First and foremost, I recommend that you avoid a detailed resume that shows everything you did starting with your first job, unless you are relatively new to the workforce. The hiring manager will not be interested in what you did in 1993 (that was 16 years ago!) or 1988 (21 years ago!).

What to avoid: I know, your past is what made you what you are today, and it all flows in logical professional growth progression, but in the final analysis, potential employers will typically only look at the past 5-10 years. Don’t tell them that you play chess, ride your dirt bike on the weekends, and read in your spare time. The only exception to this might be if you have done some reliable research on your potential new boss, and can mention some of your personal information that matches with his/hers (he/she was an Eagle Scout, or plays hockey for a local club like you do, etc). There may even be civic involvement on the part of your potential new company that you are likewise involved with, and there is nothing wrong with that showing up on your resume discretely. Bottom line: confine your resume to 2-3 pages at the most….no more 8 page resumes! Another blog talks about what to include in your resume…take a peek at that one for more information.

Don’t hide anything, of course, and certainly don’t lie. It will eventually come out in the phone interview or subsequent face-to-face interview. If you were out of work for personal reasons (birth of a baby, tending to a family member in a situation that required your personal care for a period of time, etc.) go ahead and mention that on the resume. If you had to take a “non-career related” job for a little while during the job-hunting process, list it unless it was only a few months. Any more, most employers either have been in that situation themselves or know something close to them who has, so they are no longer shocked and amazed that you took a job or two that wasn’t directly related to your “real” work just so you could make ends meet. They are more interested in knowing that you are skilled, resourceful and a fighter, and are anxious to get back to your real expertise.

As usual, there are certainly times when seeking professional resume writing help is the prudent thing to do. It forces you to truly focus on the essentials of your resume and will help you include the things that are most likely to attract attention from potential employers. There is the topic of cover letters, but that is for another time!

For assistance with your resume from Greg Miller and others on the staff visit
The Career Store or Get in Touch.

So often, it is really hard to know what to include in your resume. This is especially true if you are in the IT or Scientific realm, because your world is very specific and detailed in terms of education and particular areas of expertise.  Both of these worlds are vast!

For new resumes, please keep it to two pages, and if you absolutely must (due to longevity in the workforce), three. For revised resumes, the same rule applies…2-3 pages. I have sat down with so many IT folks who live in a world of alphabet soup listings on their resumes: Operating Systems, hardware, software, proprietary applications, and various versions and Service Packs of any number of these, each particular to their specialty. Likewise, for Scientific resumes, I see a wide range of entries including: GMP, GLP, QA, QC, LIMS, IND submissions, in-vitro assays, and much more.  Unfortunately, that is only helpful later on in the interview process. What is crucial is to get the interview in the first place! Hiring managers really don’t and won’t wade through 8-14 page resumes. They simply don’t have time for that. They need a quick look – a fast summary that highlights your experience. They need to determine in less than one minute that your credentials look like a strong match with their job description.

What to include: make sure you highlight the basics: where you worked (company name, city, state), the dates you were there, your title(s), bulleted major responsibilities, and the same for particular accomplishments. I recommend that you not go into much detail for anything in the ’90s. After all, that was over 9 years ago! Employers really want to see that your skills are current. For example, 7 years ago you may have used what they now need, but they can likely find someone else more current than that.

Don’t sell yourself short on accomplishments, but do remember to keep the total resume to 2-3 pages at the most. I normally don’t recommend listing your hobbies and such, but including some items just might be helpful, such as Eagle Scout, local volunteer roles, etc. You never know who might decide that these things make you just a little different and desirable. Your armed forces background is a personal call.  For your jobs prior to 2000, list them, of course, but only give 1-2 bullets about what you did there. That way, you can show persistent skill usage, but not bore them with every single thing you did.

Resume writing can be intimidating at times. Don’t be afraid to seek help. It is well worth the advice and cost. I would love to hear about your resume, and how you deal with your vast background! We will talk about cover letters another time!

For assistance with your resume from Greg Miller and others on the staff visit
The Career Store or Get in Touch.