One page resume

Thanks Wendii! I'll add him to my list of blogs to read regularly.

Mark

Mark,

What about those resumes you cut & past on line when applying for a new job. I don't remember hearing this mentioned in the pod cast, but will go back and listen to make sure.

All of these get jumbled around anyway and before you hit the submit button should you try to arrange it to make it look better.

Example:

Todd G.
xxxx. anywhere street, city of your choice, st. zip
(xxx) xxx=xxxx

Objectives

Experience
2001-Present XYZ Company

and so forth. this drives me crazy when fillin these out. I also always take one with me if I have been given an opportunity to interview. One that is clear, concise, yet, NOT one page yet..... I might add. I'll work on it.

Thanks

Todd-

Sorry, but I don't understand your question...

Mark

Todd, please correct me if I'm wrong. I believe I have experienced your frustration in the past as well.

Many companies require submission of on-line job applications including a resume. Some of these companies allow you to attach a word or .pdf file others do not. For those that do not allow attaching a document, they ask you to enter a resume into a text box similar to the interface for entering posts on this message board. In those cases, any formating, bullet points, bold print, alignment, etc. that has been done to a document prior to the cut & paste is lost. It's a crapshoot how it will look when entered into the text box.

My solution was a separate resume file with the same content and a format similar to what you describe, Todd. Then I would customize the text of the file to match the language in the job description before cut and paste. Simply entering information down the column like seemed to make this pretty predictable.

G.R.
123 1st Street
Anytown, USA 12345
(xxx) xxx-xxxx

EXPERIENCE

Company
Position
Dates
Responsibilities/Accomplishments

Company
Position
Dates
Responsibilities/Accomplishments

EDUCATION

Institution
Degree
Dates

I am guessing that companies who ask for resumes in that format are just using it for text searchs of resumes. They aren't real concerned with the format. I would certainly bring additional copies to an interview.

G.R.

G.R. and Mark,

GR, You are correct. I have had those opportunites to submit these on line in a word .doc, CUT/PASTE situation. In the text box (almost like this size) the words aren't wrapped and look completely in disarray (not in line with eachother). To me it looks horrible and I always wonder if this is a deterrant to those who are reading the resume's.

MH, Sorry if I didn't make my self clear before, the way that I had written the text was off centered and looked out of place, but when I posted, it was all in neat order. So much for attempt to give you an idea. Lesson learned.

When you paste into that little box, the text DOES wrap more reasonably when HR wonks read it. Promise.

Actually, the Manager-Tools 1 pg. resume can survive conversion to plain text quite easily. Use asterisks or dashes instead of bullets and use all caps instead of bold type and you'll end up with a highly readable resume. It won't win design awards, but nothing plain text ever will.

All,

Noticed your comment on pasting resumes and thought I'd point out that there's a whole section devoted to just this topic in the John Lucht book, "Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1 Million+" (actually read this based on manager-tools recommendation - well worth the read).

If you don't have time to read the book, one tip from the section that I thought was great was to email a copy of your pasted resume to yourself and to other email accounts (eg to a hotmail account). Then you can see how it looks as it goes through the different text-manglers that invariably get applied in the process of moving the data around.

Mark.

Mark-

Yes, good catch. I never recommend pasting a resume into a form. I recommend re-typing it. You never know what conversions or filters are going to happen, and what formatting will stay in or be left out.

Further, we will have a Manager Tools formatting guide for emailed/"form-based"N resumes out next year. I have recommendations for how to eliminate all formatting but still get your point across.

Mark