Some Resume' Advice for you guys...

killbilly

killbilly

Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
Folks,

I've been sorting through a MASSIVE stack of resumes at my company for a pair of positions which I have open. This is a non-flying company and not a flying job, either - rather, I'm looking to hire a pair of Field Sales Engineers with a specific skillset. I placed an ad on LinkedIn, among other places, with a very specific job description and I've been inundated with the things.

Thought I'd share with you some observations and advice:

  • Don't apply for a job you're not qualified for, or one that specifically mentions a skillset that you do not possess. I know there is a notion that it's a "hey, what if, they may just say yes" kind of thing. What it does is annoy the person evaluating the applicant. He will look it over, see that you don't have the experience specifically mentioned in the ad, and bin your resume. Don't waste people's time.
  • Keep it simple. The shorter the better. I've received several 6-page resumes,and one 12-page. I'm screening right off the first page. I don't have time to read a full biography. What I want to know is where you are, what you're doing, what you've done, what you know. Anything else I want to know, I'll call you about if you meet the specifications in the ad.
  • Along the lines of simple; black text, white paper. Simple fonts. No color. No graphics. No animation (if it's electronic.) Be clear, be concise - don't make me work to find the information I want about you.
  • If you're qualified in multiple disciplines, say so. If I have another opening in my company that you didn't apply for, I may not hire you, but I may know of something else in the company, and I may forward you along to THAT hiring manager. I've gotten two jobs this way.
  • If I call you for a phone screening interview, I expect you to know something about my company since you sent me a resume. I also expect a degree of enthusiasm when I call you. If you're with clients (especially if you work for a competitor) I understand the need for discretion. People who are interested in calling you will work with your schedule; they want to know about you. When you get that call, you've already made it over the first barrier. Don't waste the opportunity.
  • Don't badmouth your present employer. Be honest about why you're leaving, but do it in a constructive way. That tells me two things: one, you know how to be diplomatic and polite, two, you understand that things change and what was a good fit once might no longer be so. I want to hear optimism and enthusiasm. Also - you don't know what my internal culture is like; my company may have the very same problems yours does. The bitterness you express may tell me that I can't work with you.
This has been a real eye-opening experience - being in the position of hiring someone. I apologize if I'm coming off like a hardass - it's extremely hard to get a picture of a candidate from just looking at a resume, and I know there are probably hundreds of good, qualified folks out there. But if they don't communicate clearly with me, and tell me, simply, that they're worth taking a second look at, I can't help them. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

Good luck to all of you seeking jobs. I hope you find what you're looking for. Maybe this will help you.
 
Thanks for the tips. I'm hoping to get a 2nd interview with Southwest soon so this could come in helpful.
 
bksslc said:
Thanks for the tips. I'm hoping to get a 2nd interview with Southwest soon so this could come in helpful.
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Sorry, but is this a serious post or are you trying to come off as funny? If it's a serious post.. my apologies.
 
Very good advice.

I don't think you're being a hard ass at all, not in the least.

Hell, even my @jetcareers.com email address gets the occasional burst of resumes and many seem as if they're written by high school sophomores.
 
killbilly said:
Don't apply for a job you're not qualified for, or one that specifically mentions a skillset that you do not possess.
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Can't really agree with that. People often post an unrealistic wishlist; very often a particular skillset isn't as critical as they think it is. If screener sees something else he likes, he may call the applicant anyway. If that doesn't work with a particular screener, who cares? You end up with the same result, no interview, so there's no downside to gambling.

All the rest I agree with. Personally, though, I think that the interview process is of questionable value...you might as well roll a pair of dice to figure out whom to hire.
 
hrjet said:
Sorry, but is this a serious post or are you trying to come off as funny? If it's a serious post.. my apologies.
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It's for a non flying job obviously, see my times, verry low... And i suck at interviews, i'll take all the help i can get from anywhere i can get it!! :D
 
bksslc said:
It's for a non flying job obviously, see my times, verry low... And i suck at interviews, i'll take all the help i can get from anywhere i can get it!! :D
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Good luck with WN. I know a few guys that work the ramp at LAX for WN and not only do they love their jobs, they make a small fortune. :)
 
Thanks! Ramp would be awsome. I applied for a ticket counter position in PDX and did the phone interview yesterday.
 
tgrayson said:
Can't really agree with that. People often post an unrealistic wishlist; very often a particular skillset isn't as critical as they think it is. If screener sees something else he likes, he may call the applicant anyway. If that doesn't work with a particular screener, who cares? You end up with the same result, no interview, so there's no downside to gambling.

All the rest I agree with. Personally, though, I think that the interview process is of questionable value...you might as well roll a pair of dice to figure out whom to hire.
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You said it better than I could have.

Good post Killbilly, It was a good read and thanks for the info.
 
With the amount of jobs people are sending out applications to they can't know something about every company. News flash, even though the economy sucks a good candidate is interviewing YOU to find out about your company just as much as you are interviewing them.

And as far as not sending in a application if you don't meet every requirement, that is just bad advice. Had I fallowed that myself and many others would probably be unemployed still.
 
bksslc said:
It's for a non flying job obviously, see my times, verry low... And i suck at interviews, i'll take all the help i can get from anywhere i can get it!! :D
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I didn't imply flying or non flying. His points are very basic common sense things for any interview. Good luck, just be yourself.
 
Champcar said:
With the amount of jobs people are sending out applications to they can't know something about every company. News flash, even though the economy sucks a good candidate is interviewing YOU to find out about your company just as much as you are interviewing them.

And as far as not sending in a application if you don't meet every requirement, that is just bad advice. Had I fallowed that myself and many others would probably be unemployed still.
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This is completely bad advice. Obviously the interviewer is going to have to give their sale but you as an applicant needs to know who you're applying for. No knowing shows that you don't want to be there or worse could care less about knowing. As far as second point, see post number 1, not meeting minimums will result in your resume thrown in the trash.
 
tgrayson said:
All the rest I agree with. Personally, though, I think that the interview process is of questionable value...you might as well roll a pair of dice to figure out whom to hire.
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I've found it's helpful if a person decides to include some information about their hobbies on their resume. It's a chance to "freestyle" a little and I'd like to know if the applicant happens to be deeply interested in an area of study, is a "self-starter", might have a good lake house for parties, or is involved with Schedule I drugs, absenteeism, or wacky conspiracy theories. :p
 
Get an email address that is something like: (first name)(last name)@(not gmail, hotmail, yahoomail or sexdungeon.com)

I know all your friends know you as fluffybunnykiller@hotmail.com or something like that but to an interviewer that doesn't reflect well and you'll be playing catchup. It's probably not a good idea to use your current work email address either. You can imagine what that tells your potential employer.
 
killbilly said:
Folks,

I've been sorting through a MASSIVE stack of resumes at my company for a pair of positions which I have open. This is a non-flying company and not a flying job, either - rather, I'm looking to hire a pair of Field Sales Engineers with a specific skillset. I placed an ad on LinkedIn, among other places, with a very specific job description and I've been inundated with the things.

Thought I'd share with you some observations and advice:

  • Don't apply for a job you're not qualified for, or one that specifically mentions a skillset that you do not possess. I know there is a notion that it's a "hey, what if, they may just say yes" kind of thing. What it does is annoy the person evaluating the applicant. He will look it over, see that you don't have the experience specifically mentioned in the ad, and bin your resume. Don't waste people's time.
  • Keep it simple. The shorter the better. I've received several 6-page resumes,and one 12-page. I'm screening right off the first page. I don't have time to read a full biography. What I want to know is where you are, what you're doing, what you've done, what you know. Anything else I want to know, I'll call you about if you meet the specifications in the ad.
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  • Okay, I'm guilty of this (8 page CV). But employers are the ones that caused this. For engineering positions, they will specifically state that they will only consider applicants with qualifications in 50 or 60 odd technical areas. You aren't getting a one page resume when you ask for that.

    In any case, it is usually a professional recruiter I'm dealing with. They have no idea what they are reading, so they just look for the highest number of matching buzz-words.
 
trafficinsight said:
Get an email address that is something like: (first name)(last name)@(not gmail, hotmail, yahoomail or sexdungeon.com)

I know all your friends know you as fluffybunnykiller@hotmail.com or something like that but to an interviewer that doesn't reflect well and you'll be playing catchup. It's probably not a good idea to use your current work email address either. You can imagine what that tells your potential employer.
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What's wrong with a gmail account?

Not everyone can have a "paid" internet account for their resumés, especially since some of us move often.

(firstname)(middleinitial)(lastname)@gmail.com is my e-mail address... I fail to see what makes it unprofessional.
 
I really think a resume writing seminar would be great for NJC. Maybe even sometype of webinar before the event so people come prepared.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
For engineering positions, they will specifically state that they will only consider applicants with qualifications in 50 or 60 odd technical areas. You aren't getting a one page resume when you ask for that.
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I have a two-page resume for the computer field and I've been in the business for 22+ years, with 20 jobs. I only include the last 5-7 years on the resume, because the stuff prior to that just isn't that relevant. And I only include the skills where I have some degree of proficiency.

I've screened resumes from people with way less than half my experience that had over 7 pages. My view on reading those is that these people can't be GOOD at all of this stuff; rather, they've seen it or read about it , so they slapped it on the resume. That resume is fairly useless, except as a way to get past automated screening software.
 
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