is having “company president” on my resume hurting me? by Alison Green on July 25, 2010 A reader writes: I’m having trouble getting interviewed and I feel my resume is to blame, but I think my unique situation may also share some of that trouble. My husband and I own a small construction company. I’m actually majority owner, and we employ between five to 15 employees depending on our job load. My actual duties […] Read the full article →
how to list temp work on a resume by Alison Green on April 9, 2010 A reader writes: Do you have any thoughts on how to list temporary work on a resume? I’ve been reading Ask a Manager for about a year now, and I can’t even tell you how much it’s helped me in my transition from college student/intern to professional. I always really appreciate that your thoughtful, honest […] Read the full article →
should you include retail work on your professional resume? by Alison Green on January 26, 2010 A reader writes: I just moved to a different state. My husband got a job, so I had to leave mine and move with him. I have had a heck of a time finding work here. I took a retail position to help with bills until I could find an accounting position. It’s been three […] Read the full article →
can I list work for my father on my resume? by Alison Green on January 15, 2010 A reader writes: I graduated university back in August last year. Since then, I’ve mainly been filling my time job-hunting and working for my dad since I moved back home. My question is, would a recruiter look unfavorably on this if I were to list this on my resume? Even moreso since his business’s address […] Read the full article →
can “volunteering” become “consulting” on a resume? by Alison Green on January 11, 2010 A reader writes: I’m eager to get your opinion on a suggestion a recruiter gave me recently. She had me list my marketing volunteer work as “marketing and PR consulting” on my resume to give me more recent work experience. (I was laid off just over a year ago.) I actually have helped a couple […] Read the full article →
should I include an audio clip with my resume? by Alison Green on November 25, 2009 A reader writes: I had an idea which I wanted to bounce off of you. I was thinking one way I could make myself different from the rest of the pack is a quick audio overview of myself; sort of an elevator speech directed at the organization I am interested in. I am looking to […] Read the full article →
should I include a job I was fired from on my resume? by Alison Green on October 18, 2009 A reader writes: I was just terminated from my job. I was five days before being off probation and two days away from my first big job event (I plan and run conferences). Without any prior notice, meeting, or confrontation, I was ushered into my department head’s office and told that in order to make […] Read the full article →
help! I’m getting confusing and conflicting resume advice! by Alison Green on September 30, 2009 A reader writes: Last week, I did a complete overhaul of my resume, specifically to cut it down from 2 pages to 1, because I keep hearing (from friends who work in HR, as well as in articles on the subject) that now more than ever, employers want a really clear, concise snapshot of each […] Read the full article →
does the font on your resume matter? what if it’s Comic Sans? by Alison Green on August 31, 2009 A reader writes: A friend of mine has asked me to critique his paper resume and cover letter. Both documents used Comic Sans font. I suggested he use something more businesslike, such as Arial, but he’s sold on Comic Sans. To me, Comic Sans sends the implicit message “I think this is a joke” or, […] Read the full article →
more resume shenanigans – leaving off dates of employment by Alison Green on August 19, 2009 I’m seeing what might be a trend of people using a chronological resume format but leaving off any indication of how long they held each position. This is really not a good idea. It looks like you’re trying to hide a series of short stays and in a pretty inept way, because it jumps out […] Read the full article →