This is another requested article by our webmaster his request was: Resumes-Cover-Letters - Resume/CV & Cover letter writing tips, do's and don'ts and suggestions.

For many years I hired engineer and staff members for both manufacturing and R & D operations. If there is anything that I can say that will help you to gain success in life it is this: Tell the absolute truth. That applies in spades to Resumes and cover letters.

Here are some ideas from my experience:

Never take full credit for the success of any task that you did not accomplish by yourself.

Its better to say, Served on a task force to reduce the cost of material handling. The task force succeeded in reducing cost by blah, blah, blah. My role was to see that blah, blah, blah. In this role I blah, blah, blah.

In this, be as specific as possible. Write as much as you can about the project showing that you have knowledge, technical ability, and the ability to work with others. Then condense it for your resume according to its importance. It could be a paragraph, a page, but not two pages. Leave room for discussion. Remember that discussion is the most important part of your interview (after you put on a good conservative suit or dress and polish your shoes). A good resume will lead to good discussion in your favor.

If you just put in a bullet that says: Reduced shipping cost by 10% you will get the Spanish Inquisition. If you are going to use bullets, list them early in the resume as a summary of what is to follow. Your bullet for this project might be:Served as packaging coordinator on the corporate taskforce to reduce shipping and handling cost. Packaging cost were reduced by 7% resulting in an annual savings in Fiscal Year 2003 of $57,000.00.

Avoid giving too much personal information.

Remember that you are pursuing your vocation, not your avocations. This is a touchy area and you must be cautious. I feel that being brief is best.

Let me give you an example: My oldest son had finished medical school and was applying to schools offering neurosurgery. On his resume, he put Eagle Scout.

Now becoming an Eagle Scout is a boyhood achievement. His department head told him to remove it from his resume now that he had a good medical background.

This was the days before every Tom, Dick, and Harry had a word processor. My son did not want to retype the resume so he let the Eagle Scout entry stay. On his first interview, the department head said, Oh! Im an Eagle Scout too.

Do you remember How to Get Along in Business without Even Trying? The protagonist knew that the Corporate President a Ground Hog and that he knitted. Later he learned that the Chairman of the Board had been a window washer. He used this kind of information to get ahead. If you know something about the people who are going to interview you, then maybe you can adjust your resume accordingly, but dont over do it.

How important your nonprofessional activities will help or hurt you is hard to tell. Remember that people have prejudices. My number three son decided to take a chance on his application to several veterinarian schools. The fact that he had been an assistant to the President of a church mission in South America put him in good stead. The schools felt that if he could have such responsibility at age 20, he was a desirable candidate.

I think that if you asked 10 business executives what they thought on this issue, the mean would be:The younger you are, the more nonprofessional information you can place in your resume. The reason is that a person just out of high school or college doesnt have a lot of vocational experience. He or she must be judged on other things.

Think of this: Membership in the college golf club might peg you as a goof-off to some interviewers. They will visualize you on the golf coarse, not in the laboratory or classroom or studying at your desk.

Listen very carefully to your interviewer.

Jot down a few notes of the items he discusses. Dont interrupt him while he is talking, or is on the telephone or, when he talks to his secretary, etc. Pay as little attention to him as possibe when he is talking about something to someone else that is none of your business.

Remember this: The interviewer thinks that he (or she) is more important than you are (or possibly, anyone else in the Universe.) He may quickly get to his own accomplishments.

You must complement him on the good things he has done but in a simple way. Dont get carried away. You must ask him specific question about any projects he brings up.

In doing this, you will be able to show that you are concerned, knowledgeable, and interested.

Your cover letter is not a resume.

Dont use the same cover letter for each company or institution you contact. Write a specific letter to each employer.

You will refer to your resume in your letter but usually only in a general way. However, after you study a company, there may be something in your resume that you know is exactly what they are looking for. Put reference to that in your letter.

Avoid BS in your letter. Dont say that youve always wanted to work for Bean Company ever since your mother opened a can of Bean Company beans for you at a picnic in 1940. What you want to do in your letter is to introduce yourself, state the position you are after, and state your qualifications for the position you are looking for.

Dont forget to include your resume when you send the letter. It makes you look dumb. If you are lucky, someone from the company will call you and ask you to send them a copy.

Dont go over two pages in your letter unless there is some very good reason for doing so. Look at your resume. If you have a two page cover letter, your resume is wrong for that company. Do This: Make modification to your resume when needed or if you need a special resume for a particular employer. What I'm saying is that you probably need to lengthen your resume to shorten the letter. Word processing lets you do this. Dont get lazy.

Your Specific Resume

Include at least the following in your resume:

Contact Information (Name, Address, Telephone Number, Fax Number, E-mail Address)

The Position You Are After

Bullets of Past Achievements Relating to the Position

Date and Place of Birth (exclude DOB if you think it will prejudice your interview)

Military Service Including Technical Education

College or University or Trade School

Degrees and Certificates Including Majors and Minors.

Work Experience (explaining the bullets)

Related Experience (Management in civic organizations, etc.)

Personal (marriage status, hobbies that make you look smart like astronomy, other hobbies and activities.)

Publications: I always put these at the end when I was job hunting. I had so many I thought they might distract from the resume. Some applicants write this statement: List of Publication on Request. I would never list all of my publications. List those applicable to the position.

Im always willing to review resumes and offer suggestions. Just drop me an email.

I wish you Much Success in your job hunting.

The End

Resume, looking for work, finding a position, writing a resume, resume outline, find job, find employment, employment, job

John T. Jones, Ph.D.
http://www.tjbooks.com