FW: using a slogan on a resume

["Sella Rush" <srush -at- MusicNet -dot- com>]

Hey Bruce:

I've only heard this advice in context to online resume banks like Monster, and the advice is to include the most important points you want to get across, such as "Technical Writer, 6+ yrs exp, SDKs, Java & C++".  Employers looking for resumes on those sites will search for "technical writer" and get back a long list of matches with title only. Those with detail make scanning easier.  I can say during a recent job hunt I started with a basic title and was getting no matches. But after I added detail I started getting interest. And that was at Xmas time when I wouldn't expect interest to pick up.

I don't see why the technique wouldn't work on a print resume too, if you could make it look good.  You're a risk-taking kind of guy--try it out and get back to us!

My resume is a little unorthodox, but I've only ever received good comments on it. My name and title are at the top, followed by a section called skills or something, with a one-sentence summary of my career (# of years, what industry) followed by bullets with my best points or summaries of skills. Then I move into the traditional resume stuff like employers and education, etc.  The career summary is more than 12 words, but it's rarely more than 2 lines.  But the real info is in the bullet points.  I usually have 5 or 6 bullets, and they're brief--little detail (like "C++ programming experience"). 

People like that summary at the top--it gives them the info quick and clean.  The fact that it's summaries, however, means that I have to ground it in a job description or project summary later.  But it gives them a quick overview, and interviewers often use the list as a guideline for questions.

(Note:  I often change the bullets (along with the project list) to suit the job I'm applying for.)

___________________
Sella Rush
Tech Writer III
MusicNet, Inc.
(206) 269-6115 Direct
srush -at- musicnet -dot- com 

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