Calling all HR type people: Is a 2-page resume for a college grad evil?

[Japher]

I would stick with 1 page until you have loads of experience

Also, I generally take the job discription I am applying to, pull out the keywords, and insert them randomly into my resume

Resumes may get selected by scanning and then doing word searches, but once they get pulled they actually get looked at. Make sure to have the buzz words your industry looks for. Avoid irrelevant stuff like "motivated", "hard worker", that kind of crap... because they assume you are already.

[rah]

Yes for recent grads, if they had more than one page, I'd automatically toss it. From experience, those were some of the worst interviews and I never even considered hiring any of them.

[Richelieu]

Originally posted by Japher
I would stick with 1 page until you have loads of experience

Also, I generally take the job discription I am applying to, pull out the keywords, and insert them randomly into my resume

Resumes may get selected by scanning and then doing word searches, but once they get pulled they actually get looked at. Make sure to have the buzz words your industry looks for. Avoid irrelevant stuff like "motivated", "hard worker", that kind of crap... because they assume you are already.

Very good advice. The key word approach targeting a specific job will actually land you more interviews than a resume that may describe you better, but that isn't as suited to the job you apply for.
I know one extremely good candidate that keeps getting passed over for Fed. Govmt. jobs because he just won't modify his resume to target specific jobs. Two of our mutual friends - that aren't as good as this guy technically - have gotten similar positions by using the right technique.

[Kontiki]

For me, the worst mistakes of all are spelling/grammatical errors. The second I spot one in a resume or cover letter, it goes on the "no" pile.

[Footie Mad]

Include a small picture of yourself at the bottom of your CV, unless you look awful. Maybe a face will make you stand out amongst applicants.

[Japher]

For me, the worst mistakes of all are spelling/grammatical errors. The second I spot one in a resume or cover letter, it goes on the "no" pile.

When I was look for this job, about a year ago today. I sent out my first wave of resumes and got no replies. I was depressed, about a month later I decided to upgrade my resume and found that instead of Installation I had writen Instillation... Xerox probably thinks I'm an alcoholic.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Mine is two pages

[Stuie]

According to a career-counselor type I once worked with, only the CEO of a major corporation should have a two page resume. If you can't summarize your relevant experience on one page, you haven't summarized enough.

Same thing goes once you actually get a job - if you are preparing something for upper management, they want a one-page drill down of the issues - something they can scan quickly and get the right information to make decisions or sound like they know something.

[loinburger]

The HR type people I've talked to emphasized aesthetics over succinctness -- sure, I could have crammed my resume onto one page just by widening the margins and taking out some line breaks, but that would have spelled certain doom at a job fair when the poor tech-guy-playing-HR-person-for-a-day was visually assaulted by a page of condensed verbage. Instead I had a double-sided resume, so that nobody would immediately dismiss it because it was two pages, and so that if an employer asked something like "what else did you do in grad school besides work as a research assistant and get an x.xx GPA" I could say "I've got a list of publications and other miscellaneous crap on the back" or whatever.

[Apocalypse]

Don't forget you can sneak in other crap in cover letters too.

[Stuie]

Originally posted by Apocalypse
Don't forget you can sneak in other crap in cover letters too.

Right - that's where the stuff that would have pushed your resume to a second page should go - in the cover letter.

[Japher]

I usually print my cover letter on a $20 bill

[Koyaanisqatsi]

A 20 gets you a job where, at Denny's?

[Japher]

it gets me an interview

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Apocalypse
Don't forget you can sneak in other crap in cover letters too.

DAMN

Can't believe I forgot about this.


Definitley a good tactic.

Though, I don't know how often cover letters are read nowadays.

Well, if you're in a job that requires alot of written communication or analysis, cover letter is very important.

If your skill based like me it's all about stupid buzzwords.