Current Events > Becoming a hiring manager confirmed my suspicions about resumes

(+) Yeah! (+)

voldothegr8 posted...

If there was only a thing where people had the world of information at their fingertips. Maybe one day in the future.

You're not wrong we have the internet, but the issue is that there is soo much garbage out there that it's hard to filter what is good information to what is garbage. Some of those advice they give online may not even by relevant to the job you're looking for.

@cuttin_in_farm

I would highly suggest going to one of those "resume workshops". It played a huge role to shaping my resume to look and sound better. The best part was that I could talk to someone directly and allow them to help make my resume good directly than just trying to figure it out on my own. I agree that there should be a highschool class that teaches life bare necessities like resume building, filing income tax and mortgages, etc. in general.

I dunno why everyone is getting so mad at TC when they posted legit advice and also had other people contribute to the topic as well.

I don't hire for high level jobs or anything but there have been plenty of resumes that have just gone straight in the trash after an initial glance

Well I was on the phone at work and didn't have the wherewithal to put a detailed thesis essay in my opening post using the phone keyboard. That's usually enough for CE to... You know...

I don't have any advice for people at this point that hasn't already been said.
I haven't really been at this too long but the overall lack of quality in resumes was very striking to me. That's mostly what I was trying to express.

I agree, though. Having a good resume is definitely important. Heck, even having an average resume that shows you have in-demand skills will do a lot for you.

From age 17 - 28 when I had no in-demand skills, I would have to send out hundreds of resumes and HOPE I would get one call. The moment I got a Cisco CCENT certification and I put that on my resume, I had job recruiters calling me and emailing me all day every day. Hasn't stopped since.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]



Oh. In that case could someone recommend me a place for some good glasses? Cause TC responded a good several minutes before I said that.

But yeah I agree that copy and pasting direct job descriptions is certainly a good example of a lazy resume.

my employer apparently gets a lot of resumes with "microsoft word" as the only technical experience, but where everyone working at the company are creme de la creme stem phds, seasoned alumnus of prominent tech companies, or elite lawyers or corporate managers

applicants also really need to target places or roles that are skillset-relevant

but yes tc, a good cover letter can make or break your application. got my foot in the door at my last employer despite having the least impressive resume, blew the competition away in the technical assessment, and the rest is history.

As someone who's only been in charge of the floor-level, entry-level positions thus far, I personally don't see a need for a cover letter for my work, and a good portion of my hiring pool is not going to be able to write one period (ESL, illiteracy rate, etc).

But I would assume it's much more necessary in different, non-service industries and non entry-level positions. Assuming, because I've never had to deal with that yet. And like you said, it definitely could be your difference maker.

Not trying to say cover letters in general are bunk, I'm just saying that the fry cook at McDonalds probably will not need one to get hired - and if they included one, it would probably be ignored.

There's so many unspoken and outdated rules when it comes to job hunting that it can be frustrating for someone who doesn't already have a job.

Not at all helping matters are the companies that ask you to send in a resume.

Then asks you to fill out a fourm with info your resume already answered.

Then you're asked for that info a third time.

It really all depends on the kind of role youre going for and whos doing the hiring.

For me, its all about quality of experience. I remember having a conversation with a colleague as we were sifting. She thought that I should consider one guy because hed been teaching for 25 years. But during that time, hed accomplished absolutely nothing, at least according to his CV. No core subject leaderships, no school improvement initiatives.

The way his CV read was just that hed turned up and done the bare minimum for 25 years.

Prestoff posted...

You're not wrong we have the internet, but the issue is that there is soo much garbage out there that it's hard to filter what is good information to what is garbage. Some of those advice they give online may not even by relevant to the job you're looking for.

@cuttin_in_farm

I would highly suggest going to one of those "resume workshops". It played a huge role to shaping my resume to look and sound better. The best part was that I could talk to someone directly and allow them to help make my resume good directly than just trying to figure it out on my own. I agree that there should be a highschool class that teaches life bare necessities like resume building, filing income tax and mortgages, etc. in general.

Sure, there are resources. Theres resources on how to conduct interviews too.

The problem is that this isnt a skill that is cultivated naturally. And unlike communication or public speaking (which helps with interviews), writing a resume is not a thing that is taught, like youre saying. Which sucks.

Add in depending on the role, location, and ones experience, advice can be shoddy (Ive seen advice online from recruiters saying having personal hobbies on your resume is a good idea). I think bad resumes can be given some leniency. Like, my mother has been at her employer for 20+ years and has not needed to apply for anything. I really doubt she could come out and write a decent resume.

Copy n paste resumes with no proof reading is just unacceptable though.

Cruciferous posted...

Nobody on CE has a significant job or title

armchair doctors not a significant title :(.

dog has a UTI infection again. and i got called into a federal jury duty that is 80 miles away that i cant get to... life is good.
cant seem to get ahead at all. always 2 steps forward. 3 steps back.

CableZL posted...

The moment I got a Cisco CCENT certification and I put that on my resume, I had job recruiters calling me and emailing me all day every day. Hasn't stopped since.

What was your background before that?

Cisco is write your own ticket certification, really. But getting there is a whole other level from being T1/2 bench and jobbing AD and Exchange.

DnDer posted...

What was your background before that?

Cisco is write your own ticket certification, really. But getting there is a whole other level from being T1/2 bench and jobbing AD and Exchange.

Didnt really have much of a background to stand on, really. The jobs I had prior to that:

• Retail
• Telemarketing
• Retail
• Telemarketing
• Manufacturing (material handler)
• Data entry
• Insurance sales, home loans (I hated this so much. Ill never do another sales-based job again)
• ISP tech support
• Desktop tech support
• Network operations center (this is where I started getting Cisco certs)

I went from job to job to job with no tangible skills that would transfer from one company to the next. I also didnt have any sort of career plan. I just knew I wasnt going back to college. I was pretty good at tech support, but I realized that being good at tech support isnt something that was going to land me a job that paid more than ~$8 - $12/hour. I also got tired of arguing with stubborn people.