Need Ideas on a Resume

[madmat]

I'm in the market for a PC tech job and happily no in a market where I can find one. I'm attempting to write a general resume that's generic and will apply to my goal regardless of where I turn it in.

Thing is, I've never really done this before and I'm lost, I mean, what do I list as my objective aside from "Mongo find work"? Any thoughts would be very welcome as I'm at a loss here folks.

[Sledgehammer70]

I can send you over a copy of what I did :) see if it helps you any!

[madmat]

Sure, any ideas are great!! Thanks, email it to madmat[remove]at[remove]gmail.com

[Sledgehammer70]

lol need to find it.. can't remember which ftp server it is on :)

[profdlp]

Here's an article I saved a few years back which you may find useful. It's good for a laugh, anyway. :p

Good luck, madmat. :)

[madmat]

Thanks!!

[mmonnin]

Sent ya a copy of my resume I did for my career development class I had this semester.

[madmat]

Oh, cool, thanks! I tried doing one in Word but the tables are being a royal pain in the butt!

[mmonnin]

I didnt use any tables. Just tabbed over.

[GHoosdum]

We did a few "building a resume" workshops back in my MBA program. Unfortunately, it is best to tailor your resume to each individual job you are applying for. That doesn't mean you have to rewrite it each time; rather, it's best to write a comprehensive resume that is several pages, and knock out what is essentially a copy-paste single page version that best fits each job you're looking at. The only rewriting you may have to do then is possibly the "goal" or "objective" statement.

[madmat]

I went with a functional resume since I don't have tons of paid experience in PC repair but I do have my tech writing experience and modding experience plus my applied experience being the PC tech for friends and family...I'll attach a copy and you can give me some feedback.

I've included my generic "PC Tech" resume and "Cover Letter". Bash away.

[GHoosdum]

For your objective, spice it up a little. For example:
"A technology-oriented position that provides me the opportunity to apply my knowledge in PC maintenance and exercise my skill at troubleshooting."

Also, stylistically, the positions/roles which are "to present" should be written in present tense as you have them, but those with ending dates in the past should be written in past tense.

[madmat]

For your objective, spice it up a little. For example:
"A technology-oriented position that provides me the opportunity to apply my knowledge in PC maintenance and exercise my skill at troubleshooting."

Also, stylistically, the positions/roles which are "to present" should be written in present tense as you have them, but those with ending dates in the past should be written in past tense.

How's that? (and yes I copy/pasted your suggestion, it was too good to avoid)

Ok I massaged it a bit further, the second version is a bit more "tense correct" I think.

[GHoosdum]

Looking good. You might want to 'activate' the language in your Functional Summary - "working knowledge" looks good, "extensive experience" etc looks better. ;)

This is just personal preference on my part, but I would kick out the side margins to 1" instead of 1.25" and then take off the "3/2000 to present PC hobbyist/Family and friends PC tech." in the Summary of Qualifications section - those don't need a "role" specification like the Employment section does. You could add a few bullets to that section to make up for the lost space, thinks like "Performing spyware and virus removal" and such.

I think you're doing a good job with the relevant experience on this one. Basically, you're just plain overqualified for the role, and I think that they may recognize the extra potential you'd bring to the job - potential that they'll see themselves getting at a bargain price. (You may see it that way too. ;) )

[madmat]

Thanks, I'll do that on the last line, I was really unsure what to do there since I was trying to follow Words template and have it make sense. I have no clue as to why Word put the title and dates in the summary...

There, I think this version should be concise and more to the point.

[GHoosdum]

I like the expanded Qualifications section - it serves as a good summary for those lazy HR peeps to look at to get the point.

[Crazy Joe]

It's so strange learning in my Education courses that an Education Resume is almost completely backward to everything I've ever learned about a Business Resume...

[madmat]

I've never gone over resume writing so I'm at a loss. Thanks to everyone that's helped though, you guys are the shiznit!

[GHoosdum]

No problem, Matt - if you have any other questions on it, I'm all ears.

Joe - can you post an Education resume so that I can see what you mean?

[Winga]

Hey Matt I'm glad to see you are getting some really great pointers on how to put a good CV/Resume' together.

I must admit I have never had the need to compile a Resume' so I cannot speak from personal experience. However as a Managing Director of a company, I have seen quite a few cross my desk. The resume' advice doc that Prof posted may have been tongue in cheek but there was a lot of truth in that.

I have always been drawn to candidates who have presented resume's that are plainly written in language that hasn't been taken out of a text book or dictionary. Is brief but concise. I also appreciate it when they add additional information about themselves. Married, single, divorced etc Hobbies and interests, sports they may play over week-ends or after hours. Members of any clubs, organizations or community groups.
That may seem strange to add to a job application, but it tells the prospective employer a lot about you as a person.

I have attached a document that gives a good guideline on how to prepare a Resume'. I hope you are able to get some ideas from it.

Good Luck :thumbsup:

[madmat]

Thanks!!

[mmonnin]

Oh yeah on the page winga attached...get the freakin whitest paper you can find. It will stick out like a sore thumb. But not the glossy kind. Everyone else will have the plain paper and yours will be all bright. :) Heck go to Kinkos or something. Spend a few bucks now, get a job that pays thousands more later.

[GHoosdum]

Here's a good writeup. It's written for Software Engineers, but the tenets apply to general resume writing as well.

http://ofb.net/~niniane/resume_howto.html

[madmat]

Cool, thank you!