What's important on a resume¦... 1

[edsongebo]

Most folks use the 'fudge' factor when writing their resume. Some don't and probably should. When is too much 'fudging' going to get you in trouble? If you’re in a position to review resume´s what are you looking for to help narrow down candidates? How do you decipher between “lies” and “factual”? Did you ever kick a resume´ to the curb only to find out that was ‘the guy’ you needed to hire? Let’s hear your experiences.

Edson-

 

[MadMango]

I think the most important thing is proper grammar and spelling. Why would I want to hire someone that can't take the time to form coherent thoughts and do it in a manner that gives me a good first impression? There have been many times that I have stoped half-way through a cover letter and set it in the "pass" pile because of a grammar/spelling mistake.

Lies and exaggerations can usually be caught during the interview if the right questions are asked.

[green]"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."[/green]

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[bridgebuster]

Several years ago the management hired a "long-span bridge expert" but in their zeal they overlooked something significant: The person had 15 years experience and claimed to be chief engineer on 25 major bridge projects. Two or three would've been believable but not 25. He lasted about six months.

In general, the progression of work should coincide with the years of experience.

On a resume I like to see what the person actually did. Too often, when people list projects they devote most of the text to describing the project rather than saying what they actually did. Technically, I was a structural engineer on a 23-span segmental conctrete bridge - 1100 meters long - and I could put it on a resume just like that. However, I would be neglecting the fact that all I did was prepared bar lists and quantities.

Sometimes, when I get a resume I might know the name or someone at the company the applicant is from. Then I can get the real story.

 

[FACS]

Don't fudge a resume at all.

List your credentials, but most importantly, list what your accomplishments were, and how they benefited the company.

Everytime you write something on a resume, ask yourself... "So what?". Tell the people what you did, and why it was beneficial.

For example, take this:

"I was a structural engineer on a 23-span segmental conctrete bridge - 1100 meters long - and I could put it on a resume just like that. However, I would be neglecting the fact that all I did was prepared bar lists and quantities.

OK, so all he did was prepare bar lists and quantities... so WHY was that important. How did it benefit the project. There must have been a benefit or he would not have had to do it.

People want to hear your success stories; they want to know that you will make a difference so you have to tell them how you made a difference.


Charlie

http://www.facsco.com

 

[rbulsara]

Like FACS says do not lie, do not fudge. Your assumption that most people 'fudge' their resume is not wrong to begin with. They are the only ones that fail in their life somewhere.

If this is a entry level postion or a position with light experience, the employer are looking for a perfect match but just some basically smart that can be trained. So there there is no need to lie just state the fact and impress that you are a good learner.

If this is for an experience position, most employer "Will" check out your references, so lying there is even more dangerous.

Truth will come out sooner or later. Instead, try to convince that even if you do not have a perfect matching experience why would succeed if hired.

 

[COEngineeer]

I think I was hired because I put on my resume that I am pretty good with creating website. They were looking for a junior structural engineer and their website was pretty sad looking.

Now they have an awesome website and an awesome engineer .

 

[Ashereng]

I also don't fudge on my resume. I assume that others do not also.

The most important things on a resume? Well, it depends:

- name
- contact email/cell phone#
- position applied for

Everything else usually changes, tailored to the applied for position, and hiring company preferrences.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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[HgTX]

There is a fine line between "fudge" and "tailor".

It's one of the classic stereotypical differences between men and women (exceptions exist on both sides)--a guy did XYZ once and it's "I have experience with XYZ", whereas a woman did XYZ a few times and she doesn't think she's qualified to list it on the resume.

I've been coached, not just by the "consummate BS artist" I mentioned in another thread but by quite upright people, not to undersell myself in a resume, application, etc. For example, I was once filling out an online application and felt I was quite unqualified. Talked to the person who already worked for that agency and he felt that I was plenty qualified, and that in most of the questions I needed to check a higher-level box than I did. It's a matter of listing everything that technically applies rather than feeling the need to be totally secure in everything that's listed. Is that fudging? Depends on your definition. It IS highly likely that most of my competitors for a position WILL be doing exactly that (describing the experience in the rosiest possible terms that could still be considered true), and I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't.

bridgebuster's right--the big description of the project with no description of what the person actually did is a common screen for lack of experience (and as I said in another thread, the licensing boards will sometimes fall for this). I've seen that: "XYZ? Oh, sure, I have lots of experience with XYZ. I supervised big project ABC that featured plenty of XYZ"--when all the while, that particular supervisory role doesn't actually do any XYZ but hands it off to another party entirely.

I guess "having experience with" is a really handy fudge/weasel phrase.

Hg

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[65Roses]

Generally I've focused on listing accomplishments on my resume. If interviewed I usually end up answering questions on how I achieved those accomplishments. I've never lied about any accomplishment so I've never had any problem explaining any of them.

Why is my handle 65Roses?
Please visit

http://www.cff.org/aboutCFFoundation/About65Roses/

to learn why!

 

[cjd97]

I am remembering the old standby advice that a resume should be no longer than a page long. Is this true? It seems to me this would be next to impossible taking into account all of the above responses.

Is it more important to discuss the nature of your former job positions or specific projects in which you were involved in?

 

[whyun]

I have a one page resume with education and license information, chronology of previous companies with a brief description of responsibilities and types of projects. I add an attachment with a representative list of projects organized by categories.

Like MadMango, when reviewing resumes, spelling/grammar is high on the list, followed by school and indication of increase in level of responsibilities. Involvement with multi-million dollar project or similar don't impress me that much.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

The most important thing on a resume which absolutely must not be lied about or misspelt ... your name.

 

[edsongebo]

I had a one page resume but it seemed I was skimming the surface on some of the skills and knowledge I had achieved over the years. Also, the font size was getting smaller and smaller just so I could fit it on one page. With a two page resume I'm able to convey what I deem important but as the saying goes it's only important to the folks reading it. I've met managers that want to read what you've done with a brief summary...not a bullet. I've met others that wanted bullets just so they could read thru them faster. It’s a tough audience to please regardless.

With a handful of darts you’re bound to get a bull’s-eye eventually.

Ed-

 

[HgTX]

I don't see how anyone with a full career could do service to their experience with a one-page resume, especially with today's reality that people do NOT stay at their jobs for decades. (If you're worried about a page getting lost, we do have the technology to print on two sides of a page.)

I don't see how tiny fonts and no whitespace are more pleasing to potential employers than flipping over a piece of paper would be.

So is the one-page limit real, in the world of engineering?

Hg

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[metengr]

When is too much 'fudging' going to get you in trouble?

That’s like using small lies versus big lies, and in the end you will get caught and be embarrassed. Any fudging is too much. Just be honest, succinct and state facts regarding your accomplishments.

 

[rbulsara]

Remeber resume do not land you a job. Resume only land you an interview and the interview gets you the job. So design resume only to create enough interest by the reader to call you for a interview to get to know you further. Do not waste paper by detailing all the experience on a resume.

Most, me included, do not spend more than 15-30 seconds per resume to determine if the candidate is worth talking to.

 

[HgTX]

Then there's my mother, who recently reverse-fudged her resume. At some past position she'd made some kind of change that resulted in ridiculously high increase in productivity (in the 3-digit realm) but didn't think anyone would really believe that, so she cut the increase to a fraction of what it really was. I forget why it was that she didn't feel she could defend the real number in an interview.

Those who say you must be able to defend everything on the resume in an interview are absolutely correct. But technicalities still come into play. If you can say without lying outright that you did XYZ, then say it, even if you don't feel that you are an expert in it. To some, that's fudging.

Hg

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[TheTick]

Don't put anything down that won't pass questioning. Ever.

 

[whyun]

HgTX,

I agree with you that one page may be too limiting for people who worked at more than 5 firms. I do not believe that there is a one page rule in engineering. 2 pages are acceptable to me but anything more than 3 pages I set it aside until I have the time to "read" it.

I also do not like very dense resume with small fonts. Standard 10 or 12 point fonts are easier on my eyes.

rbulsara is right on about creating an interest. Interview is what gets you hired.

 

[GregLocock]

Given that it is a selling document, why not put in a (good) photo of one of 'your' projects? Captions along the lines of "This is the first bridge I designed that didn't fall down" might be a high risk gambit.

The only guide to resumes I ever read said two pages, by the way, but work really hard on the covering letter.

Incidentally I got one really good job by turning up to interview with an A3 poster of a cutaway of one of my projects. I got the interview by addressing the advertisement's requirements EXACTLY in my covering letter - it was a spec driven organisation, so I'd done the right thing.

Cheers

Greg Locock

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