Re: Resume length

[Steve Read <sread -at- NIRVANA -dot- NOSUBDOMAIN -dot- NODOMAIN>]

In article <386pk4$jr -at- male -dot- EBay -dot- Sun -dot- COM>, marcyh -at- prodmktg -dot- ebay -dot- sun -dot- com (Marcy
 Baker Hartman) writes:
|> >>How long should a resume be for a newly-graduated college student?  I
|> >>think it's necessary to list the jobs I've had as a technical writer,
|> >>but if I'm limited to one page, I can't.
|> >
|> >I wrote my first computer program in 1960. My employment experience ranges
|> >from 1965 to now and includes programming, management, computer systems
|> >consulting, technical and strategic marketing, and freelance technical
|> >writing. I have a one-page resume.
|>
|> Greetings:
|>
|> Unlurking to respond to this thread...I am a technical writer who has
|> been successfully contracting for the past five years.  I have never been
|> out of work any longer than I have wanted to be (for trips and vacations).
|> I generally start looking for another contract up to one month before my
|> current contract ends.
|>
|> I have a one-page resume, which contains a synopsis of my experience (one
|> paragraph), a listing of hardware and software I know, and my educational
|> background. This document contains the sentence: "Writing samples, employment
|> history and excellent business and personal references available." I do not
|> imply that they are "available upon request" as I do not give references to
|> anyone who has not expressed an interest in employing me.
|>
|> A second page contains brief employment history capsules covering no more
|> than the past three years.
|>
|> The third page is a list of my business and personal references.
|>
|> I will fax or email the resume in response to an ad or post, and may
|> include an employment history if I am VERY interested in the position
|> and am responding directly to an employer (as opposed to an agency).
|> I NEVER give my references until after an interview has taken place.
|> Where I live and work recruiters (some of you are calling them "flesh
|> peddlers") use our references and employment histories to get the names
|> of companies and managers who hire contractors. I discovered this after
|> someone listed me as a reference and I received calls from several
|> recruiters soliciting my business. When I told them I was a writer and
|> expressed my dismay at their solicitations from references listings, each
|> and every one of them tried to recruit me.
|>
|> Of course, I can only go by my own experiences, and you must do what you
|> feel is best for yourself.  My heartfelt best wishes to all my brother and
|> sister writers out there. 8^}
|>
|> Marcy
|>

This is precisely what mine looks like. It's worked for me as well. I've
had 3 or 4 permanent jobs and a whole bunch of contracts in the last 11
years, both in the UK and the US.

I work hard to keep it to 2 pages plus references, but I also maintain
a really big (15 pages or so) list of everything I've ever done, so that
I can pick and choose the experience that hits (I hope) the employer's hot
buttons.

I won't give references unless there's an offer on the table, and I refuse
to say anything about my personal life (hobbies and activities and all that
stuff that has *nothing* to do with doing a job).

Steve Read

Oracle UK