resume tips?

Anyone have any resume tips? I'm overhauling mine right now.

I was taught years ago (in a university career seminar) to do it one way, but I am reading online that it has totally changed in the last few years. Before, I was writing what my job responsibilities were, now it's apparently better to put job accomplishments instead.

I am a little confused about style though. "Objectives" are apparently out of style, instead, people are doing a large point form qualifications and skills section/profile, then not putting detailed information under their employment headings.

This is what I was doing before: Objective, Experience (work history, including job duties), Education, Skills, References.

But this is what I am seeing is more preferable now:

http://susanireland.com/sampleresumes/problem/hop01.html

Where you have an objective, profile, accomplishments, and a limited employment history, then education.

I'm so confused.

I am also having trouble translating everything I have done into usable phrases and accomplishments. Any tips? I feel so verbally incompetent today.

It's late so I'll write more tomorrow but I have noticed many potential employees (I hire researchers, doctors, health care professionals, the occasional hospital CEO - not the most fun process that one bec it's usually long and protracted! - etc, etc) come with portfolios of their work. Or PowerPoint and other displays. Granted, we are looking for ppl who might also obtain a cross appointment as a prof at a univ so we also require them to lecture. But I still like the style of resume or CV that has a super cover letter, then lists the education, work experience and volunteer work. All 3 are important.

I also hate long resumes. One woman applied for a reseacher job and while she was qualified, her resume was like a book (Who had time to read that? I swear she had every seminar she ever attended!!!) She did get an interview but not a job.

I can tell you some interview horror stories too but that is another issue.

You can always state your objectives in your cover letter. I would research the company and customise each resume for each one, not that hard to do now with copy and paste. :)

Good luck!!

I've also heard that long resumes are a turn off. Unless you've got years and years of experience, anything more than two pages is arrogant. I prefer to keep mine a page and be brief, but then I'm young and I don't put every job on there (most of the jobs I've had aren't relevant), so 2 pages for me seems a little too demanding on the hr person.

I do keep the objective in there as sort of a lame introduction... Then work experience, school, languages (Qc :rolleyes: ) and additional skills.

I'm just hoping that nobody asks me for references ever because nearly all the places I've worked at have either changed employees completely or gone out of business... :o

Oh, and don't put your SIN or birthday on there either. They can know both after they've hired you.;)

The success of your resume depends on who is going to receive it. In my area most of the employers are my age or older, the jobs are not high tech neither are the companies. They wouldn't know what to do with a resume like the ones you describe.

On the other hand as long as you can come up with objectives better than "I want to work for your company" and have job accomplishments to boast of, go for it. I'm sure that if you go to "Manpower" ,or your local equivalent of the unemployment office, they will help you with your resume.

Keep it relevant and short.

I have helped many of my friends and relatives with resumes. I tell them that I can get them an interview but after that it's up to them.

Good Luck!!:fingerscr