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RE: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea
Subject:RE: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea From:"Will Husa Documentation Solutions" <will -dot- husa -at- 4techwriter -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Wed, 5 Sep 2012 20:23:01 -0500
I once joked to a recruiter that if I listed all the short term contract
jobs that I've performed in the past few years, then my resume would be a
dozen pages long instead of just two.
That's the point: You don't need to list everything.
However, if a short contract job accomplished something that you're really
proud of, then go ahead and list it. That also applies to jobs that added to
your skill set. You only need to list those opportunities that stand out.
=============================
Will Husa
Technical Writer
Will Husa Documentation Solutions
Phone: 708.927.3569
Skype ID: william.husa
will -dot- husa -at- 4techwriter -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+will -dot- husa=4techwriter -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+will -dot- husa=4techwriter -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Lynne Wright
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:13 PM
To: Milan Davidović; Combs,Richard
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea
In terms of standards re: page maximums, the importance of brevity, etc.,
check any on-line resource on how to prepare a professional resume and
you'll see 1-2 max. IS the standard. Any good HR person would also agree. If
you are a freelancer and need/want to mention a wide range of past
employers, you can summarize them in a list, without going into details that
go on into multiple pages.
I will allow that in some other cases/professions... like if you're applying
for head of the UN or to run a hospital's department of surgery, then a more
extensive list of qualifications may be appropriate.
But again... for a TECH WRITING job, its annoying overkill.
I have to presume that you've never been involved in the hiring
process/never been faced with a huge stack of applications that you need to
get through quickly, because I believe you would think differently about the
value of submitting great whacks of material.
I can tell pretty quickly by skimming the cover letter and quickly reviewing
points on a 2-page cv, which applicants appear to know what they are doing
(and who I would want to short list for an interview, backed with samples of
their work), and those who clearly belong on the rejection pile. I have no
desire or need to pore through a pile of detailed information that may, in
fact, not be entirely credible anyway.
If I want more in-depth information, I'll ask for it in the interview.
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=tiburoninc -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Milan Davidovic
Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2012 12:47 PM
To: Combs, Richard
Cc: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea
On Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 12:37 PM, Combs, Richard
<richard -dot- combs -at- polycom -dot- com> wrote:
> Are you seriously suggesting that a preference for 8-10 page resumes over
1-2 page resumes is merely a matter of taste, like favoring asparagus over
broccoli, and doesn't reflect on the competence of the applicant as a tech
writer?
Such resumes exist, and I think it's reasonable to assume that the
people who create them get hired (otherwise, how else would they end
up with such long resumes), which suggests that there are managers out
there who accept them.
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email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
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