I was searching for this but didn’t really see a thread. I was curious to see if anyone wanted to share resume tips for the folks who have been around the block a few times.
I remember being told my whole life that you should stick to a one page resume… however, as someone that reviews resumes, interviews & hires non-entry level people… I can’t tell you the last time I actually was sent a one page resume.
My one (extremely successful) friend even has a TL/DR section at the top to summarize everything that follows in his 8 page resume. I told him nobody is going to read that… his response was that was why he added the TLDR section.
sooo… anyone have any tips they’d like to share with the crowd for what is the current way to do things when you have 20 years experience?
I still feel that a resume should be brief (maybe two pages at most). Consolidate where you can - do things like just list positions from ages ago without any detail. Don’t put dates on the very old stuff (including graduation dates). Use bullet points and lists everywhere you can. Stretch margins to make it fit. I even use a smaller font size for skipping sections to make more room on a page. Put in a link to your linkedin page where they can see more detail there. No objective section, keep it simple - just personal information as the header, experience section, education section, and maybe a skills section.
It really depends on the field. In biotechnology/pharma, it is not uncommon for someone with 20 years of experience and multiple accomplishments to have a multi-page resume including a list of publications and patents. For a lawyer or accountant, 2 pages is plenty.
No objective section. No “personal interests” section. No font smaller than 11 because that is simply disrespectful to the reader. A link to one’s LinkedIn profile is a plus.
The objective section has baffled me my entire life… I’ve always felt like… Isn’t my objective obvious? I’m applying for this job with the objective of getting it… lol.
For a field where this is required (research, academia, etc.) I would consider this more of a resume addendum and keep the actual resume part down to 1-2 pages.
here is a good example I found on the internet for how to do these extra things as an addendum (professional memberships, certifications, publications, patents, etc.)
I generally figure that you want to put anything that you actually want people to see on the first page.
I put publications and patents on the second page (or second and third pages). I try to keep this short – mostly one line per patent and per publication (some patents have long names unfortunately). I do not bother to list minor publications.
I cannot imagine having an 8 page resume. However, I do not have even remotely close to enough publications and patents to fill 7 pages (after the one page summary).
I work in the finance and tech industry and a 2 page resume is the norm. Even for someone with 20 years of experience. You need to highlight your main contributions, no need to list every detail.
I was once given a resume that was not only 8 pages long but also in like font size 8 to review for a friend. And this was not the same person as the 8 page TLDR section friend I mentioned above. I feel like it’s becoming common… for better or for worse.
I keep all of my awards/certifications/etc on the second page of mine with the experience section on the first page.
Do not include professional references or say “upon request” - the HR will ask for that information if needed.
Do not list GPA unless you are a fresh grad, but feel free to include Latin honors.
If you are a co-inventor/inventor on more than just a few patents, please list only the US counterparts or just the PCT families (if that is how the patents were filed). Please separate issued patents and pending patent applications in different “buckets” so that you do not end up calling patent applications “patents.” This is a big pet peeve of patent-savvy HMs.
DH and I are convinced we got our jobs at the same engineering company because he put sailing as one of his personal interests. Our interviewer was a huge sailor and that’s all he wanted to talk about with DH. I really don’t think we would have ended up in Maine without that mention on his resume.
Try to use use words like “responsible,” “accountable” , “lead”instead of “participate” or “collaborate.”
Instead listing your job tasks, highlight result/contribution of your work.
“Lead a team of analysts to consolidate the firm’s product inventory information which resulted in overall reduction of $$$ operating costs and operations risk.”
I often read resumes where a developer would write, “assisted in upgrading legacy system to…” and I would ask “why did you do it, what was your role and what were the benefits to the business?”
This might still work for certain fields, like law or accounting, especially in private practice. For the vast majority of folks, the hobbies section is a filler that takes up valuable space on the resume. Most resumes are auto pre-screened for key words; hobbies are usually not among those. Also, some HMs might believe that a hobby could be distracting or disruptive because one might be devoting the activity some time that otherwise would be spent working. So if you decide to include personal interests, make sure none could be thought of as “side hustles.”
The last time my daughter was job hunting she had a headhunter look at her resume. (Unsolicited, the guy messaged her from LinkedIn). She had included her participation in a new onboarding program (she is not in HR, so it was unrelated to her day to day work). He was adamant that she should remove it as it was not related to her job. She kept it on. Guess what, every single interview she went on asked her to talk about that.
My point is to make sure to include in your work experience things which are not typical as they can spark discussion and may make you stand out from the crowd.
Not currrently seeking employment, but when I was, it was always a struggle on how to include non-work related accomplishments. Most of my career was in part-time positions. As such, my role was more supportive, whereas most of my creative and leadership skills were in volunteer positions. Suggestions for those who may have left the work force for extended periods, or also worked part-time?
