Wayyyyy OT, Resume Writing

[Aaron O]

What is the accepted...or preferred...method of listing two positions held, consecutively, for the same company?

Meaning...if you were promoted and spent substantial time in both positions, would you list out both positions separately and trust the reader to recognize they were connected by the dates, or would you list them in one consolidated section? Would you only list the higher position held, or would you list both?

[pedlpwrd]

I would definiately include BOTH positions under the subtitle of the ONE employer. And from what I've recently been educated on, the preference now seems to be one sheet of paper, double sided if necc. But if you're submitting it via email then scratch that lol. You obviously want the intended reader to see your complete history and experience.
Just my take. Good luck!

[MattTuck]

What is the accepted...or preferred...method of listing two positions held, consecutively, for the same company?

Meaning...if you were promoted and spent substantial time in both positions, would you list out both positions separately and trust the reader to recognize they were connected by the dates, or would you list them in one consolidated section? Would you only list the higher position held, or would you list both?


Depends on the format of your resume.

I'd do

COMPANY XYZ

xx/2000 - xx/2005 Corporate Pawn
Got coffee
Stabbed coworkers backs

xx/2005 - xx/2012 Corporate Overlord
Received coffee
oversaw pawns
stabbed fellow overlords in the back
lit cigars with $100 bills.

[eddief]

what presents your story the way you want it to be understood. many don't care, won't find out your actual titles and dates. they ought to be concerned about the challenges you have been faced with, the actions you took to deal with those challenges, and the measurable results = CAR.

it also depends on if the two titles were just that - titles. or did the job and responsibilities change too.


could do:

title one
title two

and then a group of accomps under both titles. again, does anyone care about the titles? just because it happened does not mean it belongs on your resume.

most res reviews last less than a minute. don't rely on the reader to try to figure out anything.

[weiwentg]

Depends on the format of your resume.

I'd do

COMPANY XYZ

xx/2000 - xx/2005 Corporate Pawn
Got coffee
Stabbed coworkers backs

xx/2005 - xx/2012 Corporate Overlord
Received coffee
oversaw pawns
stabbed fellow overlords in the back
lit cigars with $100 bills.



I'd do overlord first.

[Bob Ross]

Depends on the format of your resume.

I'd do

COMPANY XYZ

xx/2000 - xx/2005 Corporate Pawn
Got coffee
Stabbed coworkers backs

xx/2005 - xx/2012 Corporate Overlord
Received coffee
oversaw pawns
stabbed fellow overlords in the back
lit cigars with $100 bills.




fwiw, I list the most recent position towards the top, so that as they read down the page they're going in reverse-chronological order.

But yeah, list the two positions as subheadings of the single employer.

[pedlpwrd]

Depends on the format of your resume.

I'd do

COMPANY XYZ

xx/2000 - xx/2005 Corporate Pawn
Got coffee
Stabbed coworkers backs

xx/2005 - xx/2012 Corporate Overlord
Received coffee
oversaw pawns
stabbed fellow overlords in the back
lit cigars with $100 bills.



Go with Matt's format!! LOL that was great!!

[BumbleBeeDave]

He knows what he's talking about.

BBD

[Aaron O]

Depends on the format of your resume.

I'd do

COMPANY XYZ

xx/2000 - xx/2005 Corporate Pawn
Got coffee
Stabbed coworkers backs

xx/2005 - xx/2012 Corporate Overlord
Received coffee
oversaw pawns
stabbed fellow overlords in the back
lit cigars with $100 bills.



I like this approach...thanks Matt. I want something that clearly illustrates advancement in title and duties and this seems to best fit the bill.

[MattTuck]

I like this approach...thanks Matt. I want something that clearly illustrates advancement in title and duties and this seems to best fit the bill.

Probably listen to the other folks with regard to chronology. I might add, depending on the company, a description of what the organization is or does.

I worked at a very small consulting company that no one really has ever heard of, so in my resume it says...


company xyz
Boutique consulting company doing xyz for clients in abc industries.

Position 1

position 2

If you work for Ford or another big company, most people have a general sense of what they do. if you work for a small company, it is sometimes nice to save the person from doing a google search, or just discarding your resume because "acme technologies" doesn't carry any meaning to them.

[Aaron O]

Probably listen to the other folks with regard to chronology. I might add, depending on the company, a description of what the organization is or does.

I worked at a very small consulting company that no one really has ever heard of, so in my resume it says...


company xyz
Boutique consulting company doing xyz for clients in abc industries.

Position 1

position 2

If you work for Ford or another big company, most people have a general sense of what they do. if you work for a small company, it is sometimes nice to save the person from doing a google search, or just discarding your resume because "acme technologies" doesn't carry any meaning to them.

I did use the most recent chronology approach, but I like your outline of presentation very much. Another trick seems to be making it readable and concise while using enough key words to blip resume scanners.

My wife once used a professional resume writer and I was not impressed with the results...has anyone else tried this? Is it worthwhile? I'm not actively looking and I'm getting a ton of recruiter hits...so it's probably not too bad.

One concern is that a lot of people are calling me for jobs that are definitely beneath my experiences and pay expectations...I'm wondering if I'm not presenting my duties well enough. I'm hoping the issue is that in a tough economy, recruiters are assuming people will take a lot less money rather than a fundamental resume issue.

[Louis]

company xyz
Boutique consulting company doing xyz for clients in abc industries.


You forgot to add "Education: Truck School of Business"

Back in the days when they used to post ding letters on the doors in Woodbury I saw one where the company made that mistake. Resulted in lots of snarky comments (well deserved) by the recipient.

[MattTuck]

You forgot to add "Education: Truck School of Business"

Back in the days when they used to post ding letters on the doors in Woodbury I saw one where the company made that mistake. Resulted in lots of snarky comments (well deserved) by the recipient.

http://tuckstuff.com/amos-truck-ringer-blue.aspx


On the back it says, "Learn to drive the big rig"

[Ginger]

Yep, but three things,
Dates on the overall company,
Reverse chronological order, for the two positions within the company, and all of the positions on the resume. (don't throw them a curve ball in the middle of your resume, let them be happy with normalcy.)
Titles before dates.

I agree with previous posters that the titles are immaterial, however those are key words that get you past the computers and HR and into the hands of the manager who might actually read it. If someone's giving you a 1 minute look over, they're just going to see titles, they're not reading blurbs unless it might apply to the job at hand.

And there was one more I was thinking of when I was looking at the example...oh, don't repeat "stuff" within the two positions for the same company unless in lower one you collated copy and the higher one you wrote copy.

In the US, one page, only going back 10 years at most, don't pad....
For some reason in Australia they want to see your creative writing style...and evidently they expect good toilet reading or something because they seem to expect to see every job you've had since you got out of the crib. Five page resumes seem to be the norm...that's not a resume, that's a novella!


COMPANY XYZ xx/2000 - xx/2012
Corporate Overlord xx/2005 - xx/2012
Received coffee
Corporate Pawn xx/2000 - xx/2005
Fetched coffee


And yeah, people do pay me to write their resumes...I'm a technical writer, not a resume writer...
That said, you have enough concerns and you've thought about it enough that I think you'll do fine on your own. If you aren't getting offers to your level of experience, I'd say there is something goofy with your resume. But I wouldn't know what it was unless I saw it myself. :)

That's something you could do. And I've done in the past. Find a trusted friend in the business you're in, who actually hires people, and buy them lunch in exchange for reading your resume and ripping it to shreds.

A hiring manager can tell you what is wrong with your resume in 5 minutes, then you can try to enjoy your lunch. :) Oh, but do it *before* any alcipops pass anyones lips. :) Business first and all that.
Take their opinion with a grain of salt, and apply what seems reasonable. (Everyone has their preferences, with luck you won't pick someone who likes to see resumes on pink paper...)

[eddief]

are sort of a confusing notion. noone knows as well as you what you actually did. i good resume coach, me, would have a dialogue with you to learn about your experience and your target(s), provide you with a framework into which to put your experience. if you are a good writer/wordsmither, you can do most of the rest yourself.

most people i have coached can't see their forest for their trees, speak mostly of duties, and have a difficult time of crafting their accomplishment statements. so my belief and experience is that a great resume is often more of a collaboration with killer content being foremost and format next most. ultimately this is a 2 page brochure focused on what you have done and why someone should invite you in for an interview to learn more.

I did use the most recent chronology approach, but I like your outline of presentation very much. Another trick seems to be making it readable and concise while using enough key words to blip resume scanners.

My wife once used a professional resume writer and I was not impressed with the results...has anyone else tried this? Is it worthwhile? I'm not actively looking and I'm getting a ton of recruiter hits...so it's probably not too bad.

One concern is that a lot of people are calling me for jobs that are definitely beneath my experiences and pay expectations...I'm wondering if I'm not presenting my duties well enough. I'm hoping the issue is that in a tough economy, recruiters are assuming people will take a lot less money rather than a fundamental resume issue.

[Ginger]

most people i have coached can't see their forest for their trees, speak mostly of duties, and have a difficult time of crafting their accomplishment statements. .....ultimately this is a 2 page brochure focused on what you have done and why someone should invite you in for an interview to learn more.

Yeah, hire him.

[Aaron O]

Thanks everyone! There was a lot of great, useful information given...

[azrider]

Two page resume is absolutely acceptable if your education and work history can support it. No clue what kind of work history OP has under his belt but when i approached three pro res writers a couple of years ago all three agreed that a 2 pager was warranted. YMMV

[slowgoing]

What is the accepted...or preferred...method of listing two positions held, consecutively, for the same company?

Meaning...if you were promoted and spent substantial time in both positions, would you list out both positions separately and trust the reader to recognize they were connected by the dates, or would you list them in one consolidated section? Would you only list the higher position held, or would you list both?

Same company header, different date subheaders.

Never trust the reader and never trust that he or she will read what you wrote or read between the lines of what you wrote. You have to spell it out for them like they are kids and then bring their attention to it during the interview if you want it to be noticed. Being subtle will get you nowhere.

[Earl Gray]

I want to be an Overlord!

[djg]

fwiw, I list the most recent position towards the top, so that as they read down the page they're going in reverse-chronological order.

But yeah, list the two positions as subheadings of the single employer.

Yeah, what he said. The most recent gig is on top, whether you've worked for one company (or non-corporate entity) or twelve. Nobody should have to read all the way down the page, much less to page 2, to discover that you are, in fact, the CFO of the Microsoft Corporation.

Otherwise I liked Matt's thing.

All the key things, nil on the bs, and headings that make the thing easy to scan.

As some folks have mentioned, with big organizations, it might pay to include whatever key words are appropriate to the situation (and your experience). When in doubt, check an actual listing to see how various qualifications are being ordered and labeled. Depending on the job, HR might have little or no say in who gets hired, but a good deal to say about which applications or resumes, or c.v.s, get flushed on a first or second pass.

[bargainguy]

I'm in the one page resume group. Anything past a page will numb most employers, esp. if they're looking at hundreds of resumes in a very short time.

All they want is your highlights. Being concise helps make the one page format possible.

Recruiters: My wife has been searching for employment in a very specialized and lucrative field. Even though her resume and linked in page state she's only looking for work in a particular part of the country, she gets barraged by recruiters who want her to work elsewhere.

Her take is that the recruiters are all vying to put people into positions no matter what is said about location, because the recruiters get paid a finder's fee and not by the hour.

Don

[Ginger]

I want to be an Overlord!

But you'd like....receive tea...right?

[Aaron O]

I'm in the one page resume group. Anything past a page will numb most employers, esp. if they're looking at hundreds of resumes in a very short time.

All they want is your highlights. Being concise helps make the one page format possible.

Recruiters: My wife has been searching for employment in a very specialized and lucrative field. Even though her resume and linked in page state she's only looking for work in a particular part of the country, she gets barraged by recruiters who want her to work elsewhere.

Her take is that the recruiters are all vying to put people into positions no matter what is said about location, because the recruiters get paid a finder's fee and not by the hour.

Don

I think you're right...they throw as much mud as they can and hope something sticks. I'm thinking/hoping that's why I get some recruiters for positions that are a little below what I'd consider my level.

[godfrey1112000]

In the black hole of employment search hundreds of resumes are dropped in to the abiss of employment, being self employed allows me my own special abiss

Key words: Goal, achieve, team player, scrum, deep dive, and other corporate buzz words are plucked off your resume and considered potential candidates for review,

I am sure that they also scan for the following:Mass Murder, Convicted felon, professional gambler, loves to call in sick, sued former employers, embezzler and avid cyclist :crap:

I have always wanted to send a resume with the following

My Name

about 10 buzz words of the day in Corporate America and see what happens

80 degrees, a new set of DT wheels just built up and I am calling in sick today at work :bike:

good luck in the job search



Depends on the format of your resume.

I'd do

COMPANY XYZ

xx/2000 - xx/2005 Corporate Pawn
Got coffee
Stabbed coworkers backs

xx/2005 - xx/2012 Corporate Overlord
Received coffee
oversaw pawns
stabbed fellow overlords in the back
lit cigars with $100 bills.

[Spinner]

[QUOTE=Ginger]

"I agree with previous posters that the titles are immaterial, however those are key words that get you past the computers and HR ..."

Bingo. A substantial number of companies today use automated candidate and resume processing software that allows resume searches using KEY WORDS and Synonyms of Key Words, as well as free-text searches. Some of these systems will even "rate" candiates" in order of how closely they match all of the search criteria. Key words can include, titles, duties, specific technologies, schools, certifications, etc.

Therefore, it is essential that you make your resume as friendly to these candidate processing systems as possible. Avoid sending a PDF resume as many systems can only read MS Word. Also note that these systems are designed to create individual candidate records by extracting names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, key words, etc. from the resume. This allows a company to store and search on existing records for future needs.

Hope this helps.

Hello MaryAnn; long time no talk.

Cheers.

Spinner

[Ginger]

Hello MaryAnn; long time no talk.

Hey there! Good to see you're still around here too! This place is better than facebook!

[Aaron O]

This is sort of a zombie post, but I did play with the resume a bit, incorporated some suggestions made here and have been VERY impressed with the results...I've had 4 calls in the past 3 weeks from people interested in me for high level jobs. I've seen a definite step up in the kinds of positions I'm being called about, even the ones I don't like. I'm in the final round at two companies I really like and will be making a decision shortly.

[Bob Ross]

Avoid sending a PDF resume as many systems can only read MS Word.

Seriously?!?! That's ludicrous!