know if that is the direction I want to go in though. Internally there is no one who would get the job over me if I posted for it.
My most recent discussions with my boss included telling me that I still have plenty of room for growth in both skill set and pay in my current role.
- Apex
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It would be a slight bump in pay (probably 5-10% and closer to the 5 most likely). But it would be more focused on half of the responsibilities I have now. I would be in charge of all implementations we do and not just the big ones that I do now. It would be more of a step towards a sales position, up-selling and stuff like that. I would be doing less product/project management type things that I do now.D Griff wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:37 amWould this involve more pay for less work but more stress, like moving into management? Seems like an interesting direction for her to suggest, similar job with less responsibility.Apex wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:58 am I like this thread. I shall put some musings in here as I debate with myself about what my next step is.
My boss told me of a position that will be opening up in the near future, and showed me the job description for it. It's what I do now, minus a few things actually. I don't know if that is the direction I want to go in though. Internally there is no one who would get the job over me if I posted for it.
My most recent discussions with my boss included telling me that I still have plenty of room for growth in both skill set and pay in my current role.
I am sort of at a crossroads, and I am not really sure what to do. I really like getting out and doing the implementations/client meetings, but I don't want to give up the product/project management gigs either.
I can always keep doing what I am doing and see what happens in another year or so. The department plan is to add another person in my current role next year, so I could move up to a Sr. role and have someone working under me?
Well given she said you have more room to move up in pay/responsibility, sticking around in it for the time being doesn't sound like a bad idea. It seems like you've gotten nice pay bumps annually, so if you're really happy at work, I wouldn't change it. The opportunity to lead a team of two would be a new, fun challenge to try as well.Apex wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 10:51 amIt would be a slight bump in pay (probably 5-10% and closer to the 5 most likely). But it would be more focused on half of the responsibilities I have now. I would be in charge of all implementations we do and not just the big ones that I do now. It would be more of a step towards a sales position, up-selling and stuff like that. I would be doing less product/project management type things that I do now.
I am sort of at a crossroads, and I am not really sure what to do. I really like getting out and doing the implementations/client meetings, but I don't want to give up the product/project management gigs either.
I can always keep doing what I am doing and see what happens in another year or so. The department plan is to add another person in my current role next year, so I could move up to a Sr. role and have someone working under me?
I just wrote an email to my CEO saying the same thing in fact, I'm still enjoying my current role and am not going to pursue the new position we discussed last week. It would have been a 10% increase to move somewhere that costs 50% more, so . Also, while my job has been hellish recently due to some things, it should be pretty cool again starting in April, and I still enjoy seeing the country and stuff. I think I'll explore other options but if I wind up with this for another year or two, OK.
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I'd say you should take the opportunity. I believe you'd be pigeon held if you didn't after it were suggested to you. This way you go on to sales minded role and ultimately be known as the versatile young dude who handles change well. "Oh yeah.. Hes got upper management written all over him".Apex wrote:It would be a slight bump in pay (probably 5-10% and closer to the 5 most likely). But it would be more focused on half of the responsibilities I have now. I would be in charge of all implementations we do and not just the big ones that I do now. It would be more of a step towards a sales position, up-selling and stuff like that. I would be doing less product/project management type things that I do now.
I am sort of at a crossroads, and I am not really sure what to do. I really like getting out and doing the implementations/client meetings, but I don't want to give up the product/project management gigs either.
I can always keep doing what I am doing and see what happens in another year or so. The department plan is to add another person in my current role next year, so I could move up to a Sr. role and have someone working under me?
- Calvinball
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When I did mine I didn’t do a cover letter, just like an intro paragraph. Then just the facts, ma’am.Tarspin wrote:I haven't written a resume in 13 yrs.
on the format.
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Same rules, stick to two pages, title/place/time as a header and then point form tasks? I hear people are doing some elaborate things to illustrate their successes etc. That could be helpful in some cases maybe?Calvinball wrote:When I did mine I didn’t do a cover letter, just like an intro paragraph. Then just the facts, ma’am.Tarspin wrote:I haven't written a resume in 13 yrs.
on the format.
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- Calvinball
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you wouldn’t believe how many I saw with spelling errors and inconsistent formatting, and I almost always put those in the nope pile.[user not found] wrote:I've only recently started doing cover letters... and I don't think it helps.Calvinball wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 11:22 am When I did mine I didn’t do a cover letter, just like an intro paragraph. Then just the facts, ma’am.
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Stick to the facts, be short and sweet, and I think the bigger thing is be consistent on your formatting. If you use periods, make sure you use periods at the end of each line. Use the same style font throughout. Keep your spacing consistent.
Formatting is important, folks.
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- ChrisoftheNorth
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Grammatical/spelling errors is a one-way ticket to the pile.Calvinball wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 11:37 amyou wouldn’t believe how many I saw with spelling errors and inconsistent formatting, and I almost always put those in the nope pile.[user not found] wrote:
I've only recently started doing cover letters... and I don't think it helps.
Stick to the facts, be short and sweet, and I think the bigger thing is be consistent on your formatting. If you use periods, make sure you use periods at the end of each line. Use the same style font throughout. Keep your spacing consistent.
Formatting is important, folks.
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I do university recruiting, so my opinion might be a bit different, but when I see a resume with paragraphs on it, it goes straight to the
I have hundreds of resumes to go through, I want to quickly and clearly see the key points of what makes someone special. What did you ACHIEVE in your positions? What about you makes me want to hire you?
I want to see a story...but in bullet points.
SO, it's important to tailor your resume to a job like you said, but I don't want to see a bunch of random bullets. I want to see a trend. A series of accomplishments that leads you to the position your applying for.
Last year, we hired an intern that had experience as a "Dog washer". Seriously. But her resume and the way she presented herself was it was clear she just needed the opportunity to expand. She did so well in her internship that she got a fulltime offer upon graduation.
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Also, I really don't think it's a bad thing to get diversity in job experience early in your career, especially if you're trying to figure out exactly what it is that you want to do. There's little reward for loyalty these days, so jump around. See what jobs you like. What company cultures you like. What you value in a workplace. All this can change from company to company and even job to job to some extent. My most recent job move feels like a different company even though it's not.
One of the perks of working for a giant corporation.
But I also enjoyed working at a 100 person company. VERY different.
One of the perks of working for a giant corporation.
But I also enjoyed working at a 100 person company. VERY different.
- Desertbreh
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I want to effect the world in a positive way.Detroit wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:07 pmGrammatical/spelling errors is a one-way ticket to the pile.Calvinball wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 11:37 am
you wouldn’t believe how many I saw with spelling errors and inconsistent formatting, and I almost always put those in the nope pile.
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I do university recruiting, so my opinion might be a bit different, but when I see a resume with paragraphs on it, it goes straight to the
I have hundreds of resumes to go through, I want to quickly and clearly see the key points of what makes someone special. What did you ACHIEVE in your positions? What about you makes me want to hire you?
I want to see a story...but in bullet points.
SO, it's important to tailor your resume to a job like you said, but I don't want to see a bunch of random bullets. I want to see a trend. A series of accomplishments that leads you to the position your applying for.
Last year, we hired an intern that had experience as a "Dog washer". Seriously. But her resume and the way she presented herself was it was clear she just needed the opportunity to expand. She did so well in her internship that she got a fulltime offer upon graduation.
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Desertbreh wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:30 pmI want to effect the world in a positive way.Detroit wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:07 pm Grammatical/spelling errors is a one-way ticket to the pile.
I do university recruiting, so my opinion might be a bit different, but when I see a resume with paragraphs on it, it goes straight to the
I have hundreds of resumes to go through, I want to quickly and clearly see the key points of what makes someone special. What did you ACHIEVE in your positions? What about you makes me want to hire you?
I want to see a story...but in bullet points.
SO, it's important to tailor your resume to a job like you said, but I don't want to see a bunch of random bullets. I want to see a trend. A series of accomplishments that leads you to the position your applying for.
Last year, we hired an intern that had experience as a "Dog washer". Seriously. But her resume and the way she presented herself was it was clear she just needed the opportunity to expand. She did so well in her internship that she got a fulltime offer upon graduation.
Funny you mentioned that. The last interview session I was in, I interviewed three candidates. Each one individually asked how the company enables employees to have a positive impact on the community and world.
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- wap
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Detroit wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:07 pmGrammatical/spelling errors is a one-way ticket to the pile.Calvinball wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 11:37 am
you wouldn’t believe how many I saw with spelling errors and inconsistent formatting, and I almost always put those in the nope pile.
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I do university recruiting, so my opinion might be a bit different, but when I see a resume with paragraphs on it, it goes straight to the
I have hundreds of resumes to go through, I want to quickly and clearly see the key points of what makes someone special. What did you ACHIEVE in your positions? What about you makes me want to hire you?
I want to see a story...but in bullet points.
SO, it's important to tailor your resume to a job like you said, but I don't want to see a bunch of random bullets. I want to see a trend. A series of accomplishments that leads you to the position your applying for.
Last year, we hired an intern that had experience as a "Dog washer". Seriously. But her resume and the way she presented herself was it was clear she just needed the opportunity to expand. She did so well in her internship that she got a fulltime offer upon graduation.
That's awesome. 5/7
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Desertbreh wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:30 pmI want to effect the world in a positive way.Detroit wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 4:07 pm Grammatical/spelling errors is a one-way ticket to the pile.
I do university recruiting, so my opinion might be a bit different, but when I see a resume with paragraphs on it, it goes straight to the
I have hundreds of resumes to go through, I want to quickly and clearly see the key points of what makes someone special. What did you ACHIEVE in your positions? What about you makes me want to hire you?
I want to see a story...but in bullet points.
SO, it's important to tailor your resume to a job like you said, but I don't want to see a bunch of random bullets. I want to see a trend. A series of accomplishments that leads you to the position your applying for.
Last year, we hired an intern that had experience as a "Dog washer". Seriously. But her resume and the way she presented herself was it was clear she just needed the opportunity to expand. She did so well in her internship that she got a fulltime offer upon graduation.
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- Desertbreh
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untie the Z man.[user not found] wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 5:17 pmFuck that. Give me my money and let me go home on Fridays and never speak to you again until Monday.
- Desertbreh
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Also you were missing my point. Can you just go in and fix fucking Brad's signature?[user not found] wrote: ↑Thu Mar 01, 2018 5:17 pmFuck that. Give me my money and let me go home on Fridays and never speak to you again until Monday.