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Best ways to improve your resume

m16 elitestm16 elitest
edited March 2009 in Everything Else
Seeing as how the economy is, what are some good ways to improve your resume? Does volunteer work help? What would you do to improve your resume?

Comments

  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    Get a Ph.D
  • AprecheApreche
    If you are a software person, do open source. If not, there should still be something you can do in your profession. If you are an artist, make art. If you are an engineer, make things. Going back to school is also good. Just spend your time improving yourself.
  • thehollow89thehollow89
    If you are a software person, do open source. If not, there should still be something you can do in your profession. If you are an artist, make art. If you are an engineer, make things. Going back to school is also good. Just spend your time improving yourself.
    Does volunteer tutoring of your area of specialty look good?
  • NuriNuri
    Educational volunteer work is usually very good. If you're going to volunteer, the best way is to find an organization to volunteer through. They usually provide resources and liability coverage, and volunteering with an organization that has a good name can be helpful.

    Personal projects that show self-motivation and development of certain skills, like public speaking, can be very good on your resume. For instance, making a podcast is a great way to improve your public speaking skills, can be seen as volunteer work, and shows self-motivation (if you keep it up).

    BIG key...When writing up your activity, put just enough about the activity on your resume that it will pique the reader's interest and inspire them to ask for more details. If someone is curious about your activities, they might be more inclined to ask you to come in for an interview. You don't need to spell out what every activity you did is. If they care, they'll ask. Thus, it can be helpful to do some activities that, when summarized, will likely inspire questions about details.

    Not specifically in reference to your resume, but more of an interview thing...have examples of times you faced challenges and what you did to overcome them already thought out and ready to talk about. Interviewers seem to love asking me about adversities I faced and what I did to work things out, and they don't like the answer, "Gee, I've never really faced anything that challenging..."
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    edited March 2009
    Proofread your resume, have someone else proofread it and then proofread it again! I see all of the resumes that come into our Law Firm and approximately 1/4 of them have at least one glaring error.
    Interning is a great way to build up skills, internships, contacts and can lead to jobs within the organization you interned.
    Volunteering can help, but be careful of what organizations you put on your resume. If it is a political, religious or controversial organization then placing it on your resume may hurt more than help (unfortunately).
    The best thing to do for your resume is to work anywhere you can that is even somewhat related to your field. Not only will it keep your resume and work skills current, it will also give you new references.
    Post edited by Kate Monster on
  • JohnUJohnU
    What are some good ways to improve your resume?
    I would suggest keeping it updated. This might seem a little too simple, but I think it is the best advice I can give. That way if something comes up you will have an updated version ready to go all the time.
  • WyattWyatt
    Lie.
  • Kate MonsterKate Monster
    Lie.
    Don't do that. If you are caught after they have hired you, they will fire you and fight your unemployment. It can also ensure that you are never hired in that field/area again.
  • SaraiSarai
    I agree with the comments on improving yourself - the more marketable you are, the easier it will be to get "bought".
    Build some sort of occupational network as well - that will help you find people who need you if things go sour.

    Personal projects that show self-motivation and development of certain skills, like public speaking, can be very good on your resume. For instance, making a podcast is a great way to improve your public speaking skills, can be seen as volunteer work, and shows self-motivation (if you keep it up).
    Crucial. Self-motivation is one of the most impressive things to see on a CV - the more you can prove sustainable self-motivated endeavours, the more attractive you are!
  • RailithRailith
    Proofread your resume, have someone else proofread it and then proofread it again!
    This is very important.


    Do not put your GPA on your resume unless it is higher than 3.0.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    Be me. That tends to help.

    In all honesty, don't be afraid to put something "different" on your resumé. My resumé includes my ordination as a ULC minister on it. That one point alone has generated more discussion in interviews than the rest of my resumé combined.
  • AprecheApreche
    edited March 2009
    My resumé includes my ordination as a ULC minister on it
    Shit, I gotta put that on there.

    EDIT: I just went in to check on the old ULC. I checked their forum, to be specific. Very Scary.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • George PatchesGeorge Patches
    In all honesty, don't be afraid to put something "different" on your resumé. My resumé includes my ordination as a ULC minister on it. That one point alone has generated more discussion in interviews than the rest of my resumé combined.
    Man, I should put my con panel stuff on mine then.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    In all honesty, don't be afraid to put something "different" on your resumé. My resumé includes my ordination as a ULC minister on it. That one point alone has generated more discussion in interviews than the rest of my resumé combined.
    Man, I should put my con panel stuff on mine then.
    Public speaking skills look really good on pretty much anybody's resumé.
  • SaraiSarai
    Maybe this will have something - I haven't read it, but it was posted by one of the senior managers in our company, and he knows his stuff...
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