CV or Resume?

Question
I am a librarian filling out an application for graduate school. One of the required items is to provide a CV or resume. I have a sufficient resume, but that's all. I was wondering if there is something specific I should do to tweak it in this instance, or does it not really matter?

Answer
In the United States we use the term "curriculum vitae" (CV) to mean a lengthy document that details your work history. It is typically used for academic and scientific applications, and has no limit to the number of pages it may be. A "resume" is understood to be no longer than two pages, and contains only enough information to market an applicant for his or her desired position. In many countries outside the U.S. the term "CV" refers to both a resume and its longer counterpart.

In your case, you're using your document as part of your application for graduate school. The form asks for either a CV or resume, which tells us:

• They are appealing to an international audience.
• They have no page limit for the document you submit.

This means you can relax your format and expand on details in your resume that especially relate to the graduate program you want to enter. Your academic reader is used to reading lots of text and will not be put off by your lengthy descriptions as long as they are relevant to your application.

Good luck with your application!

Short Line-Lengths on Resume

Whether you're sending your resume via email, US Post, or posting it online, use a healthy dose of margins -- a minimum of .75 inch on each side. The top and bottom margins don't matter as much, but the side margins need... Continue reading...

Resume for Vibrant 50-Year-Old

Question
I just turned 50 and have been looking for a new position. My tenure with the 4 companies I have worked for are 2, 4, 11, and 10 years (last to first). I only listed the last 3 positions on my resume (due to space limitations). This doesn't make me look as long in the tooth (15+ years experience vs. 25+) but it doesn't look as stable with my last 2 positions lasting a shorter duration. Should I make room to add my first position to my resume?

Also, it has been about 6 months since I resigned from my last position. I have a computer services company I have run part-time for 10 years and have been working at it more since I have been out of work. Should this be added to my resume (as my current position) or should I just explain what I have been doing when asked?
--- Growing Old in Texas

Answer
by Vivian VanLier, CPRW, JCTC, CEIP, CCMC, CPRC, Certified Career Coach / Resume Writer

Hi “Growing Old in Texas”... First of all, let’s change that to “Staying Young and Vibrant in Texas!!” Haven’t you heard: 50 is the new 30!! On my 50th birthday, I went out and bought myself a t-shirt that said “50 Happens!” and wore it proudly!

With an average of 35 years added to our life spans since the turn of the last century, you have plenty of time to start a whole new career if you want!

Now some statistics to put your concerns into perspective: According to recent studies (and the Bureau of Labor Statistics), by age 40, most people have had 10 jobs! Transition is the new “normal.” So job changes aren’t at all unusual. Again, according to statistics, the average job lasts 2 ½ to 3 years. So, if you average your last two jobs, you’re right on track!

The old career / work paradigm was one job, one industry for life. Well, that began changing back in the 80’s with the first wave of downsizings. This trend has only accelerated and today’s savvy careerist understands that ultimately you work for you! You package your talents, skills and experience into a cutting-edge marketing tool (your resume) and when you land a position, you stay as long as it’s a good fit for you. Today’s employer retains team members as long as it’s a good fit for him/her. When it’s no longer fitting your life and goals, it’s time to re-package your talents and move on to the next opportunity. Of course, you don’t want to do this too frequently, but, again 2 ½ – 3 years is average.

The other concern is regarding appearing “young” on your resume. Resumes are actually great equalizers. You should only go back 10-15 years (17 is fine) on your resume regardless of how long your work history is. Prospective employers are interested in what you have done lately. Thus the resume will not disclose age. (Senior Executives can go back a longer time because they have obviously earned their stature over time.) Don’t include dates on your education if it wasn’t recent. So, “Young and Vibrant in Texas,” you were right on track with the dates.

You can use a title such as “Computer Consultant” for the independent work to show that you have current experience. In fact, if you are transitioning into the computer field, you could show consulting services going back 10 years (concurrent with full-time employment). By the way, don’t bother with months on your resume; state years of employment only. (The only time I include months on the resumes I write, is for students or recent grads when they have held internships and seasonal or part-time positions.)

I hope this helps... And keep staying young!!! It’s all in your state of mind!

Two-Page Resume vs. One-Pager with Gaps

Question
I have been working for about 14 years now, and moved around every few years to a new position. Right now, I am attempting to change careers, so therefore some of my experience would be irrelevant for the position I am seeking.

What I am finding is that to keep a timeline with no gap requires putting so many jobs done that the resume sprawls to a page and a half. This is even with single or only two bullet points for the irrelevant positions.

It seems I can either cut irrelevant jobs to get the resume down to the 'classic' one page which will also leave at least a two-year gap on the resume, OR I can present a two-page resume with no gaps.

Which do you recommend? What bothers the people who will be handling my resume more, gaps or a two-page resume?
Thank you for any advice,
--Duncan

Answer
by Catherine Sutton, Professional Resume Writer

Hi Duncan,
Work gaps should be avoided at nearly all costs as many employers will discount a resume if it has gaps in the work history. On the other hand, a two-page resume is really not a problem unless there's something important on the second page that you want the reader to notice. Employers often don't read the second page carefully, assuming that the applicant has prioritized his information so the most relevant is on page one.

That said, I suggest you try to get your resume down to one page that’s easy to read. That means making your text lean and mean while your formatting allows for lots of white space and font size no smaller than 11 point.

Here are some techniques for paring down your resume:

1. Don’t list months in your work history; years only are sufficient. Using this technique may allow you to drop irrelevant jobs from your work history all together, saving resume real estate and keeping the resume on focus.

2. For jobs that are not relevant to your job objective but you must list in order to avoid gaps in your work history, write simply the job title, employer, location, and year(s). No further explanation or bullet statements are required. For jobs that are relevant, you should write bullet achievement statements – that’s resume real estate well used!

3. To make your work history look more cohesive (and to save space), group redundant employment stints together. For instance, if you held the same job title with a few different employers, lead with your title and overall span of years; then list the employers underneath.

4. Decrease your right and left margins (however, go no smaller than .75 inch on each side) to allow longer line lengths of text.

5. For each job in your work history, try to fit your job title, employer info, and dates on one line.

If, after using these techniques, your resume still spans two pages, that’s okay. Put “Continued” at the bottom of page one, your name and “Page Two” at the top of the second page, and send it off with confidence!

Longer Resumes Gain Ground by Mark Feffer cites a survey that indicates that two-page resumes are quite acceptable in today's job market. Whether your resume is one or two pages long, Feffer says, "Among other things, resumes are an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to prioritize and write clearly and concisely."

Good luck with your career change, Duncan!

Resume on One Page?

Question
I have been working for the same company for nine years. Last year, we were bought by a larger competitor. As part of the acquisition, I have been promoted from a sales rep to an account exec. This new job entails all of my past responsibilities PLUS a few new ones relating to more managerial responsibilities.

I need to show both positions on my resume, but do not want to use up space on redundant job descriptions. I am trying to keep my resume to only one page. How can I accomplish this while still showing the details of my responsibilities with both companies?
-- Marc

Answer
by John West Hadley, Career Search & Career Enhancement Counselor, “Helping Job Seekers Who Are Frustrated With Their Search”

Marc:
First off, why are you trying to keep your resume to only one page? You say that you have worked at the same company for nine years – is this your first job? If it’s not, then you should definitely have enough accomplishments to point to, so that a two-page resume would not only be appropriate, it would be expected! A hiring manager might even question why you don’t have enough accomplishments and results to fill more than a page, if you’ve been working longer than ten years.

If you are very recently out of school, a one-page resume is generally advisable, although I have worked with clients who had very powerful two-pagers even only a year out of graduate school.

Think of it this way: You shouldn’t go over to a second page just for the sake of doing so, but as long as you have important information to communicate, there is no reason to limit yourself to one page. (Just don’t ever go past two pages.)

As to how to incorporate your most recent job into your Experience section, here are two possibilities:

1. Split your chronology into two sections: one for the job since the promotion and one for the prior job. Separate your accomplishment bullets into the two job sections. (Obviously, there will be much more to list for the prior job at this point, but that’s OK.)
Or
2. Show one line with both jobs, like this:
Account Executive (2005-Present), Sales Representative (1997-2005)
Then show all of your accomplishment bullets under the one section.

For more on putting together a powerful resume, drop me an email and I’ll be happy to forward you Why Resume’s Don’t Sell!, an article I wrote for my Career Tips newsletter. You may also want to check out the articles available on my website.

Susan Ireland’s Two Cents
How Long is too Long for a Resume? makes some good points about this, as well.

Advice on Taking Advice

This from Louise Fletcher:

I just heard about a company - a well-known company - that apparently throws away any resumes that are more than one page long. It doesn't matter for what position or what level. It doesn't matter how many years of experience or how many great things the candidates have accomplished, this company doesn't want to know about them if they won't fit on one page.

Huh? …continued on Blue Sky Resume Blog

How to Leave a Job

Question
I've been working at my current job for 2.5 years during which time I was promoted (I started right out of college). For various reasons - personal as well I'm interested in a new professional challenge - I have decided to relocate from NY to DC.

How do I approach my employer with this information knowing that I will also be asking her to be a reference? And does my resume absolutely have to be 1 page or can I squeeze it to 1.5 pages? -- Renee-Lauren

Answer by Roberta Rosen, Career Coach
I’ll answer your resume question first. I suggest you read over your 1.5 pages with a very critical eye. Ask yourself, “Is everything I’ve included important to help convince my next employer that I can do the job well?” If anything in your resume doesn’t pass this test, take it out. As Susan Ireland says, “Your resume is about your future not your past.” If everything on your resume is necessary to make your case, then two pages will be fine.

Now for your question about how to tell your employer that you want to leave. If you are planning to go to a different company that’s located in D.C., then you needn’t tell your boss until you get the new job and are ready to give your two-week notice.

If, however, you are leaving for another branch of your current employer’s, which is located in D.C., then you might tell your supervisor you’ve enjoyed working for her but would like to move to another city for a new position and a new challenge. Tipping her off ahead of time will show that you are someone who deals with change and growth in an honest and forthright manner. This is a very positive trait in today’s job market where change is common but not always embraced easily.

Job Loungers, do you have a question? Email it to me and I’ll post your question and my answer here in The Job Lounge.

Long Work History... What to Do?

Question
I'm a technical writer and editor with 23 years of experience. I'm from Michigan (Detroit suburbs) and began my career in Michigan with, what else, automotive. I wrote and edited technical documents for an engineering company, then moved to another company that contracted with the army to write mil-specs for army automotive (e.g., tanks). How can I get all this on my resume? Continue reading...

One-Page vs. Two-Page Resume

Get this: In today’s job market, your resume has only about eight seconds to grab someone’s attention. That’s right! In eight seconds an employer will scan your resume and decide whether or not he’ll invest time in the small print.

One way to pass the eight-second test is to make your resume look quick to read. That’s why I recommend having a one-page resume if possible. A one-pager says “Hey, I’m organized and I’m not a motor-mouth.”

But if you have a really beefy career history, one page may not be enough. In that case, go for it—but don’t exceed two pages, unless you’re applying for an academic or scientific position where you’re expected to have a seven- or eight-page resume called a curriculum vita.

For more on this concept, read The Scoop on Resume Length by Katharine Hansen.