TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> I'm afraid that the worst place to look for resume prep advice is from
> an academic. Most of those guys haven't had to look for a job in years.
>
> Ask a top-notch placement agency what they want to see. Try mine
> (Computer Horizons Corporation).
I didn't ask academics. I asked HR people in companies around the area,
I looked in business-oriented magazines (HR, Personnel, Forbes, etc.), I
looked in those stupid "100 ways to a great resume" books. One women I
talked to who was in a hiring position at her company told me that she
preferred resumes with the dates under the headings on the left side and
that if the dates weren't placed there, she often didn't look at the
resume. Pretty extreme, and I'd guess that's not a common attitude.
My point is that every company and person has a preference about
resumes. What your top-notch placement agency tells people and what
other top-notch placement agencies tell people will not be identical.
The only advice you can give that's going to be consistent for every
company and resume reviewer is *NO TYPOS* -- DUH. Every student knows
that. So it becomes audience analysis. They had to explore in their
field and at the companies they wanted to apply at, trying to discover
if there was anything to go by.
When I was job searching, I applied to companies that used those resume
database things, where it scans in your resume and stores keywords. That
was a very different resume from the ones I sent to real people who
would actually look at the paper.
--
******************************
Hillary Jones
hillary -at- nichimen -dot- com
TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html
