Need help with Resume real quick... thanks!

[franklinstreetwest]

Like a slightly over minimum wage sales position?

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Quote:

How would you consolidate the work experience paragraph I posted?

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Quote:

Yes more or less, hopefully with potential to move up in the company.

 

[True Grit]

A resume is the place to brag but in a professional way!

As hard as it might be you could delete everything in between "full range of retail management responsibilities." and "Achieved weekly, monthly sales goals through suggestive selling and extensive product knowledge." I like that sentence because it states an accomplishment. You could add simply "Recruited and trained new employees." They probably already know what a full range or retail management responsibilities entails so if you have had 5 jobs like that you don't have to list your duties, just your accomplishments. I would be ready to explain why you have had so many jobs unless it is pretty standard in your industry.

 

[Pebbles]

I just completed the whole application review and interview process for a new network engineer. In reviewing the apps I looked for specific experience in the areas the job required. Many times you can tell by the way the applicant expresses themselves if they REALLY have a working knowledge of a specific field or if they are just BSing. I ruled out applicants who never spent more than a year at any job, taking into consideration a young applicant who is working their way up the career ladder. Spelling errors and improper grammar is a nono. As others have recommended, put down all your work experience that applies directly to the job for which you are applying. Don't leave out any jobs just don't waste time explaining work experience in job totally unrelated to the job you are applying for. If you leave out jobs it will be percieved as a break in your work history.

I really liked the Asst Sales Manager- I got a total picture of what areas you had experience and I got a feeling that you knew what you were doing, no BSing.

Definitely use 1st person but I did like paragraph two...More confident and professional.

I would get all you info in on a first page and all you work experience on the second page.

If you are using the common format of starting with an opening paragraph stating you are looking for a job to make use of your great skills and improve yourself as a person, I would get rid of it...a waste of space and very irritating to many employers. You are looking for a job, both you and the employer know this. Tell me about your skills and work experiences.

Good Luck!!!!

 

[chikky]

Quote:
I might try to make this one an easier read by using the following categories :
Sales Skills
Coordination of special promotions & events
Resolution of customer complaints
Achieved sales goals through suggestive selling and product knowledge
Human Relations Skills
Managed personnel training programs by ......
Successful training and on-boarding of new salespeople
Inventory Management Skills
Managed loss prevention program
Inventory control/Purchasing activities
And so on if there are other categories that would fit

If you performed these duties at other jobs, you could list the duties separately from the job information so that you are not duplicating duties (& taking up space on your resume). Be more specific for the duties that you'll be needing at the desired job and be more general with the duties that really aren't so critical to the desired job. I personally like bullets & an outline format because it's easy to quickly read.

 

[zzGypsy]

first person, you *are* speaking directly to the person reading.

second paragraph feels more energetic and dynamic, go with first person on that

pages... hm... I'm an Engineer and I've hired lots of Engineers. I am NOT hiring one who can get their whole work experience on one page. and probably not on two pages either. my short resume is 4 pages, I've got a 6 page version... but I've been an independent contractor for 20 years and almost 15 years of experience before that, so I’ve worked a lot of places.

I've never tossed a resume out of the stack because it was long. but if I can't find the info I need.... well that's another thing. the problem with long resumes is because I don't have TIME to read all that JUST to find out if you have what I need.

my front page is a well organized and easy to read bullet list of skills, experience, tools, assets, strengths... in a moment they can see if:
1) I've got the particular experience they need
2) I've got the particular tools they need
3) that I've got broad and deep experience in several industries
4) that I'm organized

what I *hate* in a resume is having to dig and read every darn paragraph to find out if they've got the skills I need... and I think the resume reflects not just the individual's work history, but their way of organizing information, and how they approach communication.

so page one is the book jacket blurb... it's got to tell me there's a reason to look at page two. page one hooks me in, page two is deeper detail, the rest of the story. when written that way, I don't care how long the resume is, because I know by the end of page one if I'm interested in reading the rest. and if I get as far as page two, it's because I WANT to be there, not because I can't find out what I need to know and have to keep slogging.

consider this:
what is the purpose of *your* resume?

is it to show you can tell people all the typical things, and organize it in the typical manner?

or is it to show you have the knowledge, experience and communication skills to be the outstanding, brilliant, go-getting, batting-way-over-average sales person they need?

your resume is not just a compendium of your history, it's a microcosm of your actual abilities and talents, demonstrated right there on the page. Is you *showing* your skills, not inventorying your history.

If I were hiring a sales guy, at the end of reading your resume I want to be sold that you’re the right one. I want to think “wow, THIS is the guy we need! I'm excited about meeting him, I sure hope he hasn't already accepted another offer.” I don’t want my biggest most passionate thought to be, “This guy seems to have the right background.”

So… make me believe You Are The One.

I know if you’ve been successful in sales in the past that you know sales isn’t about boasting, or about pushing, it’s about identifying what the buyer needs, REALLY needs, and giving them the confidence that you’re the one who can deliver it.

Anyway, that’s the way I write my resume. My layout is unconventional, clean, well organized. But what’s most important is they have a clear idea of the person and the engineer that I am, and a strong feeling that I can help resolve their pain, do the job, take weight off their shoulders.

It IS unconventional. But then, I want them to pick me out of the stack, I want to stand out from all the people who have the same conventional cookie-cutter resumes.

FWIW, as a contractor, I interview a LOT. Most contracts last between 3 and 18 months. I can’t remember the last time I sent in a resume and didn’t get a call for an interview, so I know that the resume is working.

Just my thoughts...

 

[franklinstreetwest]

Definately keep it short, simple, WELL ORGANIZED, and find a way to set yourself apart from the other boring scrawled on applications in the stack.

I love the format Chikky suggested. And it sounds like she/he has been through numerous stacks of resumes. If it's more of a "low wage" position that you're applying for, don't be overly fancy and qualified...a lot of those places are looking for someone that they can count on to fill the gap right NOW. The hiring manager probably has a hard enough time holding onto his/her position that the last thing they need is an eager, advancement driven person that will be jockeying to "steal" their job someday.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

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Great info! THANK YOU!

It looks like my problem is discriminating between job details and achievements that I have had within the job.

 

[redhen]

Something to think about..
Many employers want a stable/long term employee..
If you have job hopped a lot during those 10 years.. i would not put ALL that info on there.. (I worked one year here... 2 years here..6 months here...3 months here.. etc..)
Just the important recent basics for THIS job position, IMO