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Resume Advice?
7

Resume Advice?

Resume Advice?

(OP)
Hey All,

Well, my fiancee got into med school (yeah!).... on the opposite side of the country (boo!), so looks like it's time to do my rolling stone impression.

I haven't updated my resume since graduating college, so I got with a graphic designer friend of mine and tried to slap something together.

I'm looking for feedback on:
-Layout
-Subjects (is it good to have a summary? Good to have personal interests?)
-General content

Any suggestions would be extremely appreciated!

Also, for privacy, I've changed all my contact info to "fake".

Thanks!

RE: Resume Advice?

It's not the worst that I've seen, but unless you are applying for a graphic designer position, I always warn people away from using graphic designers as their layout gurus. This is relatively clean, but some may consider it too crowded... newspaper column format isn't a "normal" format for resumes and may turn a lot of potential employers off.

I like summaries, but it should be just that, a summary. Statements like "I'm looking for a challenging position" do nothing for you. If you must, turn it into a positive personality trait, not an obvious statement of fact... "who enjoys challenging projects" or "capable of balancing multiple challenging projects", etc.

Personal interests have no business being on a resume, IMO... that's for the interview when things get chummy.

Work experience should come right after your summary... here's what I'm all about in a nutshell, now here's everything in more detail. You're not a student or an intern, so there should be no need to put education right at the top. At some point you need to get rid of the GPA, too, and the 5-year mark is about the point I would do it. Shift everything else down, with education next, then publications/seminars. Depending upon your final format, and argument could be made for putting your skills between the summary and experience.

Just my $0.02 and subject to the vagaries of your particular profession, which is not the same as mine...

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Resume Advice?

I would also say, dont be afraid to go "two pages".

I prefer to have a CV with my skills and work experience and then a cover letter where i try to borrow a little text from the claasified (if its a posted position) this is where the "who enjoys challenging projects" or "capable of balancing multiple challenging projects", etc. goes.

Best regards, and good luck, Morten

RE: Resume Advice?

Forgot one thing, although i wouldnt have done it 5 years ago i think that you should consider a photograh. It helps the reader of the CV somewhat _after_ an interview (if they dont take photographs themselfs)

RE: Resume Advice?

NO photos on resumes... it's an HR nightmare and will get your resume put in the trashcan. HR can't afford an EEO lawsuit, so it's easier to roundfile it than remove the pic.

Of course, this also assumes USA.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Resume Advice?

I ended up ditching the 'summary' or 'goals' paragraph in lieu of adding more experience/skills. The summary is really just fluff and BS anyways.

But I'm also someone who was scared to go to two pages. If it's common to go to two pages, maybe I should write up a version like that. Maybe I've hit the point in my career where it's worth it. I did feel like I had to cut out important items so it would fit on one page.

I would agree with MacGyver on 'education' - mine is almost a footnote that comes after the more important stuff. It's more of a "Yes I went to college, here's where and when" After a certain amount of years (5 sounds good) the work experience vastly overshadows the college classes.

_________________________________________
NX8.0, Solidworks 2014, AutoCAD, Enovia V5

RE: Resume Advice?

Alright, im not in the states (and not in HR), but when look at candidates CV it certainly does not subtract that they have a photograph - and after the interview it helps.

RE: Resume Advice?

It's a little unorthodox, but I really like the two column format! Clean and easy to read. I disagree with MacGyver, a couple words about personal interests doesn't hurt, shows you're well-rounded and if you put that you really like skiing, and the boss's hobby is skiing, you already have one check in the good column.

RE: Resume Advice?

Here's a few things that stuck out for me:
1. Chemical Process Engineer vs. Chemical Engineer for title
2. Your MS in CE indicates a Date of Dec 2015. As you still working on your MS degree?
4. Invited Seminars and Lectures, you indicated for the dates of Fall 2012 to Spring 2015 for the University of California, Berkeley, Dept. of Chemical & Bimolecular Engineering. It's unclear when you were an Invited Lecturer and when the ChE 170A & ChE 154 items were presented.
5. I'd get rid of the Personal Interest.
6. Work Experience - Were all of the jobs at "A Major Winery" at the same company? If so, I'd change your format so that the present job started with the "A Major Winery | FAKE TOWN, CA" followed by position and dates.
7. I'd change your formatting. It appears that you're trying to fit everything in 1 page and minimize white space, but it seems a little "busy". Additionally, if you went to they "typical" 1 column design, you could get rid of some abbreviations (e.g., Dec to December), and may be able to expand some items (e.g., work experience, education).
8. Revise your Summary. The first sentence is actually a fragment. Revise it to something like the following: "Chemical engineer with 3 years of experience in co-process design and plant operations seeking fresh challenges in Process Engineering or Industrial Research and Development."

RE: Resume Advice?

Quote (steellion)

It's a little unorthodox, but I really like the two column format! Clean and easy to read. I disagree with MacGyver, a couple words about personal interests doesn't hurt, shows you're well-rounded and if you put that you really like skiing, and the boss's hobby is skiing, you already have one check in the good column.
What if you enjoy golfing and the boss thinks it's a waste of time only elitists play? You just shot yourself in the foot.

This is an interview for a professional job, not a wine/book club... your outside hobbies should only be mentioned during the "let's get familiar with each other" portion of the interview, like during lunch. And you should only mention more personal stuff when you get the impression it will be viewed favorably.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Resume Advice?

Publication & Education LAST--they'll find it if they're interested.

Key Skills FIRST--managers are busy and want to find something interesting quickly.

As much as I like the 2 column format aesthetic, it's risky. Busy managers reading resumes are reading top-down, as is custom.

Your experience shows real accomplishments. This is good.

RE: Resume Advice?

After all is said and done in the interview, a new hire is still a crap shoot. Nevertheless, the objective is to show that YOU are a good fit for that company's culture, so anything that might present an contrary perspective is bad. This is no different that the suggestion to remove all personal items when showing a house for sale; the objective is to make the buyer picture being in THEIR home, not yours.

This is self censorship, but it cuts both ways. They may later find out about your full body tats, or you may may find out later that they're all Gundam fanatics.

TTFN
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Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx

RE: Resume Advice?

(OP)
First off, dang! Thanks so much for all the feedback.

A few thoughts:

1) Yes, I am about to graduate with my MS. I am doing it via a distance program while I work
2) I also am very unsure about the "summary" and "personal interests"-- I've had friends strongly recommend them, some don't care, some don't like them. I'm debating axing them and spreading out the left column to make it seem less cluttered

RE: Resume Advice?

Quote (LiquidPlumber)

I also am very unsure about the "summary" and "personal interests"-- I've had friends strongly recommend them, some don't care, some don't like them.

Have these "friends" been in industry long? Have they acted in a hiring (or at least interviewing) role? Are they in technical industries or more language arts fields?

I wouldn't trust the opinion of someone who has only recently graduated or has only worked at one or two companies. Leery of someone who has never been involved in the hiring process somewhere along the way and seen firsthand how resumes are viewed/reviewed. And if they're a philosophy major, they have zero idea about how engineering managers will view things.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Resume Advice?

2
I'm currently looking over resumes for a temporary position we need to fill here, so I figure I'll give my $.02...

If your resume came across my desk, the two column format would throw me off. I'm just not liking it. As someone mentioned, it looks like you're trying to cram everything onto one page. Don't be afraid to go to two pages.
Your summary should be tailored for the position you're applying for, assuming you're not just cold-calling.
Work experience after the summary, then skills, then education (sans GPA), then interests.
I'd put publication and the seminar stuff under an 'Honors & Achievements' heading.
Make sure you use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. I just received a resume where a skill was listed as 'sheet mettle design' and the first sentence of the summary was incomplete. Less than stellar beginning.

No pictures!

Jeff Mirisola, CSWE
My Blog

RE: Resume Advice?

Everyone approaches a job search with the perspective that they want an offer from every interview. Sure, choices are good, but doing the job is usually less than half the real work. Developing relationships and working with people is important, and takes a lot of time. You could enjoy that time, with people who share similar interests, or it could be like pulling teeth. It's a major component of job satisfaction.

I could never work with a group of people who call a plumber every time their sink drains slow, or an appliance repair guy to change out their home air filter. If you never get your hands dirty, it really limits your approach to problem solving, even in seemingly unrelated situations. Throwing your hands up and saying "it's broken, someone fix it for me" is an absolute last resort. If that was a coworker's initial approach to problem solving, then I'd know I was in the wrong place.

RE: Resume Advice?

Whether you stay with the 2 column format or not, keep it uniform. Everything in the right column is bullet points, but everything in the left column is listed like an incomplete sentance.

Instead of a summary (written as an incomplete sentance), I would just let a cover letter do that kind of talking. Have a 1-2 paragraph cover letter that quickly gets their attention. Immediately point out your most relevent experience/qualifications/problem solving skills for that exact position, show an interest in their exact company, and express enthusiasm for that exact job. It should be promising from the first sentence and then be very dense with reasons that you are perfect for the job, then it should end before it gets annoying or time consuming.

Next, tailor your resume for the position. Lets say they want a rockstar in CAD. You dedicate a heading in there to CAD with bulleted highlights from your CAD-centric lifestyle. Show them that this type of work is what compels you to get out of bed in the morning. Hobbies? = CAD Interests? = CAD Are you bilingual? Yes, G-Code. Most recent vacation? = CAD museum Gaps in employment? = Too busy doing CAD to have a job Favorite computer game? = CAD Why are you moving to this state? = You already made a topographic map of the other states (I got carried away with that example, but you get it)

If that were my resume, I would avoid the 2 column format. "KISS" as they say. The guy reading your resume is not being optimistic, and you don't want to do anything that is subject to interpretation in that situation. I would recommend that you only stand out in objective ways that are shown through the resume content.

Engineer your resume for each job that you apply for. I started to strategically reconstruct my resume every time I sent one out, and I started getting a LOT more interviews. I had 6 legitimate on-site interviews this spring and then more offers for interviews after I had accepted a job

"Formal education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." ~ Joseph Stalin

RE: Resume Advice?

"Throwing your hands up and saying "it's broken, someone fix it for me" is an absolute last resort. If that was a coworker's initial approach to problem solving, then I'd know I was in the wrong place."

I don't think that's it's such a black and white choice. We bill our engineers out at $300/hr, while calling a plumber typically costs less than $100/hr. If someone insisted on burning his expensive labor rate on something that could be done more efficiently and more effectively by lower priced labor, I'd have to question their judgement. Certainly, there are gray areas, but I don't think there is, or should be, a blanket policy to do things one way or the other. On every contract, we do a "make/buy" decision for subassemblies, and more often than not, we choose to buy, because in addition to the incremental cost advantages, supporting an in-house capability tends to even more expensive because that capability needs to be fed continuously to be efficient and effective. Otherwise, that capability erodes, and the cost of doing any given job requires more hours than might otherwise be needed, just to bring someone out of the mental mothballs and get sufficiently proficient to do the job at all.

TTFN
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Need help writing a question or understanding a reply? forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers


Of course I can. I can do anything. I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!
There is a homework forum hosted by engineering.com: http://www.engineering.com/AskForum/aff/32.aspx

RE: Resume Advice?

LPS for IR... every decision of "I'll fix it" or "let someone else fix it" has to come with a quick estimate of "what will it cost me in the end?". I used to do every minor fix to my car, especially oil changes (they're so easy, right?). Then I realized it cost me more to do it myself (probably an hour of my time after getting everything together, cleaning up, etc. AND the cost of materials) than if I let a shop do it (<30 minutes while I'm already out and about, material cost included in price). I now let someone else change the oil on all of my cars.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Resume Advice?

I have a few oil filters and many jugs of new oil in my garage because it wasn't long after I 'stocked up' that I came to the same conclusion, MacGyverS2000. Nowadays, with the $20 oil changes (at a respectable dealer's shop that I like) that come with topping off my coolant, washer fluid, a bit of grease in all the zerts, it just doesn't make sense. I can't even buy the oil and filter alone for that price, let alone factor in my time. Now the only time I'll do some of those things is to show my son how to do it.

_________________________________________
NX8.0, Solidworks 2014, AutoCAD, Enovia V5

RE: Resume Advice?

Zercs

RE: Resume Advice?

See? All the more reason not to do my own simple maintenance! I don't know zert from a zerk :) (thanks for the correction)

_________________________________________
NX8.0, Solidworks 2014, AutoCAD, Enovia V5

RE: Resume Advice?

I've rarely, if ever, met someone outside of technical field that knows how to put together a technical resume.

Many jobs these days require the resume to fed into a web based form at some point and usually any formatting in your work resume screws things up.

For technical resume don't' be afraid of 2 pages, but as you're apparently young with limited experience don't pad for the sake of it.

Frankly, I don't believe there is a one size fits all resume, one potential employer may love it, another hate it. The resume that got me my current job got passed to my sister in law who has professionally written resumes before, frankly most of her changes were format stuff which didn't survive upload to most employers. Of the actual editing she did, she managed to introduce a bunch of errors through not understanding what I was saying. She also made it more 'salesy' which may be a good thing but I didn't like and know I hate seeing resumes from others that are like that.

There are a bunch of rules of thumb, many of which don't apply directly to technical resumes for one reason or another.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: Resume Advice?

Doesn't happen often, but I think I was taken too literally. I'm trying to describe a personality type. No I'm not going to insist on fixing the toilet at work, but yes I will do basic computer troubleshooting before calling IT. If it takes more than 15 minutes sure I'll give them a call.

Yes, economics and the real world get in the way, but fundamentally there are "I'll give it a shot" and "not my job" types of people. The "not my job" people aren't very fun to work with, especially when there is an entire room full of them. Neither is the other type if they don't understand the limitations of their job description, but in that case intentions are good, so it's an easier fix.

P.S. Last time I called a plumber, had 2 different ones come out with no progress, and then I ended up fixing it myself. Not going to pay someone $100/hr + parts to hang out in my crawlspace and replace lead pipe with PVC. I'll do it on the weekend instead of sitting out the couch, not a difficult economic decision.

RE: Resume Advice?

What is necessary is for the $300/hour engineer to remain productive for however long the $100 plumber/electrician is in transit as well as doing work

"Formal education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." ~ Joseph Stalin

RE: Resume Advice?

As a chem eng in industrial R&D who's recruited in the past (wrong country and not hiring right now though), a few small things.

In the education section, listing an apparently as-yet unfinished MS without clearly flagging it as in progress might irritate some people.

You've some excellent experience, but it doesn't appear until towards the end. The skills and knowledge doesn't tell me a huge amount, as everyone with a chem eng degree should be able to size basic unit ops, prepare H+M balances etc. Perhaps consider taking this out and flagging the relevant skills used in the work experience section.

If I were interviewing you based on that CV, I'd probably want to know something more about exactly what your role was and how you worked with other team members (for example the piping corrosion or RO example presumably weren't you on your own). I'd also query what SME means to you, as for many of us it's someone with 20+ years of experience and deep knowledge of a particular sub-field.

Finally, adjust your CV for each potential role - reactive distillation scale-up, invited seminars, publications interest me; my operations colleagues would rather hear about root cause analysis, overseeing production, what your improvements to a 'major gin process' were.

Matt

RE: Resume Advice?

Didn't catch the SME part... yeah, a SME to me is someone who has worked a specific field of the industry for a significant portion of a long career. I would think you couldn't possibly be considered a SME until you hit at least the 4-5 year mark in your career (and that would be working that specific "thing" exclusively, but in such a case you wouldn't be useful for much else than that one "thing"), preferably at least 10 years, and I'd be pretty comfortable with a SME designation at the 15+ year mark.

There's a reason the word "expert" is in the description. Doing a process repeatedly doesn't make you an expert. Understanding the process in detail and in ways most others in the field do not is what makes you an expert.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Resume Advice?

I might be late to respond but I'm currently in the hiring process and seeing resumes both good and bad so I need to add my vote and say that everything that Jeff said on the 19th is excellent advice. Know what they are looking for, show (by examples) that you are that and then be ready to back it all up in the interview. Having a generalized resume for cold calling and a targeting resume for specific positions/position types will almost certainly generate more interviews.

RE: Resume Advice?

I'll be sitting on this shuttle for over an hour so I'll give you more advice than you probably want...

Notice how some of the responders above loved the two-column format and others hate it? You're going to encounter the same variety in prospective employers and the way to handle that variety is to cover all the bases. As in multiple resume documents with differing formats and content. Even though I'm not currently looking for a job I'm carrying six different resumes that I keep updated. Three different pairs where the three content categories are Structural Engineer with design emphasis, Structural Engineer with repair/rehab/retrofit emphasis, and one with project management emphasis. Then for each content specialty I do two formats, one with boring typewriter-esque formatting and one with pretty modern formatting.

You heavily research the company you want to apply at (which you should be doing anyway!), and if possible find out exactly who is going to look at your resume. You select the resume to fit the company, the position, and if possible, the specific person that will review it (LinkedIn is a great tool). Then, you further revise your selected resume to match the exact position, person, company, etc.

How do you decide which resume to send? Well, as a general rule I send the boring, one-column resumes to people over 50 years old, to companies big enough to have an HR department, and to companies with a "stuffy" feel. I send the pretty, modern format resumes to younger reviewers, smaller companies, and companies with a "hip and modern" feel. Want to work somewhere that provides process designs for pharmaceutical plants?? Boring format. Applying at a craft beer brewery?? Pretty format. You have to remember that while some people see a pretty, modern format and think, "too busy looking, so much time spent on presentation means lackluster applicant", there are also those that see the boring, classic format and think, "unimaginative, old-fashioned and probably not able to fully grasp or utilize modern technology".

Without getting into specifics I will tell you that this strategy has worked very well for me. My pretty format has two columns in some places, a tasteful amount of color, and even some background shading. That format has been praised on several occasions and I've also been told (by a boutique architecture firm principal) that it put my resume at the top of the stack. As some have noted there are companies that have you electronically submit your resume text through a webpage. To me those are the companies that want classic, boring formatting anyway...

Other advice:
- Provide a balance between bulleted lists and paragraphs. Too many or too large of paragraphs and people end up scanning instead of reading. Too many bulleted lists and it looks like a MSDS or a product spec sheet instead of a resume.
- Definitely go multiple pages if you need to. Don't add fluff to get there, but DO NOT leave out good content to stay within one page. However, make an effort to fill each page so you don't end up with large blank spaces
- No photo and no Personal Interests. If you have personal interests that are specifically associated with the position (e.g. you homebrew beer and are applying at a brewery) then you might be able to slide them into the cover letter.

RE: Resume Advice?

I'm not going to look over your resume in detail because I'm busy and have just gotten my new hire to sign their contract [smile]

But I'll let you know what I'm looking for in a resume
Resume/CV
You can communicate clearly and concisely
What your recent work experience has been- the industry/location and the skills/responsibility you had/developed

However the cover letter is what will distinguish you from your peers. As others have noted- the level of research you have put in to the role, the company and the process we are operating should come through. My most recent hire addressed their cover letter to the head of HR (by name) and made a connection between their education (relatively recent graduate) and our industry. The resume was also obviously tailored to the job that was being applied for.

This told me two important things
This wasn't a generic cover letter/resume thrown out to all an sundry- they really wanted a job, perhaps really wanted this job in particular.
They had the initiative and the drive to find things out themselves without having the answer handed to them.

As a chem eng/metallurgist the first part of any answer I give starts with "It Depends"

RE: Resume Advice?

Some great advice here. I am in the go to two pages, tailor the summary to the opening, lose the personal info camp. itdepends is right on about the cover letter. I recently advertised an opening and received about 35 resumes, and only 5 had cover letters. The ones with cover letters definitely got additional attention and consideration. I received resumes submitted on-line from all over the US and the world. If there was no cover letter explaining the person's plan or willingness to relocate, I generally ignored the resume.

RE: Resume Advice?

Whatever works for you, gray, but I would think dismissing them out of hand because they didn't include a cover letter would be shortchanging yourself. There may have been some really strong engineers in that group of roundfile recipients. My assumption would be they wouldn't apply to a job some great distance away if they weren't willing to move.

Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

RE: Resume Advice?

About a third of the on-line applicants were from other countries with no indication of how they intented to relocate. I had the luxury to ignore them because my office is in an area where there are lots of local engineers. If LiquidPlumber had applied to my open position, a cover letter stating that he already intends to move across country would have greatly increased his chances.

Writing skills are very important in my office so cover letters are always welcome. But because they seem to be going extinct, I always include some essay questions in my postings. The person I ended up hiring did not have a cover letter but answered the questions nicely.

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