Re: Resume Design Principles

["Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- STARBASECORP -dot- COM>]

From Karla McMaster:

> About resumes...I use a functional resume...particularly because I have had a
> number of positions, and this de-emphasizes that fact, but also because I like
> the way it emphasizes my character. Right up front, I name the four
[snip]
Mine is functional rather than chronological, too. When you
work in the software industry and have a new job every couple
of years, this is a great way to hide the instability of it all!


> and the way it says it. You can try to tailor resumes to what you think
 someone
> will want to see, but you'll probably end up talking to people you don't
 really
> want to work for...
True, so true. I use my resume just as much to screen my
employers as they use it to screen me.


> As far as Mike's proposal for the title, instead of career objective, I'm not
> sure I agree with that. I think, as we've discussed on this list, it's tough
 to
> narrow our positions down to a title. And some companies have a different idea
> of what a "Technical Writer" is than other companies. But I'm interested to
> hear what other people have to say about this.

On the cover of my brochure-style resume is my name and "A Computer
Professional Since 1983" The inside fly lists my career goals (the
types of positions I'm looking for) and some of my prior clients
and employers, the inside is my functional description.

A single column on the left lists the hardware, software, and
programming languages I'm familiar with. A double-wide column
on the right lists my experience divided into documentation/
training/usability, programming/systems analysis/UI design, and
management and team leadership. Maybe it's the unconventional
approach that represents me so well... %-)

Sue Gallagher
StarBase Corp, Irvine CA
sgallagher -at- starbasecorp -dot- com