anyone expereinced with resumes ?

[djmh]

this will be my first resume, i am attempting to get an IT internship. if i cant get that though, i am looking for a job at a bike shop... haha, both ends of the spectrum, right ?

but i dont know if my resume is too wordy, not informative enough ? anything really ?
if you could give me some advice on how to improve my resume i would really appreciate it, thanks

[HappinessNow]

this will be my first resume, i am attempting to get an IT internship. if i cant get that though, i am looking for a job at a bike shop... haha, both ends of the spectrum, right ?

but i dont know if my resume is too wordy, not informative enough ? anything really ?
if you could give me some advice on how to improve my resume i would really appreciate it, thanks !

A bit wordy, also try using InDesign to put your resume together.

[djmh]

well, i really dont have 699 dollars for indesign ....

[Jesus_Valdez]

If you are looking for a couple of jobs then You should be preparing a couple of resumes.

One IT related and one "handy man" related, for the bike shop.

[Kingsley]

Look up examples of resumes online. Yours is too wordy, full of typos, and the formatting could be improved. I'm sure all of it could fit on a page if you were more concise. Good luck.

[RiceMonster]

Fit it into one page and get right to the point.

[GregBrannon]

Some thoughts and echoes from above:

One page - cut down on the unnecessary words and spacing, smaller but readable font, narrower margins. Get help with the grammar and punctuation.

Experience and education

- list from current to previous, e.g. college should be listed before high school.

- tailor the resume to the job opportunity.

- skills applicable to the job opportunity should flow from successful educational focus through job experience. If needed, add applicable hobbies, internships, volunteer work, and off-time interests that provide additional opportunities to practice relevant skills.

Objective - tell prospective employers how they will benefit by having you as an employee, not what you expect to gain from them.

Your current formal IT coursework sounds like an afterthought. If it's the only elective you can take, say you're working towards a degree in an appropriate field.

Describe or be ready to discuss projects that you've either worked on independently or as a team member that you saw to completion. You're a short-term, maybe intermittent hire with a similar history. Let the employer know what you can accomplish within those constraints.

[phibxr]

well, i really dont have 699 dollars for indesign ....

Some people suggest using Scribus as an open replacement for InDesign, but I don't have any experience with either.

You might want to check it out though. :)

[MasterNetra]

Kill the Objective they already know your looking for a job. The objective is part of the Old way of doing resumes its no longer valid and may result in your resumes being tossed. At least here in Michigan (US) anyway. Employers usually get hundreds if not thousands of resumes and they don't want to spend a lot of time on one. And no paragraphs, try to sum up each skill in one sentence if you can and toss it into a bullet/number/whatever list for a easier read.

[lisati]

I agree with the suggestion of using a smaller font, yet keeping it readable. Before printing, try to make sure that the section headings aren't "hanging" at the bottom of the page with nothing below them - try to have the headings at the top of the section they relate to.

[thatguruguy]

I can tell you as someone who has hired several employees that I have no interest in reading a resume that's more than 1 page long, and I stop reading after the first typographical error or nonsensical usage. I also don't care if the resume is "fancy"; I'm looking for content.

FWIW, I have attached a copy of my most recent resume, edited to remove identifying information. If I can fit it all on one page, you can, too.

[HappinessNow]

well, i really dont have 699 dollars for indesign ....

Check out your local community or University library they might have a copy of InDesign for you to use for free.

In all of the computer labs at my University and at the University Library they have InDesign installed on all computers; available to students and non-student community members as well.

[cartman640]

I have a few suggestions:
First and foremost, as has already been mentioned incorrect spelling and grammatical errors will almost certainly result in no job. A resume with spelling mistakes shows a lack of care on your part and in the IT industry having great attention to detail is a big positive, get someone else to proof read the final version, it's very easy to miss mistakes in your own work. Make sure all acronyms are uppercase, and be consistent when naming them. I noticed you mention CSS and then later "style sheets", both should be CSS as that is the proper term. Just general good English practices really.

You shouldn't need more than one or two pages, you could probably keep most of what you have there just by reducing the font size, personally I find 10pt to be a nice size. Try and shorten your descriptions, writing in the first person (starting "I", "my", etc) isn't needed. Under your education, list dates (years are normally fine, eg "2006 - 2009" or similar) starting with the most recent first. You can then remove the "I attended north branch high school for 2 years" parts, the duration will be identified in the dates, and the fact that you are listing it shows that you attended ;). Use bullet points to list applicable courses/awards/achievements rather than a single sentence.

As for formatting, use a serif font, (can't think of any good ones off the top of my head). Sans-serif looks nice, but it's actually much harder to read than a good clear serif font. Also try and separate the main sections of your resume (Skills, Experience, etc) from the bulk of the text so anyone reading it can very quickly find the section they are looking for. Have a look at theguruguy's resume for an example of what I mean.

I'm not sure what your timeframe for completing your resume is, but if you have the time I'd highly suggest using a different application to create your resume. Mine is done in LaTeX, it took a long time, but it turns out a very professional looking document that is easy to update in the future.

For further advice on how to write resumes, find and contact the appropriate careers service at your college, (not sure what the name would be, it was the careers department at the university I attended) and ask if they have any tips/guides/help for writing resumes. I ended up with quite a comprehensive guide by doing this.

Hopefully some of that is of help to you, and good luck :)

[djmh]

wow evryone, thanks for all the great tips !!

I will definatly work on my resume... I see I have alot of work, but i appreciate your input !!

[djmh]

Kill the Objective they already know your looking for a job. The objective is part of the Old way of doing resumes its no longer valid and may result in your resumes being tossed. At least here in Michigan (US) anyway. Employers usually get hundreds if not thousands of resumes and they don't want to spend a lot of time on one. And no paragraphs, try to sum up each skill in one sentence if you can and toss it into a bullet/number/whatever list for a easier read.

i actually live in michigan, so i appreciate the tip !!

[djmh]

I can tell you as someone who has hired several employees that I have no interest in reading a resume that's more than 1 page long, and I stop reading after the first typographical error or nonsensical usage. I also don't care if the resume is "fancy"; I'm looking for content.

FWIW, I have attached a copy of my most recent resume, edited to remove identifying information. If I can fit it all on one page, you can, too.

seeing an actual example really helps, what did you use to put your resume together ?

im going to attempt to make mine like yours... maybe ill give scribus a shot.