Resumes & Job Searching

So after recently dealing with some unexpected medical events, I found my new position at ATG (ARTG) cut short. Although I was asked to re-apply for the position after completing my medical leave, I decided to update my resume and see what other opportunities might be available to me here in the Austin area.
You might think (as did I at first) that since I had been keeping my resume updated throughout my time at Dell (DELL), and that since Dell hired me with this resume, that this would be a relatively easy task. Was I mistaken! It appears that I had created a monstrosity of a resume that was unlikely to make it through the first wave of pruning by a busy HR hiring manager. You see, I had succumbed to what may be a rather common mistake among job-hunters - the dreaded over-written resume.

Through LinkedIn, I managed to connect with a resume and career consultant named Perry Newman from FirstImpressions who offered me a few bits of advice on how to improve my resume. Actually, he joked that what I had written might be classified as a CV, but was definitely not a resume :| Perry pointed me to a few posts he had written on his blog about writing a great resume, which I devoured along with as many other good tips I could find (links are at the bottom of this post).


I haven't completed the updating process, but I thought I would document the results of my efforts here on my blog and also provide some links to the resources I found online that I used to help me improve my resume. Please provide any other ideas or hints in the comments if you've got some of your own to share. I'll be uploading my resume (before and after) once I'm done with my review with Perry, so check back for more of the gory details!

Here are the links I found that I thought were helpful in this effort:

• 8 hours & a lunch: marketing 101 - your resume - http://debowen.typepad.com/8hours/2007/08/marketing-101--.html


• Developing "WOW" Accomplishments for Your Resume - http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumewriting/a/resumewow.htm


• Digital Resume Databases and Resume Blasting Services Whats in it for Job Seekers - http://www.kristidaeda.com/2009/08/10/great-effective-resume-keywords-bring-resume-success/


• How Many Resumes Do You Have? - http://www.brazencareerist.com/2009/07/29/how-many-resumes-do-you-have


• Interview AND Resume Tip- The Job Description Is Just The Starting Point - http://www.thejobbored.com/interview-and-resume-tip-the-job-description-is-just-the-starting-point_560/


• Is your résumé ‘interview worthy’? - http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/07/is-your-resume-interview-worthy.html


• Job Hacking: Resumes - http://jobhacking.typepad.com/job_hacking/resumes/


• Resume Critique Worksheet for Job-Seekers - http://www.quintcareers.com/resume_critique_worksheet.html


• Resume SEO: Get Your Resume to the Top - http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/05/resume-seo-get-your-resume-to-top.html


• Resume Writing Hints That Work - http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/06/resume-writing-hints-that-work.html


• Squawkfox » Series: How to Write a Resume (that gets job interviews) - http://www.squawkfox.com/2008/11/16/series-how-to-write-a-resume-that-gets-job-interviews/


• The 80/20 Barrier – Can Your Résumé Get Beyond It? - http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/07/i-had-another-very-busy-week-helping.html
• Writing a resume summary statement: Quantify, quantify, quantify - http://www.kristidaeda.com/2009/04/21/writing-a-resume-summary-statement-quantify-quantify-quantify/


• Your resume needs specifics - http://cuberules.com/2009/04/14/your-resume-writing-needs-specifics/

In addition to these resources, I found the following Sample Resumes quite useful in helping me decide how to cut my resume down to 1-2 pages:

• http://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts/Sample_Resume.pdf
• http://www.squawkfox.com/2009/04/24/free-resume-examples-with-resume-tips/
• http://jobsearch.about.com/od/sampleresumes/a/sampleresume2.htm
• http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Resumes/SR_Start.aspx?cblid=scpsrnjstk2a&sc_cmp1=JS_toolkit_newstellar

For those of you who are reading who are recent graduates or have been out of the job hunt for an extended period of time, you may also find the following links helpful:

• Resumes 101: A Ten Step Crash Course for Recent Grads - http://www.brazencareerist.com/2008/08/15/resumes-101-a-ten-step-crash-course-for-recent-grads
• Three Powerful Words For Your Resume - http://www.brazencareerist.com/2008/06/14/three-powerful-words-for-your-resume
• Writing a resume: Resume objectives - http://www.kristidaeda.com/2009/04/27/my-resume-objective-eliminate-yours/
• Your Strongest Resume - CAMP Chicago Career Symposium - http://www.slideshare.net/kristidaeda/your-strongest-resume-camp-chicago-career-symposium