My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...
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Hi folks,
I work in IT in the Oil & Gas industry, due to the globally issues I want to update my resume and start considering a job change before I am given any bad news...
All feedback helpful, I have no idea when it comes to resumes and I hope some good advice. I have read other posts about this before and hope to get similar focused help on my particular CV.
I have tried to keep technology names off the document as I can learn whatever I need to get a project done. My reasoning is that I have learned whatever I need so far and will of course continue to do so. I am not sure if I should add specific technology names which could limit me to those technologies listed when looking for a job. Is that poor thinking though? Should I add specific names to the document? For example, I am not sure if listing RedHat and CentOS would limit me to anywhere using Ubuntu as I did not write Ubuntu (example only).
Anyway, here is the doc: Document
Best,
Jim -
A few notes:
- Hard to figure out if you are a manager or a specialist.
- Maybe separate job responsibilities from notable projects.
- I'm not sure about putting £ on projects. If you do, it has to be an impressive number and you would have to be in control of the project & budget. Sometime it's probably better to use some other metric, like the number of users, locations for instance.
- I'm not sure about having version numbers on things such as Veeam. Aren't we getting into tech details then?
- I didn't see any information about the number of users or the size of the your team (if you're a manager). If it's of value you might want to put it in the resume. Being in charge of IT support for 100 users in different offices or 100K users is not the same.
- Also the resume is a sales document so it makes sense to gear it towards the kind of jobs you are looking for. And you didn't say.
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I feel the use of "circa" for budgets on a resume is odd. Maybe it's common in the UK, but for the US, if makes it feel like you are saying that because you are just guessing at the budget. If I said "Harold invaded Springfield circa 1821" it implies that I don't know the date but have a general idea. Saying a budget of circa $300K sounds like you weren't told what your budget was and you are guessing at the size of it.
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@Pete-S said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
Also the resume is a sales document so it makes sense to gear it towards the kind of jobs you are looking for. And you didn't say.
Anyone that he is submitting to will know what job he applied to, so under normal circumstances, that's covered naturally.
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@Pete-S said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
I'm not sure about putting £ on projects. If you do, it has to be an impressive number and you would have to be in control of the project & budget. Sometime it's probably better to use some other metric, like the number of users, locations for instance.
I agree. Only do this if the number is impressive, and only if there is a reason for it. And only if it relates to you (see my circa comment above.)
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The US and UK vary a lot on their cultural view of education, so take this from an American perspective, but here you never list things significantly below your highest education (if you even list that, which typically you do, because typically people don't get promoted far enough beyond it.)
So for example, once you have any college or university degree at all, your high school and vocational credentials would never be listed. It makes it look, to an American, that you feel your teenage years education is still significant and impactful to your career - which to a hiring manager (here at least) makes me think that you feel you are ready for an internship. Once you've worked in your field at all or been to university we would always drop anything less than university here.
And personally even in the US, I recommend dropping the university credentials once you are established in your career. Even they only denote being ready for an entry level position so touting them once you are working makes you feel more junior subconsciously to an employer. Especially when the degree is not directly related to your profession.
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@Pete-S said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
A few notes:
- Hard to figure out if you are a manager or a specialist.
- Maybe separate job responsibilities from notable projects.
- I'm not sure about putting £ on projects. If you do, it has to be an impressive number and you would have to be in control of the project & budget. Sometime it's probably better to use some other metric, like the number of users, locations for instance.
- I'm not sure about having version numbers on things such as Veeam. Aren't we getting into tech details then?
- I didn't see any information about the number of users or the size of the your team (if you're a manager). If it's of value you might want to put it in the resume. Being in charge of IT support for 100 users in different offices or 100K users is not the same.
- Also the resume is a sales document so it makes sense to gear it towards the kind of jobs you are looking for. And you didn't say.
I would like to push towards management going forward with technical knowledge. In the last year or so I have lead my team by managing our technical projects based on staff ability, how each employee can and wants to develop, and their own career goals. We have done a lot, but I am at the point where I am managing the work being done, not so much doing the work myself. For example, the Veeam work is work I directly did. However, there are lots of projects I oversee by being the manager without actually doing the work, such as for example our global SCCM roll out... not quite sure how to get that on the CV. Where I am responsible for the work getting done, planning, staffing, budgeting, but have not had to do the work myself... Its a strange position, but one I am happy to keep.
Worldwide, we are a team of 10, including me. I directly have complete control of the EMEA/APAC IT staff, of which there are 4, but have seniority over the NALA regions too, however no line management of those folk. Things like approving pay increases, holiday, training and such for folks in that region goes to somebody else, but what they are doing, the projects and timelines, that is all me.
With that in mind, should I remove anything technical from my resume at this point? I am not sure if that will be a negative as I do have technical knowledge...
I will take the other points on board and edit what I have.
Ok, I can take on board the other points. -
@scottalanmiller said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
I feel the use of "circa" for budgets on a resume is odd. Maybe it's common in the UK, but for the US, if makes it feel like you are saying that because you are just guessing at the budget. If I said "Harold invaded Springfield circa 1821" it implies that I don't know the date but have a general idea. Saying a budget of circa $300K sounds like you weren't told what your budget was and you are guessing at the size of it.
Ok, understood. My thinking there was to show I had direct control over what was purchased and the total spent. I will edit that.
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@scottalanmiller said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
The US and UK vary a lot on their cultural view of education, so take this from an American perspective, but here you never list things significantly below your highest education (if you even list that, which typically you do, because typically people don't get promoted far enough beyond it.)
So for example, once you have any college or university degree at all, your high school and vocational credentials would never be listed. It makes it look, to an American, that you feel your teenage years education is still significant and impactful to your career - which to a hiring manager (here at least) makes me think that you feel you are ready for an internship. Once you've worked in your field at all or been to university we would always drop anything less than university here.
And personally even in the US, I recommend dropping the university credentials once you are established in your career. Even they only denote being ready for an entry level position so touting them once you are working makes you feel more junior subconsciously to an employer. Especially when the degree is not directly related to your profession.
Ok, this makes sense. In the UK you will only be able to do a degree if you have suitable qualifications to be able to get on to the course. So yes, I can see having lower qualifications on the resume as a little pointless. I'll remove other than the degree. Cheers.
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@Jimmy9008 said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
Ok, this makes sense. In the UK you will only be able to do a degree if you have suitable qualifications to be able to get on to the course. So yes, I can see having lower qualifications on the resume as a little pointless. I'll remove other than the degree. Cheers.
Same here. Similar to how once you get a PhD, you don't talk about undergrad. Or once you get a high school diploma you don't talk about middle school. They build on each other and are irrelevantly low level compared to where you are now.
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@Jimmy9008 said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
@scottalanmiller said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
I feel the use of "circa" for budgets on a resume is odd. Maybe it's common in the UK, but for the US, if makes it feel like you are saying that because you are just guessing at the budget. If I said "Harold invaded Springfield circa 1821" it implies that I don't know the date but have a general idea. Saying a budget of circa $300K sounds like you weren't told what your budget was and you are guessing at the size of it.
Ok, understood. My thinking there was to show I had direct control over what was purchased and the total spent. I will edit that.
That I get. The "circa" makes it feel like the opposite
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@scottalanmiller said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
@Jimmy9008 said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
@scottalanmiller said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
I feel the use of "circa" for budgets on a resume is odd. Maybe it's common in the UK, but for the US, if makes it feel like you are saying that because you are just guessing at the budget. If I said "Harold invaded Springfield circa 1821" it implies that I don't know the date but have a general idea. Saying a budget of circa $300K sounds like you weren't told what your budget was and you are guessing at the size of it.
Ok, understood. My thinking there was to show I had direct control over what was purchased and the total spent. I will edit that.
That I get. The "circa" makes it feel like the opposite
How else could I reword it that would actually make sense?
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The first thing that sticks out to anyone looking at his resume is the fact that you list 4 jobs over the last 4 years. Once I look a littler close, I notice that one is a promotion, but I would combine those into one role (the one with higher title) and maybe make the promotion the first bullet point. I would also do that with the next job that also seems like you were quickly promoted. I know it sounds silly but at first glance it really looks like you dont have any job stability, when in fact you are getting promotions quickly which is awesome!
I also agree with everyone else. Take the dollar amounts out, as they dont matter to any company as every environment and budget is different. I also agree to leave version numbers out with products.
Holy abbreviations, batman! You use more abbreviations than the US government. Spell some of those out when you have a line that says
DR and BCPbut the entire space after is empty, you surely should be spelling it out. -
@IRJ said in My resume rewrite 2020 - pointers appreciated...:
The first thing that sticks out to anyone looking at his resume is the fact that you list 4 jobs over the last 4 years. Once I look a littler close, I notice that one is a promotion, but I would combine those into one role (the one with higher title) and maybe make the promotion the first bullet point. I would also do that with the next job that also seems like you were quickly promoted. I know it sounds silly but at first glance it really looks like you dont have any job stability, when in fact you are getting promotions quickly which is awesome!
I also agree with everyone else. Take the dollar amounts out, as they dont matter to any company as every environment and budget is different. I also agree to leave version numbers out with products.
Holy abbreviations, batman! You use more abbreviations than the US government. Spell some of those out when you have a line that says
DR and BCPbut the entire space after is empty, you surely should be spelling it out.Points taken, I am working on a revised copy now taking the other points on too. I am not sure how to distinguish the promotion, but I will make an edit and hope it works and will put the revision online.
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New version uploaded. Link in the original post will take you to the new document. How are those changes?
I have tried to remove all the terminology like DR/BCP. I have put the promotions together so hopefully that will make more sense too...
