Comments on Feminist Finance: Resume Rules For Job Hunting Fools

Adding on to Lo. Price's comment: My resume does ...

2008-07-02T08:48:00.000-05:00

Adding on to Lo. Price's comment: My resume does have all the "duh" entries left in, purely because where I work all resumes go through HR before going on to the hiring department. Our HR department weeds out resumes based on whether or not they have those basic qualifications listed--so they stay in.

So if you see one of those resumes come your way, it may be because the applicant is trying to make sure they don't get screened out before their application makes it to you.

As an employment counsellor, the only disagreement...

2008-06-23T21:20:00.000-05:00

As an employment counsellor, the only disagreement I would have with your statements is to only have 1 page.

We tell clients 2 pages are fine IF it's relevant, they're not leaving 1/2 of the second page blank.

Also interests? ONLY if it's directly related.

For the longest time, I've had the same reaction t...

2008-05-10T22:32:00.000-05:00

For the longest time, I've had the same reaction to listing "Proficient in Microsoft Word and Windows XP" type credentials; however, I recently heard from someone that sometimes when big companies weed through resumes trying to hire someone, their initial cut might weed out any resumes that don't list these essential skills, especially if the skills were listed in the job description. Often times, I guess there are just people in HR who are tasked with trying to sort through hundreds of resumes, and one easy way to weed out candidates is to eliminate those without these basic credentials. I don't know how legit the advice is, but it may be wise to list any skills on your resume that are required in the job description (assuming you have those skills), especially if you are applying to a large company/firm.

Yes, definitely edit! I found a typo on a recent ...

2008-05-08T13:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, definitely edit! I found a typo on a recent cover letter in which I expounded on my "communication kills" instead of "skills". That's what my 7th grade English teacher called "showing writing" because I showed them that I wrote the cover letter right before sending it.

I don't know. For the first time in my professiona...

2008-05-08T08:41:00.000-05:00

I don't know. For the first time in my professional life I've been reviewing resumes and discover that I *hate* the "interests" section. If someone has a true passion in life, I suppose it's okay to mention it. But as you've said, they often amount to non-interesting generic comments like, "Playing guitar, running 5Ks, traveling." This doesn't do any good to differentiate you as a candidate. Now, I work for an educational non-profit, so if you have a passion for educational puppet theater, or something, that might be relevant. But I feel like any experience directly related to the job can be encapsulated without the use of the "interests" section. I was heavily involved with Amnesty International in college, but I included that under a "related experiences" section. Anyways, I think this proves that no matter the basic tenets of good resume writing (I wholeheartedly agree with yours!), there will always be a subjective element at play...

thanks, FF and Meredith!

2008-05-08T00:59:00.000-05:00

thanks, FF and Meredith!

Inspiring!Off to make a revamped resume! I especia...

2008-05-07T22:26:00.000-05:00

Inspiring!

Off to make a revamped resume! I especially love your advice about interests. Because, really, it's way cooler that I dig 1920s architecture than to say "real estate."

Joy, as someone applying to law school right now f...

2008-05-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

Joy, as someone applying to law school right now from a top-25 school to top-25 schools, my pre-law advisor said that a two-page resume is more than fine. Just don't go beyond that.

It's so funny because for years I've struggled to ...

2008-05-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

It's so funny because for years I've struggled to keep my resume at one page, always editing and changes font sizes. I work in nonprofits though, so it's really important to include my volunteer experience. I'm revamping my resume right now, and after some research I was finally convinced that the one-page resume rule is kind of old school. And as long as it's not fluff, a second page is acceptable.

Then I read this... Now what to do!

I thought this was kind of interesting: are you sm...

2008-05-07T11:27:00.000-05:00

I thought this was kind of interesting: are you smarter than a spell-checker. I took the quiz very quickly and got 4/10 incorrect. I'm a writer/editor by trade, though, so it's likely that those typos wouldn't get through a less-rushed proofread. However, anything that I applied for would probably require excellent written communication skills, so I doubt any prospective employer would overlook even minor typos.

Joy, I've never worked in admissions, so maybe som...

2008-05-07T09:25:00.000-05:00

Joy, I've never worked in admissions, so maybe someone else could weigh in on this too, but here are a couple of things to keep in mind about the admissions process, based on my understanding. First, your application, along with your resume, will be reviewed by people whose job it is to do this stuff. As in, it's in their job description, and they have a little bit more time to do a thorough review. That's not been the case with me, I've needed to do all the stuff I normally do and then on top of that carve out time for hiring stuff, which does bias me toward short, concise resumes. There may be professors on the application review committee who share my bias for similar reasons, but they probably won't make up the whole committee. So that tends in favor of the two-pager.

Second, your resume will be part of a larger application packet in a way it's not for the people I review. Sure, we get writing samples and grade sheets, too, but no personal statements or short essay questions. Those application items may actually make it easier to pare down your resume, because you can briefly mention a position or experience on your resume and then expand on it in a short essay. So that tends in favor of a one-page resume.

So I guess my (waffle-y, lawyer-y) advice is that as an academic institution, law schools will be far less put off by a longer, CV-style resume than I am. But you're going to want to pare it down once you're in law school and applying for summer positions. That goes whether you're applying to firms, to nonprofits, to judges, or to government agencies. So you can either pare down now, and make it easier on yourself when you get to that point, or you can pare down later. Doing it later might be more work but you could at that point custom-tailor each resume to highlight only the most relevant work experiences. There ought to be merciless paring at one point or another, though.

Good luck with your applications!

Nothing that purports to look like script.God, yes...

2008-05-07T09:24:00.000-05:00

Nothing that purports to look like script.

God, yes. I'm almost more willing to overlook a minor typo than I am script font. We all make mistakes, but the choice of that font was intentional. Shudder.

FF, I realize you're an attorney and not an admiss...

2008-05-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

FF, I realize you're an attorney and not an admissions officer, but I was wondering if you have any thoughts on a one-page vs. two-page resume for law school admission? I've been out of undergrad for seven years, got a master's degree, worked extensively abroad...there's a lot of stuff to include. Mercilessly pare, or indulge in a second page?