Help: Resume Tips

[coldLBZ]

I was wondering if anyone on here has any tips for an effective resume. I am not having much luck, even after having a "pro" help me. If it matters I am looking for a plant operator job in oil and gas. I am a little self concious about posting my actual resume, but this is the format the "pro" recommended:

Contact Info:

Objective:

Skills and Experience:

Work History:

Education and Certification:

References Available Upon Request:

Any help or ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[fajitatone]

I would suggest no more than one page. Always list the higher position attained at each job.

Maybe any commendations/awards you have gotten.

 

[BigDMax05]

I have had excellent luck with being confident in explaining my experience but also being humble and saying that I don't know it all and that I want to learn as much as I possibly can and be most beneficial asset that I can be to the company.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

My wife was told to sneak something in there that makes yours stand out, even if it doesn't relate to the job your trying to get. I believe she went with she was touched once by the most interesting man in the world, and got a teaching job right afterwards.

 

[1953drtelco]

Your format looks good, be sure grammar and spelling are correct. When you get an interview, be sure to do research on the company you applied for and have knowledge of what they do and their mission statement. HR reps love that somebody really has an interest in the company.

 

[Sledhead]

The tech positions should be technical; plenty of numbers, specs, and results of what you have achieved previously. Positions held at competitors/related fields are great, companies sometimes love taking assets (you).

.PDF ensures there won't be any paging or tab issues after you try so hard.

PM me your email if you want to see a couple of formats that worked for me.

 

[coldLBZ]

Thanks Guys and PM sent.

 

[Tank222]

Pay to have it done, there are online company that will build you one.

 

[Josh2002cc]

My wife was told to sneak something in there that makes yours stand out, even if it doesn't relate to the job your trying to get. I believe she went with she was touched once by the most interesting man in the world, and got a teaching job right afterwards.

The Dos Equis guy?

 

[RedHotGMC]

If you have microsoft office 2007 or 2010 microsoft word, then look into templates, theres tons of professional templates that are job specific you can go through. It basicly does all the formatting for you and you just fill in the blanks with your information. Ive used it quite a bit and have always gotten good compliments on my resume. Always put references are available upon request, to mainly save space and not have to have a second page. But if you have microsoft office id be glad to walk you through it since its pretty simple.

 

[THEFERMANATOR]

The Dos Equis guy?

That's the one. She's a teacher, and down here there were ALOT of layoffs. It wasn't uncommon to have 175-200 applications in 4 days for a single position, so you had to do something to make your resume stand out.

 

[minisub]

....
so you had to do something to make your resume stand out.

Yes, this works but you need to be careful. Best cover letter I ever read started, "When I graduated from college I ran away and joined the circus." Pretty bold opening, but he backed up by ending that he had learned you could make a ton of money 25 cents at a time by working the midway, and this was a B-school app so it was perfect.

If you get called on a bold statement, make sure you have thought about how it relates to the position/firm and can respond naturally.

 

[coldLBZ]

Bump

I have another question. On my resume my current job is not related to the positions I'm applying for. Should I remove it and have a gap in my resume, or should I leave it on there? I had an HR person who hires for the types of jobs I'm looking for tell me my resume was good, they just don't have any openings. Thanks.

 

[countrycorey]

I would leave it on there

 

[8lug]

Yeah, leave it on, shows that you're hard working, even if you aren't working in you desired field you are working.

 

[minisub]

cold,
Time gaps in the past ~10 years are a big red flag. Better to include non-related experience to avoid tempting the recruiter from wondering if you were making license plates for those years.

Look into a "functional" resume format. I am not crazy about them, but they are effective when changing career paths. Still need to carry a history section to account for your time however.

 

[SBLC]

From the advice I have been given by a lovely HR department is that they love examples. They want you to help quantify the problem,solution and results for them. I know this answer is more geared towards interview but my resume still possesses examples(i.e. quick short descriptive words). Of course, this could be due current status as a close to finishing mechanical engineering student:suicide:.

 

[countrycorey]

From the advice I have been given by a lovely HR department is that they love examples. They want you to help quantify the problem,solution and results for them. I know this answer is more geared towards interview but my resume still possesses examples(i.e. quick short descriptive words). Of course, this could be due current status as a close to finishing mechanical engineering student:suicide:.

I feel your pain, I graduated 4 years ago.

 

[Justink]

Make sure you have a cover letter,it makes your resume just stand out.

 

[coldLBZ]

I do use a cover letter, but I'm beginning to doubt that too. Does anyone have any advice regarding cover letters? Thanks.