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I agree with Duane, Dan, and Lynne. There is no reason for a skilled technical writer to indulge in a resume over 3 pages unless asked to provide a complete curriculum vitae. I too was recently horrified to be presented with a raft of resumes for Tech Writers which were less than literate, accurate, or brief. I had one resume which was 9 pages long describing a 10 year career. The entire last page included a list of education AND courswork. The format was not designed to make the most of the available surface nor was the text adequately trimmed. A 3-minute edit could have cut it in 1/2 just with margin, font, and spacing choices. Of course, the worst part was the entire lack of understanding what a resume is supposed to do. I want to know why I should hire you. I don't care that you did the same thing in 12 different jobs in 10 years--in some ways that is a red flag that you are flighty.
I have over 20 years of experience and not only keep my resume to two pages, within that space, I have room for a list of recent training and a list of my publications.
In the recent batch, I selected two to interview. One with a mediocre 2-page resume and one with a good 5-page resume. The 5-page one could be better but had a tollerable level of minor errors, weird formatting, and wording. The mediocre one had chopped the resume to appear younger and left out pertinent information. It did get an interview at least! The 9-page one was rediculed with my peers and then trashed.
~Faye
Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus!
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>Message: 3
>Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2012 15:15:14 +0000
>From: "Green, Duane" <Duane -dot- Green -at- e-hps -dot- com>
>To: "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>Subject: RE: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea
>Message-ID:
> <2B700E1D84B19A4FA4484480B2D7727028DFC69F -at- HPSJVLMXMB03 -dot- hps -dot- com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
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>A few months ago, I was looking to hire a new Sr Tech Writer. I received dozens of resumes, and was honestly appalled at the garbage that I had to read through. If you are applying for permanent or contract writing positions, I strongly suggest that you have your resume reviewed by a professional. If you're trying to convince me that you're a seasoned pro writer, able to concisely communicate complex concepts, using a minimalistic approach, then take the time to make sure your resume reflects that reality.
>
>I received several resumes that were 8-10 pages long, and included every contact writing assignment they'd worked at for the last 20+ years. I didn't spend 10 seconds reading these resumes, except to poke fun at with the other writers on my team. It was equally sad and humorous.
>
>I'm about to hire another writer in the next few weeks, and I'm holding my breath, expecting more of the same.
>
>Duane Green
>Technical Publications Manager
>Heartland Payments Systems
>
>PHONE: 972.295.8675
>6860 N. Dallas Parkway, #400, Plano, TX 75024
>HeartlandPaymentSystems.com
>
>-----Original Message-----
>
>Message: 7
>Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2012 11:53:49 -0400
>From: "Dan Goldstein" <DGoldstein -at- riveraintech -dot- com>
>To: <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>Subject: RE: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea
>Message-ID:
> <0ADA9A22B5BC2147B360A22FD2BAD25C02B6B1AE -at- RMGBEX01 -dot- rmg -dot- local>
>Content-Type: text/plain;charset="utf-8"
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>The only reason for an employer to specify a length and/or time range is if an unusual length is desired.
>
>Anyone who doesn't know that the standard tech writing resume is brief hasn't been paying attention.
>
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>
>Message: 8
>Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2012 15:55:45 +0000
>From: Lynne Wright <Lynne -dot- Wright -at- tiburoninc -dot- com>
>To: Milan Davidovi? <milan -dot- lists -at- gmail -dot- com>, "Green, Duane"
> <Duane -dot- Green -at- e-hps -dot- com>
>Cc: "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>Subject: RE: Having fun with your resume - good idea/bad idea
>Message-ID:
> <C140093FF7C2D942A3FB4615B2F8729F4F9CC956 -at- TIBEX2K10A -dot- tiburoninc -dot- net>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>He shouldn't HAVE to specify those things... its common knowledge that you should try to keep resumes to 2 pages maximum and only stick to the most recent/relevant/significant past jobs; and as Duane pointed out, a senior tech writer should have an understanding of how to communicate effectively in a very concise way.
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