should older candidates leave dates of graduation off their resume? by Alison Green on September 4, 2012 A reader writes: I’m over 50 and have been laid off due to my company downsizing. Our HR director was kind enough to present a resume- writing session recently. He said that we should leave our year of graduation off our resumes, so as not to date ourselves. I don’t agree because to me it […] Read the full article →
10 reasons your resume isn’t getting you interviews by Alison Green on August 13, 2012 If you’re sending out lots of resumes without getting many calls for interviews, it’s time to conclude that your resume isn’t doing its job. If you’re like most people, you’re making at least a few of these mistakes – which will put your resume promptly in the “no” pile. 1. It’s generic. If your resume reads just […] Read the full article →
I work for a boy band fan site by Alison Green on July 26, 2012 A reader writes: I have a question regarding job or volunteer experience that could be considered sort of embarrassing. I recently took over as a site administrator (or as the site wants to call me “webmistress” but that seems awkward and dominatrix-y to me) of a fan site for a well-known 90s boy band. It […] Read the full article →
know how to pare down your resume to what matters by Alison Green on June 20, 2012 Five-page resumes: common among senior-level candidates. Two-page resumes: common among senior-level candidates who actually get hired. And I’m not saying there’s a cause-and-effect — it’s more that strong candidates just don’t write overly long resumes. They know how to edit and they know what matters and what doesn’t. Read the full article →
get these 10 things off your resume by Alison Green on June 20, 2012 What you don’t include on your resume can be as important as what you do include. Here are 10 things to make sure you leave off of your resume. 1. An objective. Resume objectives never help and often hurt. Not only do they feel outdated at this point, but they’re all about what youwant, rather than what […] Read the full article →
ethics and your resume by Alison Green on May 11, 2012 A reader writes: I saw this post from Randy Cohen (formerly the author of The New York Times’ Ethicist column) on Facebook this morning: “A tougher one I received at the column: may a job hunter omit a Ph.D. [on his resume] lest a potential employer find him overqualified? No. Some things are not an […] Read the full article →
how long can your resume be? by Alison Green on April 11, 2012 An awful lot of people have internalized the old rule that your resume can only be one page, but it no longer holds true. Times have changed! Two-page resumes are common now, so if you’re been agonizing over how to stick to one page, agonize no longer. There is one big exception to this, though, […] Read the full article →
are professional resume writing services worth it? by Alison Green on March 31, 2012 A reader writes: I was wondering what your opinion is on professional resume writing services. Are they worth it? What about for new grads? I have 5 years of post0secondary (a degree with a semi-connection to my current field, and a diploma directly connected to my current field) concurrent with 6 years of experience. Some […] Read the full article →
those big paragraphs of text on your resume are putting people to sleep by Alison Green on March 22, 2012 Please, for the love of god, do not put large paragraphs of text on your resume. People looking at your resume are going to skim it on the first pass. They are not going to read it word-for-word, and they are more likely to see what you want them to see if you use bullet […] Read the full article →
your children are not your professional accomplishments by Alison Green on March 16, 2012 You do not want something like this on your resume: Mother of three children: William (born 1992), Kara (born 1994), and Lee (born 1997) Why is it there?!?! Why?! Why?! Get it off, immediately. I do not need to know the names and ages of your children, your pets, or your parents. I need to […] Read the full article →