Author Topic: Review/Critique of Resume Needed  (Read 3601 times)

Ms. Cocoa

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Review/Critique of Resume Needed
« on: November 18, 2014, 08:33:09 PM »
Hi Guys,

I have lurking on this community for about a year now, soaking up all the information I can find.  This is my first post, and was hoping to pick your brains regarding my resume.  Basically I'm looking to get out of the general accounting mold, and spread my wings a lot more. I have spent a lot of my career in the healthcare industry and definitely want to switch out of that.  I have attached my resume and would very much appreciate your honest opinion of what I need to change, add, expand, etc. 

Thanks a bunch!

MDM

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Re: Review/Critique of Resume Needed
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2014, 08:55:50 PM »
Ms. Cocoa, welcome to the forums.

Some knee-jerk reactions to the resume (and post):
  - Save the attachment to the post as a .doc file.  I guessed that's what it was, but make it easier on readers by making it clear it is a Word document.
  - Have a more specific "objective" (your first paragraph).
      - It's ok to tailor this for each job application
      -  Currently it seems too vague, and implies "I'll take/do anything."  While that may be true, readers want to think you want to work for them.
  - Specific examples of improvements you made, e.g. "•   Decreased reconciling items and accounting errors by over 50% for assigned offices" are great.  Add more.  Remove generic items to make room for the specific if needed.
  - Add the school where you got your degree.  A fellow alum may think kindly of you.

Good luck!

goodlife

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Re: Review/Critique of Resume Needed
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2014, 12:55:53 AM »
I don't like the formatting. Looks bland, so attached is something that I find looks better. Regarding the content, I have also made quite a few edits, but you should go further than that. Your entry description is kinda useless, so cut that. Normally when I read resumes, the person's current job description is the best and older ones are less so. Interestingly in your case though it looks like you put more effort in your older job description bullets than in your current one, so work on that, your last job description should be the longest and best. They are all too long though and too vague. I have cut it a bit, but you should go further in eliminating another 2 bullet points from each. Your resume should be able to fit on one page really. Also, your bullet points should be more than just a litany of the specific tasks you did, you are an accountant, so whoever reads your resume probably knows what you do on a daily basis. You have quite some experience, so highlight accomplishments, people management skills, how you have made a difference, promotions, etc. It reads to me like you are really understating your accomplishments...I assume you are female...it's a women's disease. A resume is by definition a show-off document, of course it is not a product of fiction, but don't hold back in beating your own drum. When I first started reading it, I thought you must be quite junior, but when I looked at your years of experience I realized that you are actually not, so highlight that.

Phone number and email are fine, I wouldn't put your address...it's not like they are going to pay you a visit, so save that line. With your resume, think about every line and every word whether this adds something to the kind of person that you want to portray. Don't put anything that's just a filler. Every word should be carefully chosen, every bullet point should add value and highlight something that is not already stated somewhere else.

I hope this helps! Also, in the attached doc I have been very generous with spacing. If you take out the last section (it's not that necessary) and take out some spaces and a few bullet points then it will easily fit on one page. (And of course I have made up some stuff such as locations just so that it looks nice, so make sure you edit everything properly if you decide you like the format and want to use it).
« Last Edit: November 19, 2014, 12:58:53 AM by goodlife »

midweststache

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Re: Review/Critique of Resume Needed
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2014, 06:58:00 AM »
Thoughts from a person who isn't in HR but has been wearing the HR hat at a nonprofit for a few months now.

1. Your objective is getting the job you're apply for. I think objectives are a waste of valuable resume real estate. Get rid of it, and use your cover letter for whatever narrative you want to tell about your goals (although you should explicitly tie this to the job you're applying for as well).

2. Use as many specifics as possible in your bullet points (numbers and data are easy visual markers of efficacy in the workplace). Also, why do you have a paragraph on your position AND bullet points of what you accomplished? That seems slightly redundant (I'm assuming your position titles are also included, but omitted for privacy-sake).

3. Unless you're changing career-paths to something relevant to your volunteer work, you don't need to list accomplishments. Showing that you volunteer your time in a relevant area of your expertise is enough.

4. Cathy is right, one-page tops for a resume. In your application, if you can, link to your LinkedIn account so they can see the longer version if they want. Revising the above suggestions should help with whittling this down to one page.

Best of luck!

Ms. Cocoa

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Re: Review/Critique of Resume Needed
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2014, 06:59:21 AM »
Thanks Everyone! I plan to go through all the comments/attachments with a fine toothed comb this evening. i definitely don't want to be read as bland, so that needs to be corrected ASAP.  I plan to use a lot of the info from my performance reviews,  because in there I do talk about my accomplishments. Putting together a well crafted resume has always been a bit of a struggle for me, so I really appreciate the candid responses. 

Ms. Cocoa

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Re: Review/Critique of Resume Needed
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2014, 07:14:43 AM »
Yes, I omitted things like job titles, location and even the university I attended due to privacy reasons.  Rest assured those items are definitely on any resume that I would send out.  While there are some good folks at my current workplace, a huge chunk are super shady and cutthroat, so I need to be careful when posting things on the Internet. 

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Review/Critique of Resume Needed
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2014, 09:11:09 AM »
As someone who just spent a while tailoring his own resume I like Goodlife's formatting better as well.

I was told to keep it brief, and bullet point only the really important/impressive parts of each position I held. Also was told to add a "computer skills" section as today's job market heavily relies on technology.

My resume was one of 70 for the position I applied for and since then I have been on 6 interviews awaiting an offer either today or tomorrow. Leaving the resume a little vague gives you more to talk about during the interview process.

 

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