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Journal jeffy124's Journal: Keep it at one or go for two? 11

Journal by jeffy124

So I'm working on my resume and have reached a point where nothing else will fit on one page.

I could go for two pages, except that I'm told by COM profs and Career Management Center advisors that two pagers quickly hit the trash can, regardless of their content.

I could jettison some stuff on there, but doing that makes myself look significantly less skilled and experienced than I really am. And I've already gotten rid of some things that I felt I could afford to.

The margins and line spacing is so tight right now that putting anything else in forces a second page anyway. And no, I'm not shrinking the font size. I already made it 11 from 12 last September, and I'm not going to strain a reader's eyes by making it 10.

Thoughts anyone?

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Keep it at one or go for two? More

Keep it at one or go for two?

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  • First of all, after you graduate college, everything prior to college graduation (minus co-oping/interning) needs to go after a job or two.
    Plus stuff like senior courses taken and stuff can go (just college, degree, and MAYBE a gpa).

    If you still need 2 pages, go for it. Mine is 4 pages long and I'm only 26 (when you are a consultant its like having 20 little jobs instead of one giant one).
    • 23 yo, about to graduate.

      I have a few coops and couple of jobs as a research assistant - all of which are listed. One quick summer internship between freshman and sophomore years was eliminated some months ago. Put it back?

      GPA is definitely getting listed.

      Eliminating advanced coursework - that's a maybe.

      Do I list senior project (title only)? I'm definitely putting down the honorable mention for outstanding project.
      • OK, I assumed you were going into your second or third job.
        Take out all highschool stuff. No need, they know you went, and only college matters. Put in any jobs in college (hey, it shows you could work AND do the schoolwork). Senior coursework should only be there if the place you are submitting the resume to requires (or prefers) it.
        ie - don't explain how much AI you did to be an entry level JDBC coder.
        Senior project should be a title, and a quick explanation.

        What your resume should do, is showcase
        • high school material (a town amusement park and the local kmart) were taken out a _long_ time ago, so they're not an issue.

          Thinking about it, there's only one course (actually a I-II sequence) worth listing (others can be demonstrated through experiences), and most employers probably could care less.

          How short is short in quick explanation? One-two sentences? Also - Sr Projects are team software projects. Mention that somehow? eg - my role in development of the system (probably a good idea since I'm a
    • I agree. Take everything pre-college out. List a skill set at the bottom. I also listed all the community groups I have been involved in. That will be important to an company that is community involved and especially to companys going up for something like the Malcolm Baldrige award [nist.gov].

      I'm 25 and mine is 2 pages without references. I have a third page for references that I only attach if the company requests them.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • Those saying two pages == bad have not spent time in a technology-related market. CMC is mostly a bunch of HR-types who go by more traditional guidelines. Likewise for COM profs - traditional guidelines. Those guidelines say something like one page per N years experience, except that I, a soon-to-be-graduated college student, do not have N years under my belt. (I think N was something like 10)

      I'm working on my formatted copy in MS Word. Occasionally, yes, an electronic version is requested (eg - via e
  • Even with experience, you're only going to highlight stuff you did that would be meanfingul.
    Most times we weren't looking for 'client serving skills' necessarily, but showing a mileau with some success (i.e. assistant manager assumes good client service ergo you don't need to write about it).
    Highlight. Point out situations where things were done well.
    I know at least one or two employers in the Philly area who employ behavior based training. They want you go give instances where you had success or took ini
  • Don't worry about length. If it's read into a machine, it will chew it up and spit out the relevant bits. If it's read by a human... Well, having hired more than a few people, having multiple page resumes isn't necessarily a bad thing: as long as the content is good. Kinda like what FK said. Job titles, the project title, etc. are usually sufficient. If you are intent on getting it down to a single page, you'll probably want a few different resumes that highlight different things, depending on position/comp
  • You asked for thoughts, so I'm going to give you mine.

    Don't sweat it, because resumes are for chumps. The only purpose a resume serves is to decide whether you will get in for the interview, not whether you will get a job. You can get an interview without a resume.

    Check out

    Also, check out Nick's site [asktheheadhunter.com].

    That being said, keep it to one page because that's what

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