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Here are my comments on resume writing workshops and Mike's ideas.
> I would like to start with these principles:
> 1. Do not state a career objective. Rather, place
> a job title under your name, such as "Senior
> Technical Communicator" or "Video Script Writer."
I wouldn't reccommend this. Job titles mean different things to different
companies and I wouldn't want to *title* myself into an area that really
isn't what I'm looking for in a job. Instead, use the career objective to
indicate they types of jobs you are willing to do, but that also fit into
an advertized job description (if you are working from an ad).
> 2. Use a summary at the beginning of your resume.
> Keep it brief. A half page is way too long.
Yikes!! I applied for a tech writing job here in Athens that had another
135 people applying. If I were the one reviewing resumes, all that text,
especially right at the beginning of a resume, would make me just toss the
paper into the reject pile. Resumes are supposed to be little cheat
sheets about your past experience, not mini-bios.
> 3. Be specific about who you are and what you do.
> Vague resumes are forgettable resumes.
See my answer to number 2.
> 4. Make clear breaks in the categories, e.g. Education,
> Experience.
> 5. Use an information chunking design that is within
> most readers' ability to quickly recognize.
> 6. Design your resume to stand out in a positive way;
> design it to reflect your personality.
Also, don't forget to design the resume depending on the job you are
trying to get. I have two resumes. One geared toward editing jobs, the
other geared toward any job I could get my hands on. I've known people
who got too creative with their resumes and had corporate folks recall
those resumes but in a negative way ("Couldn't figure out what that person
wanted to do...").
> 7. Design/write a resume you feel good about.
> How's that for a start?
Sounds great...its a good start, but don't forget to emphasize the
importance of white space, form vs. function (i.e., the creativity issues
you mention), and good paper choices.
Hope that helps!
lisa
:)
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