Career Frustrations...

[rebel100]

I'm so frustrated with work right now, really at a loss as to how to fix it.

My career path has sort of lacked focus, I have experience working in Police, Fire, EMS, Emergency Management, Self Employment (Electrician and data cabling), a little EMS Instructing as well.

About 2 years ago I even took a pay cut and jumped into a supervisory position with a hospital in order to solidify my supervisory/managers credentials.  I have an AS degree in Emergency Medical Services, a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership/Health Care, and will complete my online MBA by the end of this year.

...with all that I can't seem to break the 30K/year barrier....I feel like a huge failure.  Resume's and applications don't even get acknowledged...I never even get calls for interviews,  my attempts to network are usually met with a shrug and a statement to the effect "your lucky to have any job in this economy". 

I feel like I'm playing by the rules...yet missing some significant piece of the puzzle.

To make matters worse,  my direct manager went out in March on FMLA leave and will be gone through January at the minimal (I actually doubt he will ever return)...I've been running the department of some 30 people since he left...without any compensation for it.  when I breach the subject with administration they promise to take the matter up with HR...and nothing ever gets done.  I would leave in a flash except I can't find anywhere to go.

I would even go back out on my own, but I lack the most basic of start up funds (and I now have a nearly grown daughter entering college herself)...I'm at the end of my rope!

Things have sort of boiled over today as I've been working with the career adviser at my school on my resume and she basically took a look, told me "you have a great skill set" and recommended I go work through a bunch of "career tools' on the college website, things like "what to do with your MBA" and "what's your entrepreneurial aptitude" quizzes (says I'm moderate if you want to know).  I'm not mad at her, but damn, it doesn't really help to hear that I just gotta keep plugging away.

It's funny because other than career I live a rather mustachian lifestyle.  Paid for house, we're pretty careful with our spending (there is room for improvement but its nothing like "typical American" overspending).  Both cars are paid for, daughter is attending a rather prestigious University on academic scholarship/PELL grant....and it's primarily online.  I mean the corners are pretty damn trim...

Here is the essence of my resume:

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

Dynamic Management Professional, Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Expert, with verifiable year-after-year success managing emergency response structures, activities and personnel that reduce the amount and severity of injuries, illnesses, morbidity and mortality. Ensures effective communication connectivity among public health departments, healthcare organizations, law enforcement organizations, public officials, and other emergency response personnel to strengthen emergency management systems. Identifies resource requirements and develops and manages yearly budgets and expenditures in keeping with program goals and achievements. Extensive background in teaching and instruction, including training stakeholders on safety and emergency preparedness and response, and EMS students and firefighters on emergency medical services. Assesses community-wide all hazard vulnerability. Demonstrated ability to hire, train, mentor and evaluate employees with a manner that results in productivity increases and emergency response improvements.

•   Emergency Management   •   Course Developement   •   Regulatory Compliance
•    Classroom Instructor/Teacher   •   Strategic Planning   •   Business Optimization
•   Supervision and Motivation   •   Medical Disaster Prep.   •   Budget Creation & Management
•   Emergency Medical Services   •   Project Management   •   Supervision / Management
•   HAZ-MAT Paramedic   •   Firefighting   •   Safety & Security
•   OSHA Compliance   •   The Joint Commission   •   ASPR Grant Administration

EDUCATION & CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

•   Master of Business Administration (MBA),  (Graduate: December 2013)
•   Bachelor of Science, Health Care Management & Organizational Leadership,
•   Associate of Science, Emergency Medical Services,
•   Professional Certifications:

   Critical Care Paramedic, University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus
   Professional Development Series Certificate, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA PDS)
   FEMA CDP Framework for Emergency Response
   EMS Level A Instructor
   Firefighter 1, State of Florida
   National Registry Paramedic (NREMPT), Florida Paramedic
   HAZ-MAT Paramedic
   ACLS, PALS, BLS, HAZWOPER, EVOC
   Multiple FEMA Courses including IS 100,200,700,800
   NIMS, ICS 300 and 400

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

HOSPITAL
ACTING PROTECTIVE SERVICES MANAGER/DIRECTOR
SAFETY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR
Maximize operations of the Emergency Response Program and Hazardous Materials Team (HERT), Call Center and Courier Programs, by training, supervising and mentoring personnel, and enforcing compliance with local, state, federal and accrediting body rules and regulations, including the Joint Commission Guidelines. Develop, implement, review and revise policies, procedures and programs necessary to maintain a safe and healthy environment and to provide an adequate response to critical incidents and emergencies.  Managed a staff of 30 employees, a budget in excess of $500,000.00 (Payroll and Operations), and various grant funding initiatives.
•   Cultivated community partnerships by inviting local fire and police to train alongside the hospital HERT team.
•   Increased worker safety in hazardous situation response due to creating improved protocols and methods.
•   Improved compliance at all levels through extensive staff training on Incident Command, NIMS, and HICS; recognized for excellence in training by senior management.
•   Enhanced productivity and efficiency of the Courier Program by redesigning the workflow and tracking system.
•   Redefined service excellence by improving the performance and perception of the hospital Call Center.


PARAMEDIC
Delivered aid to the seriously ill when responding to calls for medical assistance at accidents, emergencies and other related incidents in Western Orange County Florida by making diagnoses and giving emergency treatment to patients; worked to maintain patient cardio-pulmonary performance, administered drugs, assessed and treated patients as team lead. Assisted with patient care in the hospital and wrote case notes to report patient's history, condition and treatment to hospital staff and coroners' offices.
•   One of only three paramedics retained due to performance excellence after hospital downsizing.
•   Promoted to Safety & Emergency Management Coordinator as a result of strong leadership abilities.


PARAMEDIC, CRITICAL CARE
Cared for and transported patients with severe illness or injury who required advanced measures such as defibrillator, EKG monitor, ventilators, IV pumps, Hemodynamic monitoring devices, advanced airway adjuncts, oxygen and suction devices, intravenous fluids, CPR and other procedures, equipment and medications. Communicated with receiving facility to receive medical direction and provide critical information. 
•   Selected to serve as a member of the new Critical Care Program due to performance excellence. 
•   Achieved the distinction of Field Training Officer for new hire orientation within a few months of hire date.
   

EMS INSTRUCTOR
Taught lab and didactic portions of instruction on emergency medical services; paramedic curriculums, instruction, supervision and evaluation of student skills in the laboratory setting.
•   One of two instructors selected by students to complete the final paramedic class at the Orlando campus as a result of teaching excellence.

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER & EMS OPERATIONS CAPTAIN
Served as command officer for emergent firefighting and medical calls for service, and department liaison to the County Emergency Operations Center in times of crises.
•   Facilitated timely and proper response to emergencies by developing and coordinating team training and drills.
•   Ensured a successful city-wide all hazard vulnerability assessment through comprehensive team preparation.

SELF EMPLOYED
SECURITY CONTRACTOR & CONSULTANT
Owned and operated a low voltage contracting firm dedicated to securing personal and assets through vide, alarm, and access control measures. As project manager for multiple local companies, specialized in hardening targets from natural and manmade threats. Wrote and executed contracts on behalf of companies.
•   Grew sales by recruiting, hiring, training and supervising qualified team members.
•   Effectively managed accounting and finances by creating and maintaining a budget and tracking expenses.

POLICE DEPARTMENT
Managed all facets of the highly successful Tactical Robbery Apprehension Program that targeted violent criminals. Grew and maintained the program by collaborating with the general public and internal stakeholders.
•   Instrumental in the capture and conviction of numerous violent felons due to playing a key role in the program.
•   Recognized by management for commendable performance and personal initiative.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook), Google Docs Suite, and Internet.

[savingtofreedom]

Rebel1000 I am very frustrated for you too.  Please know that you are not a failure. Your resume is very impressive.

Where do you live now and do you have the opportunity to travel for a job?

When sending out resumes are you focusing on targeting your resume to the job requirements? The resume below may be too broad.  I wonder if folks consider you overqualified because of all the different things you have done.

What about private security for wealthy people/ corporations?

I would really also try to expand your networking. Can you leverage any contacts like professors or classmates or the career counselor for job opportunities?  What about friends?  I have found most of my jobs through friends and have been very lucky how it worked out.

[Frankies Girl]

Not a professional career adviser or anything, so take anything I say with a grain of salt...

Is there anything stopping you from making an appointment with HR yourself to discuss your current situation? I understand not wanting to go over your direct supervisor's head, but what about bring it up (again) with the admin and in a friendly manner say something like "I know we've discussed this before, and I understand you're a very busy person. What if I just go ahead and set up the meeting with HR and let you know when it is in case you'd like to attend?" and/or also "I'm really wanting to advance with this department and I'm not sure why that hasn't happened. Can we please discuss my job and duties and career path?" and just try to pin them down... but then again, you also should be able to go to HR on your own to discuss your job -that's one of the reasons to have HR. Don't go in there without good notes showing when you started, what you've been responsible for and for how long and when you've asked to discuss this in the past - all the details you need to basically make your case.

And as far as applying to other jobs and your resume... I know nothing of your field, but it's very overwhelming to me, almost info overload and makes you look like a "flight risk" or job hopper (just my impressions - still very great skillset, but you have to get someone to read it to get that across). Might look at distilling it down to the facts and removing anything that doesn't expressly apply to the job you're applying to. Your education, certifications and skills might be better suited to be the main points with less emphasis on the actual places of employment - and maybe leave off all together the contractor/consultant if it's not germane. Still put on the employment history, but cull out the actual skills and put them before, and then list of employers. No idea if this would work, but it would pop better to me anyway to see what you can do the focus rather than where you did it.

Good luck!!

[Peony]

Your resume looks chock-full of impressive stuff. Without knowing about your field, my first thought is that your skills might be very useful to large or mid-sized city governments that need to manage disaster preparedness/relief, or to health-care facilities in populous locations that have a lot of heavy-duty EMS activity. Or at the federal level, Homeland Security, maybe? Maybe even military contractors? I wouldn't be surprised if you could do quite well if you cast a wide net and are willing to relocate. Best of luck!

[Kriegsspiel]

Can you enlist in the military?

[Daleth]

Are you entrepreneurial? Could you do consulting on security issues, setting up security policies and procedures, etc? With clients being--say--schools, hospitals, corporations, whatever? I would think once you got things up and running, you could do a lot better than $30k/yr.

[Left]

where are you located? KC isn't the best paying town I know, but I also know that you could make more than 30k here. I'll bet in any of the larger cities >1-2 million people, you should be able to make more too.

I saw your profile says florida, but are you in a large city there?

[pdxcyn]

I lived in Florida a couple years, and it was my experience that the pay scale is low there all around. If relocating is an option, I think you will do much better elsewhere. I sure did.

[rebel100]

I live in the greater Orlando area,  I don't make anywhere near the median for an Emergency Manager (bottom 10% Nationally),  I was OK taking this job with the low pay...its just that I feel I've paid my dues.

The military is a no go...too old and fat,  The resume reflects 20 years of work experience.....10 years with the Police Dept., 7 years running my own business, several years now in EMS/Fire/Emergency Management....I don't think anyone sees me as a flight risk....but then again I posted this to get feedback.

I definitely need to network myself better.  I guess I do a poor job of selling myself.  IDK

Federal jobs I've applied for acknowledge receipt of my resume then its nothing but crickets...too many returning service men/women I suspect.  I have tried, no success there.

I have run my own business before....it was always feast or famine, but I was young and inexperienced.  I do think of entrepreneurial ideas...and the goal is definitely to build the stashe and not have to worry about work.  Just need say 5-10 years of decent income.

frankies girl....I appreciate your input, I'm told by folks that should know that my resume looks stellar.  Yet probably 50+ have gone out with only one nibble to show for it....I really do fear something is wrong, I just don't know what it is....I tend to spend 5-10 years with an employer, though the last two have been <2 years and going on 3 years at this point.   

I appreciate everyone's encouragement.  Its macabre and makes me feel bad...but I keep thinking if my manager doesn't come back I should be an obvious choice as his permanent replacement.  Honestly though I'm not sure the pay would be the big gain I feel I need.

I would relocate for the right job.  Hard to leave all the family and a paid for house...but this is becoming ridiculous.

[sol]

After I graduated with a Ph.D., about 2/3 of my job applications were never even acknowledged.  My interview rate was less than 15%.  If my experience is representative, you'd need to send in at least seven tailored job applications to people with whom you have an established professional network to get one interview.  Then remember they typically interview at least four people for every job, so now you're looking at 28 applications to get a single offer, which may not be very good.  Finding a job is hard work.

Federal jobs I've applied for acknowledge receipt of my resume then its nothing but crickets...too many returning service men/women I suspect.  I have tried, no success there.

Particularly in your field, there's no way you're getting a federal job right now.  All those vets returning from a decade of two wars get automatic hiring preference in exchange for, you know, risking their lives for your freedoms.  If you're in a field that the military trains for, you're never going to make the interview list with a federal agency. 

[dragoncar]

I agree, you may be a prime candidate for geographic arbitrage.  Go to a high cost of living area, and earn way more.  Live as cheaply as possible while saving for FI.  Then move back to florida or another low COL area.

[rebel100]

Particularly in your field, there's no way you're getting a federal job right now.  All those vets returning from a decade of two wars get automatic hiring preference in exchange for, you know, risking their lives for your freedoms.  If you're in a field that the military trains for, you're never going to make the interview list with a federal agency.

I'm certain this is true...and never really sought federal work.  I have a pal in a relatively high federal position, he tried to bring me in to work continuity of operations planning but the field was thick with military apps....he couldn't even get me a  interview...really the only federal job I tried for other than some va hospital jobs.

I'm not complaining that the military get a preference for these....I'd be quite happy at a decent passing private hospital.

[rebel100]

Applied for several jobs tonight,  shook my linked in contracts tree a bit. 

I'm not at all married to emergency management,  the pending MBA might provide enough juice to switch careers.  Trying to assess all the options. :)

[Sunflower]

If your house is in a desirable area, maybe you could rent it out for the 5-10 years that you take a high paying job elsewhere and then retire back to Florida. Even if some of the profits go to a management company, it might be the best option financially and give you the piece of mind that you can always come back if things didn't work out in a new location.

Job hunting sucks! I just completed a job hunt that lasted almost 9 months and it felt like a roller coaster the whole time. I ended up accepting the only position I was officially offered - it could be great or could be awful, I'll find out in a few more weeks!

Is your current job high stress/high hours? I'd read back through the most recent blog posts and start picking up some skills on the side. Try to make money off of them and see where that takes you longer term.

[Left]

not to criticize your resume's content, but if that's how it looks visually, it's kind of ugly, long and dragged out to me. I'm no expert at writing them but have you had someone that is/or know someone that has written a few look over it? I can't give much tips on it myself, but I just get the feeling that the content is thrown together to look like it belongs on a powerpoint, but it doesn't really flow together into something that would reflect a job. Unless you are fixing it for each job and this is just a basic "this is my work experience" for us to look at

It might not be the actual content that's not getting you the interviews/jobs, but just how the resume looks superficially?

I've visited Florida for training and with the large hospitals/systems, I'd try sending in for some jobs with them if you haven't. With your varied experiences, they all seem to tie into something hospitals might need to me. Either managing something/or training

[sleepyguy]

OMG, with your experiences and degree... you would probably land a 50-60K job with the Gov't here in Canada easily.

I would say move to another area of the country if you can... maybe ask to stay at family members place for a few days (if you get the interviews) in the area.

I would say cut your resume to 1-2pgs... entry level should always be 1pg.  Thought of working overseas?  There is another topic I responded to where a recent grad (28) had issues getting employment... there were alot of good feedback on that thread, you should check it out.  I think the topic heading was "employmed gonna be homeless soon" or something along those lines.

Good luck!

[rebel100]

Finally, whenever you meet someone in your field who might know of openings, etc., make a point of asking them what the biggest problems or issues their organization is dealing with are, and then try to speak to how you might be able to help them solve those problems.  People want capable, results oriented people on their teams.  There is always stuff that needs to be fixed.  Start planting yourself in people's minds as someone who fixes stuff.  Then even if there are no current openings, when one comes up they may think of you and help you get your foot in the door.

I like this, great advice!  Thanks.

[rebel100]

I just threw up the highlights, all of that is on the resume, but it only runs two pages, Everyone that sees it indicates that its visually appealing.  I have it seperated with decent titles/page breaks, 11 point type, cambria font, but I appreciate the criticism....maybe its too busy. 

I don't know how to post the actual document or I would do that.

I do have a generic cover letter outline that I adjust  to each position,  I will try migrating to a custom letter for each position...perhaps that's part of  the problem.

I appreciate all the input!

[prosaic]

Look at Operations and Security at universities. With that kind of resume you could EASILY get a Director-level position in emergency services at most schools.

I live in the northeast and jobs like that pay $70K up and have great benefits.

[rebel100]

Here it is in PDF.  :)

[sleepyguy]

Personally get cutepdf and send it in PDF if they allow.  Almost everyone has the reader so it's good and you know what they see is what YOU see.

[mgreczyn]

I would recommend cutting the resume to one page, edit heavily for impact.  Only advice I'll give on the resume. 

What about taking your experience with emergency / disaster preparedness, public safety and compliance and try to leverage it into an EHS position with an industrial enterprise? I develop and permit large scale wind farms, and every single one of them has rather extensive safety, emergency response and regulatory compliance requirements.  Our site managers need people with that knowledge, we also have regional EHS managers and I think we even have a new VP-level position focused only on safety.  I know for a fact our head safety guy reports directly to the CEO/COO.  Some of our people in that field came from oil & gas, same deal there, but much higher pay.  You need to consider who you're providing your services to; I have no experience in public health, but "high compensation" isn't the first thought that pops into my head when I hear the title "Hospital Safety and Emergency Management Coordinator.  In fact, what pops into my head is visions of annual wrestling matches for dollars amid budget cuts and management plans to buy outrageously priced medical imaging devices.  On the other hand, pick a safety-minded corporation in a profitable industry with inherent risk to personnel, environment and the public at large and you might have some income growth potential.

That's also how I would leverage that MBA, BTW.  It doesn't seem like that credential gives you any edge in applying to gvmt jobs at all, but if you can walk into an interview at a company and convince them that you understand the business case for a robust safety, emergency response and regulatory compliance program I think that gives you an edge over someone with just a safety background.   

[minimalist]

Your attachments can be un-blacked out.  I would take down your attachments and convert them pdf or delete the specific address, phone number, employers, etc.

[Tyler]

Regarding the resume, my best advice is to:

1) Limit it to one page. Your goal is to generate enough interest to get a call, not to document your life story.

2) For work history, a helpful exercise is to limit your high-level summary of each job/position to a single, brief, non-run-on sentence. This is admittedly very challenging to do, but it will help you cut through the fluff to efficiently communicate the core of what you do.

3) Supporting your skill with facts is great, but avoid narrative.

4) When you have lots of diverse skills and experience, hiring managers often can't tell what you're best at. Use the cover letter to make that clear.

5) Never ever rely on web submission systems (especially for large companies). Always find a direct contact to send your resume to. And if one isn't available, try dropping off a printed copy with HR in person. If you only submit online, there's a very good chance that a human being will never read your resume.

Those are personal rules, and have served me very well over my career. But YMMV. One last general rule is that if whatever you're doing now isn't working, try something different.

[Marmot]

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY
Dynamic Management Professional, Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Expert, with verifiable year-after-year success managing emergency response structures, activities and personnel that reduce the amount and severity of injuries, illnesses, morbidity and mortality. Ensures effective communication connectivity among public health departments, healthcare organizations, law enforcement organizations, public officials, and other emergency response personnel to strengthen emergency management systems. Identifies resource requirements and develops and manages yearly budgets and expenditures in keeping with program goals and achievements. Extensive background in teaching and instruction, including training stakeholders on safety and emergency preparedness and response, and EMS students and firefighters on emergency medical services. Assesses community-wide all hazard vulnerability. Demonstrated ability to hire, train, mentor and evaluate employees with a manner that results in productivity increases and emergency response improvements.

•   Emergency Management   •   Course Developement   •   Regulatory Compliance
•    Classroom Instructor/Teacher   •   Strategic Planning   •   Business Optimization
•   Supervision and Motivation   •   Medical Disaster Prep.   •   Budget Creation & Management
•   Emergency Medical Services   •   Project Management   •   Supervision / Management
•   HAZ-MAT Paramedic   •   Firefighting   •   Safety & Security
•   OSHA Compliance   •   The Joint Commission   •   ASPR Grant Administration

What is all this? Seems too broad and too much. Do you need to include this? If you really feel you need to, it needs to be more concise.

I agree with shadow. This summary section likely acts as a barrier to HR professionals reading further into your resume, as the big block of text looks a bit intimidating. They often have to skim/read so many resumes, so they like to look for reasons to quickly rule out a resume and move on to the next one.

This qualifications summary section is too wordy and has some redundancies (some of your certifications are listed in another section of resume also (ie haz-mat paramedic)). I would recommend majorly consolidating this section and eliminating certain points; also, pick a single format instead of both narrative and bullets. An example of a phrase that can be shrunk down is "Ensures effective communication connectivity among public health departments, healthcare organizations, law enforcement organizations, public officials, and other emergency response personnel to strengthen emergency management systems."; perhaps just say something along the lines of "create and maintain effective communications channels with all stakeholders" or even just say "excellent communication skills". Your text is a well written idea, though might be better off in a cover letter.

Perhaps even remove this summary section entirely (I do not have one on my resume anymore, and handle all of this in the cover letter). You could also move the skills listed in this summary to the very end of the resume and consolidate with technical skills into a larger "relevant skills" section.

Also, I would recommend to have your work experience before education. Also, for your current role, I would make sure everything is in the same tense, and perhaps make it all present tense instead of past tense. I think you are fine with 2 pages for your resume, or even 3 as you have had a long career. The one page rule of thumb only applies to people with at the most only a few years of work experience imo.

I am starting a new job on Monday, so a lot of this resume, cover letter and interview stuff is still fresh in my head. I am also in healthcare and have an MBA, though work in advocacy/health policy for medical specialty associations.

Best of luck! With your skills, experience and education,  you can get much better compensation than what your current employer is providing. Think about relocating as others have suggested.

[Zelda01]

Ok, here are the first two sections.  You don't HAVE to put an objective, but it helps clarify what you are looking for:


OBJECTIVE:  A position that allows me to leap tall buildings in a single bound, and rescue the inhabitants therein.

QUALIFICATIONS  (maybe 1 less bullet point, but now easier to read than paragraph format

• Dynamic Management Professional.  Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Expert
• Educated and multi-credentialled:  MBA, BS in Health Care Management & Organizational Leadership, HAZ-MAT Paramedic, EMS Level A Instructor  (add 1 or 2 more)
• Year-after-year success managing emergency response structures, activities and personnel that reduce the amount and severity of injuries, illnesses, morbidity and mortality.
• Effective communicator enhancing connectivity among public health departments, healthcare, law enforcement, and public officials to strengthen emergency management systems.
• Extensive background in training stakeholders on safety and emergency preparedness and response, and EMS students and firefighters on emergency medical services.
• Expertise in assessing community-wide all hazard vulnerability.
• Demonstrated ability to hire, train, mentor and evaluate employees resulting in productivity increases and emergency response improvements.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
...


Ok, education and a few credentials are in one bullet point.  As Marmot said, you can now move any education and credential details to the bottom, but put a few more vital credentials in that 2nd bullet point to pique their interest.

[CDP45]

Read this:
Value is subjective. What is the company looking for to fill this position? You are not focused enough on your resume.

Example: I can swing a hammer harder and faster than anyone else and I’ve been swinging it for 20 years now. vs.
I pound in nails quicker and deeper than anyone else.

Who would you hire if you needed to build something? The job may be advertized as “Hammer-swinger needed” but what they really want is nail-driver.

Regarding your question of I don’t understand why I don’t make more than $30k - I’m glad you are starting to realize this, so have you asked yourself what more can I do to help out my boss/company? You need to figure out how you provide value, and then provide more.

Only have 1 color- BLACK. Only have 1 font-type, delete the shadow stuff, delete the check marks. You have a typo under your security contractor  first line “through [vide], alarm,”

[Left]

I do have a generic cover letter outline that I adjust  to each position,  I will try migrating to a custom letter for each position...perhaps that's part of  the problem.

Tailor the resume as well. I feel odd bring up the resume thing, but I just felt like that was the glaring problem of you not getting further with all that experienced. It's odd, lots of business/mba types that I know, have no idea how to "get hired" even though they learned to the management aspect of it.

When I meant ugly, I wasn't talking about visual appearance so much as how the content itself is presented. Namely, I could write random words on a paper to make a visually appealing flower, but it doesn't say much about me (unless I'm an artist).

Have you taken some resume writing classes, or just look up CV's or sample resumes for the job type online?
Not too sure why you need the technical skills at the bottom either? I'd guess anyone able to get an MBA these days can at least get online and type out a paper :S seems redundant and takes up space.

Also some of the things in the bullet points seems unnecessary to me because the job itself required that. Kind of like saying "basketball player" - knows how to shoot a 3 pointer. It's an over simplification though and I hope my intent gets across and that I don't mean anything personal about you.

[ender]

I just threw up the highlights, all of that is on the resume, but it only runs two pages, Everyone that sees it indicates that its visually appealing.  I have it seperated with decent titles/page breaks, 11 point type, cambria font, but I appreciate the criticism....maybe its too busy. 

Keep in mind most people's resumes are not that great. I've reviewed resumes (a lot by now) and thought many were terrible yet seen other people basically say, "wow good resume!"

A resume is a work of art. Does it invite a reader to look at it?

[rebel100]

Thanks folks,  I really do appreciate the input.  I intend to spend some time this weekend tweaking some things.

On a happier note, I actually applied for a job with the resume essentially as is Thursday.  A half hour later I'm emailling back and forth with an HR rep in New Hampshire and now I have a telephone interview lined up for next Tuesday...job would more than double my pay and actually sounds interesting. 

I'll let you know how it goes...

[willn]

Networking, networking, networking. The flood of resume's that come in for every opening means you need to have a personal relationship with someone.  Seems like you have very strong qualifications.  How are your interviewing and social skills?  Do they need work?  Be brutal with yourself, find your faults in these areas.  Are you hard to work with?  Do you have resting bitch face? 

I ask because I've met folks that have had trouble despite strong experience and expertise, and they weren't advancing because they had some social skills issues.  Hygiene, too talkative, too grouchy, whatever.  Not trying to offend, just want to make sure you're non professional skillset is getting developed also.

Work your Facebook, Linkedin, etc.  Find professional groups in your area in your fields.  Join online discussion groups.

Write a blog.  Pimp it in your signature on forums, post it on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Start getting your experiences and thoughts on the page and out in the world. Make a name for yourself.

It helps if you can write well but even mediocre writing about good content that shows your expertise is fine.  Get a friend to edit if you think you're struggling with writing.

I like the consulting idea.  If you can build a social media reputation maybe you can leverage that to find side hustles.

Good luck!

[Peony]

Are there any regional or national conferences pertaining to your field (or related fields that interest you) that you might be able to attend for networking purposes?

[Marmot]

Do you have resting bitch face? 

Jay Cutler is a great example of someone with R.B.F. syndrome. =P

[expatartist]

Whether you love or hate how much she includes about her personal life/neuroses, Penelope Trunk has some good advice on resumes: http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/category/resumes/

[kkbmustang]

Before you go into your interview, Google stalk the person or people you will be interviewing with. If two candidates are equal credentials wise they will hire the person they like best and with whom they share common interests. If you can connect in that way, it might even put you ahead of someone with slightly better credentials. Find out, if you can, what they like, alma mater, people you both know, etc. I feel quite confident I got my first law clerking job in part because I was able to discuss football and the results of the most recent Dallas Cowboys game.