Spinning off from Donna's question, this came up while we were walking
down to get breakfast this morning.
1. How long is your resume?
2. In your opinion, is there a maximum length a resume for someone in
our field should be?
A quick Google search brought up several web pages. The first link
pr
> 1. How long is your resume?
Two pages.
> 2. In your opinion, is there a maximum length a resume for someone in
> our field should be?
Two pages.
It's an exercise in technical writing to get it down to two pages
while maintaining a clean and readable layout. ;-)
And I can't say enough good th
John Posada wrote:
> > 1. How long is your resume?
> Five pages
For any given job that you might want to apply for, does the hiring
manager really need to know five pages worth of stuff? If you repeat a
lot of the same skills under each job, move them to a bulleted list of
your skills in a head
> For any given job that you might want to apply for, does the hiring
> manager really need to know five pages worth of stuff? If you repeat a
> lot of the same skills under each job, move them to a bulleted list of
> your skills in a heading called something like, "Professional Writing
> Skills."
words.com
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney
> ---Original Message-------
> From: Jones, Donna <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
> Sent: 01 Aug '07 09:48
>
> John Posada wrote:
>
> 1. How long is your resume?
Five pages
> 2. In your opinion, is there a maximum length a resume
> for someone in our field should be?
Long enough to include what you want to say and not one line longer.
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
"They say everyone needs goals. Mine is to live for
On 8/1/07, Martinek, Carla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Spinning off from Donna's question, this came up while we were walking
> down to get breakfast this morning.
>
> 1. How long is your resume?
Two pages.
2. In your opinion, is there a maximum length a resume for someone in
> our field shou
Not only do you not need to give gory details about each position you've
held, you don't need to even include every position you've held. I go back
10 years. I include one final item that covers the first 10 years (I've been
doing this for almost 20 years). That final item just lists various other
>For any given job that you might want to apply for, does the hiring
>manager really need to know five pages worth of stuff? If you repeat a
>lot of the same skills under each job, move them to a bulleted list of
>your skills in a heading called something like, "Professional Writing
>Skills."
Who
> At one gig, I supported 70 Lotus Notes programmers. At another, I created
> process-supporting documentation for the sales force of a F500 telecom
> company. At another, run and build books, data dictionaries, SAP and AS400
> docs for the NOC and specs for an EAI ap at an online book retailer.
tant. What *is* important is for the first page to make
the reader want to look at the rest of the pages.
Gene Kim-Eng
- Original Message -
From: "Martinek, Carla" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To:
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 7:36 AM
Subject: [TCP] How long should a resume be
John Posada wrote:
> At one gig, I supported 70 Lotus Notes programmers. At another, I
> created process-supporting documentation for the sales force of a F500
> telecom company. At another, run and build books, data dictionaries,
> SAP and AS400 docs for the NOC and specs for an EAI ap at an onli
w Warren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: John Posada <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Jones, Donna" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>;
tcp@techcommpros.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 1, 2007 3:11:52 PM
Subject: RE: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
John Posada wrote:
> At one gig, I supported 70
> > Why not just replace whatever's in your five-page resume with THAT
> > paragraph?
>
> Seriously? Not enough content for the HR and agency search engines to grab
> onto.
Ah yes, we can't forget about buzzword bingo can we... which you need
to be able to play with every resume (otherwise it may
uot;
- Original Message
From: Andrew Warren <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: John Posada <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Jones, Donna" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>;
tcp@techcommpros.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 1, 2007 3:11:52 PM
Subject: RE: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
John Posada
Whenever possible, I contact the company and ask if they prefer an abbreviated
one-page summary, a two-page basic resume, or a larger document with more
details.
I also offer more details. I used to publish my portfolio in a Yahoo group but
ran into a headhunter who couldn't figure out how to
John Posada wrote:
> > Why not just replace whatever's in your five-page resume with THAT
> > paragraph?
>
> Seriously? Not enough content for the HR and agency search engines to
> grab onto.
That's understandable, but sad.
> It's also not nearly complete.
Right, but that's the point.
> Ah yes, we can't forget about buzzword bingo can we... which you need
> to be able to play with every resume (otherwise it may never get past
> initial screening).
I don't make the rules :-)
John Posada
Senior Technical Writer
"They say everyone needs goals. Mine is to live forever.
So far,
Your examples don't prove the pudding, John. The one you could've brought up
during the interview and ditto with the other one. I don't put the fact that
I worked in ad agencies for years on my resume. During the interview,
though, if marketing collaterals come up, I'll mention it.
What works for
: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 3:30 PM
To: John Posada; Jones, Donna; tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
John Posada wrote:
> > Why not just replace whatever's in your five-page resume with THAT
> > paragraph?
>
> Seriously? Not enough content for t
On 8/1/07, Tom Johnson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> There are some jobs that will only be filled by people with detailed resumes
> that are several pages long... Probably, most TW job openings warrant
> a two-page resume.
One could prepare content for a detailed resume, but structure it so
that th
> There are some jobs that will only be filled by people with detailed resumes
> that are several pages long. Professorships, ambassadors billets and
> specialized gigs like the ones John manages to land come to mind. My guess
> is that John is really good at audience analysis and he writes his res
John Posada wrote:
> So, no...between real-life instances where a very detailed resume got
me
> gigs, vs several people saying "I don't like resumes longer than two
> pages", I'll go with what has worked for me in the past.
That sounds eerily similar to audience analysis to me. Is that allowe
Heim <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
> Sent: 01 Aug '07 15:31
>
> Your examples don't prove the pudding, John. The one you could've brought up
> during the interview and ditto with the other one. I don't put the
> What works for you may work just fine. But you have two hiring
> managers here who've told you "um, nope, don't read 'em if they
> are that long."
To be honest, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable working with a manager who places
more priority on format than on contentare there also any font
John Posada wrote:
> Where did this 2-page standard come from, anyway? Is the person behind a 2
> page
> resume also automatically a more qualified writer than one with a 3 page
> resume?
Hi John,
It's not really the overall length of the resume that matters. I think the
point is that you
Amateur resumes sell steak. Professional resumes sell sizzle and tie results
into measurable advantages for the employer.
"Wrote system specifications." -- "Designed and wrote new easy-to-use system
specifications documents that reduced help desk calls by 50%, a $40,000 annual
savings."
Notic
On 8/2/07, Dori Green <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> "Wrote system specifications." -- "Designed and wrote new easy-to-use system
> specifications documents that reduced help desk calls by 50%, a $40,000
> annual savings."
>
> Notice that the second version contains more words.
Just thinking out l
Milan Davidovic edited:
"Reduced help desk calls by 50%, saving $40K annually."
and leave it to them to ask you how.
Sure, that would work.
Dori Green
__
Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help.
New
>> "Reduced help desk calls by 50%, saving $40K annually."
>
>> and leave it to them to ask you how.
>
> Sure, that would work.
Well, yeah, but you might have done that by unplugging half the phones.
__
Author Help files and create printed documenta
Laura Lemay wrote
Well, yeah, but you might have done that by unplugging half the phones.
*
Exactly right. I stick with my first version. Or maybe not. Which version
would be more likely to entice the target to nibble at the bait with at least a
telephone interview?
The
How about:
"Wrote system specifications that reduced help desk calls by 50%
and saved $40,000 annually."
Not so short that you lose the details, but not so long that it sounds
like an infomercial.
- CONFIDENTIAL-
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential, and may also be
On 8/2/07, Laura Lemay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Well, yeah, but you might have done that by unplugging half the phones.
Right.
--
Milan Davidovic
http://altmilan.blogspot.com
http://www.terminus1525.ca/studio/view/2758
__
Author Help files and cr
1:01 PM
To: tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
...
Not so short that you lose the details, but not so long that it sounds
like an infomercial.
__
Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help.
Since this question generated a lot of good discussions here, I also
posted it on LinkedIn. Curious to see what some people outside of our
field might have to say on the subject as well.
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/resume-writing/CAR_RSW/
75772-6884326?goback=%2Eahp
--Carla
Beth Agnew wrote:
I have sent some crazy resumes -- and they have been a
good filter. If you don't like my approach to a resume, you sure as heck are
not the kind of employer I'd want to work for. Saves us both a lot of time.
***
LOL, one of my most creative resumes (and one of m
Let's make it a TinyURL to avoid the line break...
http://tinyurl.com/ywd5e5
-C
-Original Message-
Since this question generated a lot of good discussions here, I also
posted it on LinkedIn. Curious to see what some people outside of our
field might have to say on the subject as well.
...surfacing from lurker mode...
John wrote...are there also any fonts that make you not read a resume?
Wingdings and Webdings (if used for the entire resume)
...dive, dive, dive...
__
Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-T
Beth Agnew wrote:
> I have sent some crazy resumes -- and they have been a
> good filter. If you don't like my approach to a resume, you sure as heck are
> not the kind of employer I'd want to work for. Saves us both a lot of time.
Unfortunately these days most resumes seem to be filtered by recr
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 2:44 PM
To: tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
...surfacing from lurker mode...
John wrote...are there also any fonts that make you not read a resume?
Wingdings and Webdings (if used for the entire resume)
...dive, dive, dive
D]
On Behalf Of Laura Lemay
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 2:57 PM
To: tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
Beth Agnew wrote:
> I have sent some crazy resumes -- and they have been a good filter. If
> you don't like my approach to a resume, you sure as
Make sure there are no typos or spelling mistakes.
Cheers,
Sean
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of John Posada
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 9:48 AM
To: Sue Heim
Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
>
> I want to review 2 pages. I want the content to be fulfilling. I want
> the fonts and formats to be spot on. I want to be able to say,
> promising, has the elements I'm looking for, let's invite him to present
> his portfolio
> Why 2 pages? Because I have my regular job to do and, oh by the
The two-page recommendation is generic, and I think probably good
advice to someone nonprofessional or whose job descriptions tend to
be repetitive from position to position over time.
The main reason I said resume length was not of great importance to
me is that I can't remember the last time I r
Well,
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 4:09 PM
To: tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume
- Original Message -
From: "Brierley, Sean" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> I recommend working on the two-pager to make it relevant for each job
> and to include the information that is important in highlighting one's
> potential worth.
> I've seen a few, usually hand mine out on bond paper at an
That is both brilliant and funny! Thanks!
On 8/2/07, Beth Agnew <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Someone once said, "Length like a mini-skirt -- short enough to get people's
> attention, long enough to cover the essentials." :-)
--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
Senior Member STC,
> I want to review 2 pages. I want the content to be fulfilling. I want
> the fonts and formats to be spot on. I want to be able to say,
> promising, has the elements I'm looking for, let's invite him to present
> his portfolio
Agreed. Perhaps I have high expectations, but that's not a bad th
ering.
--Beth
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Gene Kim-Eng
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 10:53 AM
To: tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
That would include most any company with more than 20 or 30
people
That would include most any company with more than 20 or 30
people, including most of the ones I've worked for. No large
company's HR dept can be very well "tuned to the needs of the
hiring manager," and with the sheer volume of resumes that come
in for every listing, most medium companies' HR
that as a challenge; not unlike many of the writing
challenges we face everyday on the job.
Melissa
>From: "Gene Kim-Eng" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To:
>Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
>Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2007 07:52:40 -0700
>
>That would include most
I seldom get candidates identified by screeners as
"potentially promising" who turn out to be utter duds,
so screeners not understanding what I want is seldom
the issue, and the fact that my "last chance" review of
passed over resumes seldom turns up someone that
the screeners have missed tells me
[TCP] How long should a resume be?
Beth Agnew wrote:
> I have sent some crazy resumes -- and they have been a
> good filter. If you don't like my approach to a resume, you sure as heck
are
> not the kind of employer I'd want to work for. Saves us both a lot of
time.
Unfortunately
Depends on the legs
-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Behalf Of Bill Swallow
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 11:20 AM
To: Beth Agnew
Cc: tcp@techcommpros.com
Subject: Re: [TCP] How long should a resume be?
That is both brilliant and funny! Thanks
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