my resume needs to be purrfect. need advise, pls!

Hobbies are a standard on most resumes, but unless something is extraordinary, employers don't look at them. I have to agree that the hobbies listed add nothing to your resume and to take them off.

Don't use words like temp, spell it out, you are looking for a job, they want to see some thought go into your resume. State that it was a contracted time period rather than sounding like you went through a temp agency.

I agree with lunasmom on the education part too

Originally Posted by catgirl2548m

im taking my hobbies off the resume anyway, but why do those hobbies make me seem like a loner???

golf -- u play together as a 4some, right? i mean i mostly just watch tv golf when

tiger woods

is playing, but i thogut busness peopel played golf togteher a lot???

blogging -- tcs is the friendlyest place!!!! how can blogging be a loner? ive made so many friends.

cats --

dont get met started about that crap that cat lovers are all misfits. i h8 h8 to hear stuff like that. and on THIS website? omg. pls take it back.

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No offense meant- I spend my time running around after my two cats
Apparently 'reading' and other lone activities are the worst thing you can write on a CV

Did you do anything between February and May that you can put rather than 'unemployed'? Voluntary work often goes down well with employers

I would also expand upon what your jobs as receptionist and secretary involved as day-to-day activities.

Good luck

Originally Posted by silentNate

No offense meant- I spend my time running around after my two cats

Apparently 'reading' and other lone activities are the worst thing you can write on a CV

Did you do anything between February and May that you can put rather than 'unemployed'? Voluntary work often goes down well with employers

I would also expand upon what your jobs as receptionist and secretary involved as day-to-day activities.

Good luck

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ok, nate it's ok. sorry to flame u.

thx so much for the tips and i guess ur right -- it doesnt matter what i think of my hobbies it matters what THEY think.

unfortunately, no, i didnt volunterr during those months unles you count voluntering to sit in the right seat of dads piper and work the radios, lol!

ill definitely expand on my duties on thsoe jobs and the ohters. ive almost got my new draft ready to go because of all the help here!

here it is!!!!! my new resume with all ur great suggestions. wow, its sooooo much better!!





me (with help from u)!

Originally Posted by lunasmom

The thing with cover letters: If you steer your objective well enough you can actually avoid creating a cover letter. The only other times you don't need a cover letter is if you're going to the interview without handing in a resume, or a friend is submitting a resume for you (then they basically act as a the cover letter and reference for you).

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I would disagree with this. I think you should ALWAYS have a cover letter. Even if you are handing it in personally. The reason being is that the decision is not made right on the spot most of the time. They will review the applicants that they are thinking about. The cover letter is there to speek for you in writing. IMO it never hurts to go beyond expecations but always hurts to not go far enough.

Executive?

Originally Posted by SalemWitchChild

I would disagree with this. I think you should ALWAYS have a cover letter. Even if you are handing it in personally. The reason being is that the decision is not made right on the spot most of the time. They will review the applicants that they are thinking about. The cover letter is there to speek for you in writing. IMO it never hurts to go beyond expecations but always hurts to not go far enough.

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To each their own.

I merely said that because there are ways to write the objective that sums up what your cover letter implies. I don't use it often myself, that's more on B's nature. It also depends on the job that you're applying for too....if you need to know more technical things, then you really only need to use a resume as they only care about what you know technically.

However non-technical, I could see needing a cover letter in more cases then non.

You are right though, the more effort that is put into applying the further you go.

Originally Posted by silentNate

Executive?

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yes!

I think Nate is asking why you have "Executive Receptionist" written down. There really is no such thing. Executives are degreed professionals. An Executive Assistant assists the executives, but a receptionist is a receptionist, period.

ah, ok thx. i wrote that b/c i was the receptionist on the executive floor, not the main receptionist at the bldg. basicly my job was to handle the calls and visitors coming in specifically for the ceo and other corprate officers. so, that's why excecutive receiptionist.

Originally Posted by catgirl2548m

ah, ok thx. i wrote that b/c i was the receptionist on the executive floor, not the main receptionist at the bldg. basicly my job was to handle the calls and visitors coming in specifically for the ceo and other corprate officers. so, that's why excecutive receiptionist.

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OK, I see, but that still makes you a receptionist, not an executive receptionist. Also, unless you were the office manager, you really can't say that you managed the environment, although it does SOUND good. What employers want on the resume is truths.

gotcha. ill change "exec recep" to "receptionsist, executive suite" and ill change "managed challenging exec. environment...." to "managed flow of calls and visitors in a challenging exec. environment..."

Originally Posted by catgirl2548m

gotcha. ill change "exec recep" to "receptionsist, executive suite" and ill change "managed challenging exec. environment...." to "managed flow of calls and visitors in a challenging exec. environment..."

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Much better.

After you fix everything, are you going to post the new one for a final lookover?

Personally, I would take out the GED part. It's assumed that if you went on to college that you have a diploma or the equivalent and there's no reason to post it. They're not going to actually ask you to provide a diploma or GED, so no reason to give anyone an opportunity to look askance at it.

I'd really also play up the receptionist position. It's good experience for this position. You have experience in customer service, in being the first point of contact for clientelle ranging from blue collar to top level executives and have an understanding of what it takes to provide highest level of CS possible.. etc..

What they're really going to look at, though, is how well you make the recording of your voice doing a phone call or how your voice sounds when you do the test.

Originally Posted by CatsAreBetter

Personally, I would take out the GED part. It's assumed that if you went on to college that you have a diploma or the equivalent and there's no reason to post it. They're not going to actually ask you to provide a diploma or GED, so no reason to give anyone an opportunity to look askance at it.

I'd really also play up the receptionist position. It's good experience for this position. You have experience in customer service, in being the first point of contact for clientelle ranging from blue collar to top level executives and have an understanding of what it takes to provide highest level of CS possible.. etc..

What they're really going to look at, though, is how well you make the recording of your voice doing a phone call or how your voice sounds when you do the test.

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good idea on the ged -- i guess i couldnt have gone to novacoco without a hs diploma or ged so taht is prolly ok to take out. and ill drink plenty of tea b4 my voice test, lol!

@mybabyphx -- yes, ill put up anotehr version soon

version #3....

thx again for all ur help!!!

Not including a cover letter is bad practice IMHO. It makes you look lazy. Cover letter is also a great place to reveal a more personal side to yourself, say things you can say on a resume.

An objective is also an integral part of the resume IMO, a resume should be a stand alone document, and without an objective people are gonna say "what the heck is this for?".

Just a few things in that last revision. Instead of saying "mastered/learned such and such skill" under each job heading, pull them out into a different skill section and just simply list the skill. The job section should be what you did FOR the employer and not for yourself (makes you look selfish eh? if you used your job to improve your personal skill set). You can say things like "did such and such job USING a certain skill/tool" though, just don't say you exploited the job to learn.

There's something about the objective line that doesn't sound right... like it doesn't flow well...

I think it's the "to become" part of the sentence. I think that needs a different word to make it 'roll off the tongue' better... the way it's written, it seems to pause oddly there.

Oh, and it should be 'communication skills' not 'communicationS skills'

Anyone else see this or am I nuts? (Absolutely a possibility )

Originally Posted by MuttigreeMom

There's something about the objective line that doesn't sound right... like it doesn't flow well...

I think it's the "to become" part of the sentence. I think that needs a different word to make it 'roll off the tongue' better... the way it's written, it seems to pause oddly there.

Oh, and it should be 'communication skills' not 'communicationS skills'

Anyone else see this or am I nuts? (Absolutely a possibility

)

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yeah, i think ur right. ill take the 's' off and i think ill change 'to become' to 'as". that work?