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[Cudder]

Not a fan of the 1-page only rule. I believe that a spacey, nicely designed resume will get an employer to read it however long it is. Obviously a lot can be said for a nice, tight, clean 1 page resume, but I'm a fan of spacing the shit out and giving everything breathing room. I think an employer is more likely to read a resume that's spaced out than out that has shit filled to the brim on one page.

Here's mine, fake info at the top.

 

[ccbfan]

It's kind of hard to take any of your advice seriously when your post is riddled with spelling errors.

Nice insult from an unemployed grammer nazi.

Sorry if I'm at worked and did a quick writeup. Didn't know I was writing for the New Yorker here.


Also I wrote my post not as a a professional resume writer cause I suck at writing resumes. I come from the standpoint of people that hire. I'm telling you guys what I want to see in a resume. I'm telling you guys what other people that I know that hire are looking for. Mine resume is pretty much crafted that way by listening to people that makes those decisions.

 

[xxracerxx]

Also I wrote my post not as a a professional resume writer cause I suck at writing resumes. I come from the standpoint of people that hire. I'm telling you guys what I want to see in a resume. I'm telling you guys what other people that I know that hire are looking for. Mine resume is pretty much crafted that way by listening to people that makes those decisions.

Then show us what you mean. Critiquing all those others is fine and dandy, but at least put up an example of what you are trying to say is a "great" resume.

 

[SolKane]

Nice insult from an unemployed grammer nazi.

Sorry if I'm at worked and did a quick writeup. Didn't know I was writing for the New Yorker here.

Also I wrote my post not as a a professional resume writer cause I suck at writing resumes. I come from the standpoint of people that hire. I'm telling you guys what I want to see in a resume. I'm telling you guys what other people that I know that hire are looking for. Mine resume is pretty much crafted that way by listening to people that makes those decisions.

It was not meant to be an insult and I didn't intend to offend you. But if you're going to offer constructive criticism, it helps to be thoughtful enough to proofread what you have to say. It doesn't mean what you have to say is invalid, but it's enough for me to wonder if you're not simply pontificating without any credible advice to fall back on. And if you're willing to give criticism you should be willing to accept criticism in terms of your own resume. I don't care if you post your own or not, but in your original post you were trying to pass yourself off as some kind of expert, so it's not unreasonable for people to want to see what you have to offer.

 

[thespot84]

here's my .ai file for the layout (I think it's right, i'm on a netbook and can't actually view so let me know if it doesn't match the image I posted earlier.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1164142/resume.ai

EDIT: that's a new link without all my contact info...

 

[xxracerxx]

here's my .ai file for the layout (I think it's right, i'm on a netbook and can't actually view so let me know if it doesn't match the image I posted earlier.

Link to resume template

Thanks man, but if you don't want everyone knowing your real name and address you should edit it out until you can delete them.

 

[Killa_S]

Read the top three comments. Good luck.

 

[TommyT]

Because I don't really feel like calling internationally.

Let me just say that the resume is frankly too hard to read and plot everything together. While I understand what you are going for in show casing your talents as a graphic designer, if you were applying for a job, the resume may not even get to lead designer. Instead it'll land at an HR rep who is going to be receiving many resumes. They won't have time to sort through and understand what you have shown on your resume. Instead they'll think "Great, it looks pretty" and file it under "Not calling".

A resume has to be neat, succinct and easy to navigate. Simplicity is key in a resume.

:lol

 

[MC Safety]

Not a fan of the 1-page only rule. I believe that a spacey, nicely designed resume will get an employer to read it however long it is. Obviously a lot can be said for a nice, tight, clean 1 page resume, but I'm a fan of spacing the shit out and giving everything breathing room. I think an employer is more likely to read a resume that's spaced out than out that has shit filled to the brim on one page.

Here's mine, fake info at the top.
[/IMG]

Having an objective section for a résumé always seemed stupid to me. Isn't your objective to get a job?

Also, you may be mistaken about the power of a nicely designed résumé.

 

[TheRagnCajun]

Having an objective section for a résumé always seemed stupid to me. Isn't your objective to get a job?

Also, you may be mistaken about the power of a nicely designed résumé.

If your 'goal' is to get a job you had best leave objective out. If you have career goals it can be usefull. Also, tailouring the objective to match the position you're applying for makes it look like the position is exactly what you're looking for, and that you're going to be gratefull and enthusiastic about it.

 

[plasticpassion]

Having an objective section for a résumé always seemed stupid to me. Isn't your objective to get a job?

Also, you may be mistaken about the power of a nicely designed résumé.

For my job I was looking for specific ICUs, so I needed to list those in the objective. When you're in a field with so many possibilities it makes sense. When giving my resume to a recruiter, she was able to get me interviews for those specific places based on the objective. Make sense?

 

[SolKane]

here's my .ai file for the layout (I think it's right, i'm on a netbook and can't actually view so let me know if it doesn't match the image I posted earlier.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1164142/resume.ai

Thanks a lot! I'm going to nominate you for a GAF Gold membership

 

[vaelic]

1 page. no more.

 

[ccbfan]

Read the top three comments. Good luck.

Wow if I was going to write a long detail post about resume writing this would be exactly what I would type.

All of my comments in this topic completely fit into what this professional says.

Maybe I'm better at this than I thought.

 

[MC Safety]

For my job I was looking for specific ICUs, so I needed to list those in the objective. When you're in a field with so many possibilities it makes sense. When giving my resume to a recruiter, she was able to get me interviews for those specific places based on the objective. Make sense?

Not really. If you're giving your resume to a recruiter, wouldn't it be better to give him or her specific instructions as to the position you're seeking?

And it doesn't seem to make sense if you're applying directly to job postings. I'm not well versed in intensive care units, but I imagine, say, if you want a job in cardiac intensive care, you would apply for cardiac intensive care jobs.

If you have a generic objective, it is a waste of space on a résumé, and if the objective is overly specific, you may be excluding yourself from jobs. It may be personal preference, but if every line counts, why waste any? If you need to include your objectives, it would be smarter to include them in a cover letter.

 

[thespot84]

Thanks man, but if you don't want everyone knowing your real name and address you should edit it out until you can delete them.

quite right, i wasn't thinking straight

 

[plasticpassion]

Not really. If you're giving your resume to a recruiter, wouldn't it be better to give him or her specific instructions as to the position you're seeking?

And it doesn't seem to make sense if you're applying directly to job postings. I'm not well versed in intensive care units, but I imagine, say, if you want a job in cardiac intensive care, you would apply for cardiac intensive care jobs.

If you have a generic objective, it is a waste of space on a résumé, and if the objective is overly specific, you may be excluding yourself from jobs. It may be personal preference, but if every line counts, why waste any? If you need to include your objectives, it would be smarter to include them in a cover letter.

The recruiter worked for the hospital I just got a job at. She was more of an HR rep who set up interviews for me. I thought it would be relevant to have that on there since there are 3 or 4 ICUs I'm qualified for and wanted to work in those only. In my cover letter I mentioned my experience.

You might be right. Seems more of a preference than anything else. I didn't have problems with space on my resume so it was in there.

 

[davepoobond]

i would say 1 page too.

there was some weird article on yahoo that i read a while ago that said you should do more than 1 page if you can, but everywhere else ive heard they say 1 page. just think about it from their perspective -- do you want to have to flip through a novel just for one applicant?

 

[Vilam]

:lol

Laugh all you want. It may look pretty, but that is not a good resume. If I was browsing through applications, I'm not going to sit there and attempt to figure out what the hell you're trying to tell me about yourself - sounds like a chore, I'd rather get back to browsing GAF.

 

[Entropia]

:lol

Why did you bold "you" and "your" and :lol at me?

 

[Buddha Beam]

DO NOT listen to the people telling you to keep it at one page. A simple Google search will bring up loads of interviews with HR managers and whatnot saying that having it be 1 page is NOT crucial. This is especially true in this day and age, when everybody is sending PDFs anyway.

What MATTERS is that your FIRST page looks GOOD. If you get the person to read your first page, and they're interested in your qualifications, they'll read the second page with no problem. You have to have your resume nicely formatted, easy to read, etc.
Right now, going by what you posted, your resume isn't going to be given a second glance by most hiring managers. It's all centered and in Times New Roman. Nothing I see on it makes me step back and say, "Oh, I have to keep reading this".

Format it nicely, use some colors, even get yourself a freaking' logo. Having a multi-page resume isn't a problem anymore. That was a problem back before people were sending them as PDF and Word files. Today, the problem is just getting noticed in a time when one job posting can easily draw in over 1,000 applicants.

 

[plasticpassion]

Format it nicely, use some colors, even get yourself a freaking' logo. Having a multi-page resume isn't a problem anymore. That was a problem back before people were sending them as PDF and Word files. Today, the problem is just getting noticed in a time when one job posting can easily draw in over 1,000 applicants.

I'd be careful with using colors...
Edit: I say that because I feel like most resume tips I've read have said to stay away from that because it can be distracting.

 

[Buddha Beam]

I'd be careful with using colors...
Edit: I say that because I feel like most resume tips I've read have said to stay away from that because it can be distracting.

Sure, just be smart about it. Use color to make it look better, not like a unicorn threw up. Pick 2 or 3 colors at the most. If you need more just knock the tint back on one of the existing ones.

I've been redoing resumes for people over the last year. For free since you can't charge someone out of work. Haha. I haven't done a lot, but of them, every person has gotten a job within about 6-8 weeks. I can't say my remaking their resume is directly responsible, but that they went from never hearing anything to getting call backs and interviews makes me think at least part of that reason is that they had en eye catching resume.

 

[Synless]

here's my .ai file for the layout (I think it's right, i'm on a netbook and can't actually view so let me know if it doesn't match the image I posted earlier.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1164142/resume.ai

EDIT: that's a new link without all my contact info...

Hey, this may be a dumb question, but how do you edit an .ai file? I have never used Adobe Illustrator before and I can't get it to let me edit the text.

 

[Pollux]

One page, no more.

most important thing...GAF never fails to nail it in the first response.

definitely pare all that down

Wider Margins
Smaller text
tailer the description of each job to what will make you valuable for the one you're applying too
get rid of all the spaces between paragraphs
one page is ideal

Damn....u mind if i steal your layout? actually, i'm taking it anyway. props to this amazing thing.

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

RE: creative CVs.

This is a template I used in photoshop...Its not the best looking one ive made but it should give you some ideas whats out there.

whelp...too big.....let me resize

Here are some really good ones to serve as inseperation too.

More at

http://creativenerds.co.uk/inspirat...igns-which-will-amaze-any-potential-employer/

 

[Angelus Errare]

Even if you have only fast food work as your job make it sound like whatever company NEEDS you.

Use http://www.onetonline.org/
for job descriptions that employers want to read.

 

[guise]

Concision.
Like any piece of copywriting, don't bury the lead and keep it easy to scan. A general rule of thumb is to write what you want to say, then half it.

Whitespace.

Simplicity.
Don't go buckwild with design/colours. If you can't copy/paste it as plain text, it fails.


I personally don't buy the 1 page thing (although i do not have to read CVs for a living). It should be however long it needs to be depending on the role you are going for. For some employers, experience will matter more then qualifications. For others, they may want to know a little about you as a person - it depends on the size/culture of the company.

 

[Synless]

Seriously though, how do you edit the text on that. .AI file?

 

[ThoughtsOfSpeaking]

Seriously though, how do you edit the text on that. .AI file?

with most of them yeah.

Its not hard though. I had never used photoshop/illustrator before for mine, and within an hour I was up and running (I already had the information ready)

Next on the agenda is a kinetic typography CV

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNhb5QTjUls

but thats not till december when I start applying for grad schemes.

 

[LuchaShaq]

We basically throw everything out that is over 1 page without even reading it.

Seriously 1 page. If they want to know more they will ask in an interview.

 

[Leona Lewis]

You should have used the template I sent you all those months ago. One or two bullet points per job, seems really bloated now. And you should list any skills you have too (foreign languages, experience with graphic arts/multimedia).

And you should list your supervisors in a separate document with all your references. Resume is all about you.

 

[MooMoo]

Seriously though, how do you edit the text on that. .AI file?

This is a stupid question, but do you have Adobe Illustrator? Because if not I haven't found an easy way to change the text without it. What exactly are you trying to do with the text? Are you just trying to change the words? Or do you mean something fancier? If you mean just changing the actual words, click the 'T' in the toolbar and then click on the line of text you want to edit. Or you can just double click the area of text you want to edit and it'll let you edit it.

 

[nicoga3000]

Creative CV's are great...For creative industries.

And the advice that everyone is giving of "one page" is the best advice ever. Seriously, unless you've got the experience or the project backlog to make page two worth looking at, it's garbage.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Creative CV's are great...For creative industries.

And the advice that everyone is giving of "one page" is the best advice ever. Seriously, unless you've got the experience or the project backlog to make page two worth looking at, it's garbage.

Sorry for the bump but I have to start making my resume since I'm graduating. Is it one page pretty much no matter what industry your in? Some of those resumes look nice but others I can't see being acceptable unless you work in a more "creative" job like all the ones that are over the top are for graphic artists. I would think if I did that for a regular office job they'd toss it.

 

[vaelic]

one page, no more

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

one page, no more

Cool, it's interesting that that's the rule. I remember in high school they made it sound like a lot bigger of a thing than that.

 

[JGS]

1 page cannot be stressed enough. I will not go through 2 pages looking for detail.

I also prefer list of accomplishments vs. lists of skills that are mandatory for the job since your job/education experience should reflect you know those. I'm in business though which is quite a bit different than tech jobs.

Cool, it's interesting that that's the rule. I remember in high school they made it sound like a lot bigger of a thing than that.

To be clear, one can have 2 pages since everyone has their own font/text size styles, but unless you are going for a high end executive job (Which really should be a portfolio then), one page is all that's needed. Going beyond that means padding.

 

[slit]

1 page cannot be stressed enough. I will not go through 2 pages looking for detail.

I also prefer list of accomplishments vs. lists of skills that are mandatory for the job since your job/education experience should reflect you know those. I'm in business though which is quite a bit different than tech jobs.
To be clear, one can have 2 pages since everyone has their own font/text size styles, but unless you are going for a high end executive job (Which really should be a portfolio then), one page is all that's needed. Going beyond that means padding.

Eh, this depends. I'm in IT and I couldn't possibly fit everything on one page because of the requirements they are looking for unless I used a font that would need a magnifying glass. It depends though. It may be different for business majors and other professions.

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

one page, no more

1 page cannot be stressed enough. I will not go through 2 pages looking for detail.

I also prefer list of accomplishments vs. lists of skills that are mandatory for the job since your job/education experience should reflect you know those. I'm in business though which is quite a bit different than tech jobs.
To be clear, one can have 2 pages since everyone has their own font/text size styles, but unless you are going for a high end executive job (Which really should be a portfolio then), one page is all that's needed. Going beyond that means padding.

I work closely with my company's HR department. I've asked about the one page rule and the word I've gotten back is that if a person is older (30s and above) then it's ridiculous to expect them to fit their resume on one page.

Edit: My father has told me to only include my last 3 jobs and only list jobs that I was at for over a year. I can't say if that's the best advice, but I can say that listing jobs you've only had for a few months makes it look like you have trouble committing.

 

[elrechazado]

I work closely with my company's HR department. I've asked about the one page rule and the word I've gotten back is that if a person is older (30s and above) then it's ridiculous to expect them to fit their resume on one page.

Edit: My father has told me to only include my last 3 jobs and only list jobs that I was at for over a year. I can't say if that's the best advice, but I can say that listing jobs you've only had for a few months makes it look like you have trouble committing.

I regularly review resumes for people with 30+ years of experience that can keep it to one page.

One page. No more.

 

[wind_steaker]

I've spoken to a few CV professionals since I graduated for CV advice, and (from a UK perspective) they all told me that the 1 page thing that you see online a lot is really an american thing, and convinced me to leave more white space. The most important thing is to keep the front page for your best achievements and put things like older jobs or extra curricular experience on your second page - things they might want to see if they like what they see on the first page.

A good clean layout, and clear major achievements is what matter. Minor roles/specifics are for the interview.

I assume they were right because a fair chunk of my new job is professional documentation

 

[entremet]

People don't read resumes--they scan them.

Plus resumes are the shittiest of job searching and job securing tools. Not that you should not neglect it. Sounds contradictory, but it's not.

 

[blahblah...blah]

I've spoken to a few CV professionals since I graduated for CV advice, and (from a UK perspective) they all told me that the 1 page thing that you see online a lot is really an american thing, and convinced me to leave more white space. The most important thing is to keep the front page for your best achievements and put things like older jobs or extra curricular experience on your second page - things they might want to see if they like what they see on the first page.

A good clean layout, and clear major achievements is what matter. Minor roles/specifics are for the interview.

I assume they were right because a fair chunk of my new job is professional documentation

That might explain why I've had no problem with my CV here in the UK. I'm terrified of the CVs like the ones on the front page that are crammed with text, and opted to lay mine out over two pages with plenty of spacing. This was before I had even worked one proper job (it contained contact details, education, work experience and extra-curricular activities relevant to the job in some way). Had a lot of success with it in a very competitive graduate industry.

 

[mcrae]

anyone have a link to thespot84's illustrator file?

 

[CJUNDERGROUND]

anyone have a link to thespot84's illustrator file?

I'd like to use that template too! The link is dead.

 

[mcrae]

I'd like to use that template too! The link is dead.

ive never used illustrator before but im in the process of scrapping one together that emulates his, hopefully to be able to print it by wed morning, i'll post a link when im done.

 

[mcrae]

copied the fuck out of the spots resume and am tentatively going with this. gotta see what the ladies in the co op class think though :/

fucked around in illustrator to make it, the fonts and shades aren't 100% what thespots are but pretty damn close, here it is, i didnt really know what i was doing so some stuff may be misaligned.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/58302776/resume - Copy copy.pdf

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/58302776/resume - Copy copy.ai

 

[Joni]

If you're going for a bartending position, it might be better to drop your school info. You have quite a bit of work experience already and the skills learned with those eductional paths don't necessarily make you a better bartender. It could shorten your CV with quite a bit and all your work info would be on one page.

 

[mcrae]

If you're going for a bartending position, it might be better to drop your school info. You have quite a bit of work experience already and the skills learned with those eductional paths don't necessarily make you a better bartender. It could shorten your CV with quite a bit and all your work info would be on one page.

good points. the only reasons i've included interests/strengths/skills as well as the format of the resume is because im using this to try to get civil engineering technologist co-op positions.

the reason i even included so many (unrelated) jobs is because since i have no relevant experience, i'm hedging on the fact that i've often held down 2, sometimes 3 at a time, as well as the different style to set me apart a bit. then hopefully cover letter/skills/strengths/interests get me an interview

thanks for the comments though, if i hand it out to bars/restaurants, i'll probably use a 1-page version