cautionary tale: leaving Track Changes on your resume by Alison Green on July 28, 2009 Today I got a resume where the candidate had left Word’s Track Changes feature on. As a result, I could see all the edits someone had made on his resume, and I know that they weren’t his own, because they also included suggestions like “you have to beef up the first paragraph.” I don’t have […] Read the full article →
creative resumes, and how long employers take to respond by Alison Green on July 26, 2009 A reader writes: I would like to inquire on how long an employer will usually take to reply to an expression of interest in a job. I am a 16 year old student that has emailed several different employers with my resume and cover letter and have only received an instant reply from one. A […] Read the full article →
don’t list basic computer skills on a resume by Alison Green on July 24, 2009 A reader writes: Is it really necessary to list computer skills on a resume? Shouldn’t basic skills be assumed at this point in history? I’m great with Microsoft Office and I know Macs and a couple of other miscellaneous programs, but I don’t know Photoshop or Dreamweaver or HTML or anything specialized. And my most […] Read the full article →
things I don’t want to know about you by Alison Green on July 2, 2009 I’m cool with you blogging about chronic masturbation if that’s what you want to do, but then probably you shouldn’t include a link to your blog in your job application materials. I wasn’t really prepared for that. Read the full article →
the #1 question your resume should answer by Alison Green on June 29, 2009 The vast majority of resumes I see read like a series of job descriptions, listing duties and responsibilities at each position the job applicant has held. But resumes that stand out do something very different. For each position, they answer the question: What did you accomplish in this job that someone else wouldn’t have? So […] Read the full article →
should I mention a job I was fired from after 6 weeks? by Alison Green on June 25, 2009 A reader writes: I have a question for you regarding being fired. The quick setup is that after several years in my profession, I accepted a management position at an expanding organization. After 6 weeks, I was fired for “not fitting in.” The meeting where I was fired was the first and only indication I […] Read the full article →
using a third-person bio instead of a resume by Alison Green on May 19, 2009 Occasionally someone sends me a bio instead of a resume. By that, I mean a narrative of their career, written in the third person. (Am I explaining this right? Like a magazine profile, without the colorful tidbits. Or, well, like an obituary.) Don’t do it. It’s odd. Maybe celebrities do this, but I’m unnerved to […] Read the full article →
stop telling me you’re a great writer by Alison Green on March 24, 2009 It’s not a great idea — nor is it necessary — to brag about your writing skills in your cover letter or on your resume, via subjective assessments of yourself like the following that I’ve seen recently: “Outstanding writing skills” “Highly conceptual and great at expressing ideas in a fresh, new way” “Able to present […] Read the full article →
don’t use a functional resume by Alison Green on March 11, 2009 A reader writes: In your “7 Things To Leave Off a Resume” article, you mentioned picking between chronological and functional resumes. Can you comment on why hiring managers prefer one over the other? When I apply to jobs that are outside my field, I generally submit a combination functional-chronological resume so the company can see […] Read the full article →
take that objective off your resume by Alison Green on March 9, 2009 Last week, when writing about things to leave off of your resume, I mentioned objective statements, which I believe don’t belong on a resume. Some commenters wanted to know why. I’ve never seen an objective that made me more interested in hiring a candidate, and I’ve seen plenty that actually hurt a candidate’s chances. At […] Read the full article →