Xref: utzoo misc.jobs.misc:11245 comp.misc:12227 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!weyrich!orville From: orville@weyrich.UUCP (Dr. Orville R. Weyrich) Newsgroups: misc.jobs.misc,comp.misc Subject: Re: experience vs. other things on resume Message-ID: <1991Apr24.084653.1208@weyrich.UUCP> Date: 24 Apr 91 08:46:53 GMT References: <24378@well.sf.ca.us> Reply-To: orville@weyrich.UUCP (Dr. Orville R. Weyrich) Distribution: usa Organization: Weyrich Computer Consulting Lines: 60 In article <24378@well.sf.ca.us> rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao) writes: >I have been working as aa programmer for a small software place for 4 years. >I not only program but help design the software, do phone support, and help >with documentation. I would like to move to a larger and/or more interesting >company, doing perhaps the same things. >However my resume has almost nothing. I got a BA in Linguistics with rather >poor grades, and there are no other applicable jobs. Always accentuate your positive experience on the resume and down-play your weaknesses. If possible, adjust your resume for each prospect to stress those aspects of your background that you expect to be most important to that prospective employer. >Would you say that with 4 years of this experience (and several pay >increases), 4 years of "increasingly responsible" industry experience is certainly a good selling point. If your pay raises are significantly above cost-of-living, you may want to include your salary history [but note that some folks recommend against providing salary history information whenever possible -- you have to balance pro and con based on how good your raises are]. >that doesn't matter? In what way should I present my resume so that the >experience comes out the most? When you send resumes to hiring companies, >does one always also include reference letters? (The people here will most Especially effective is if one of your references knows someone of authority in the hiring company, and then writes a personalized letter to that person. Otherwise, some folks advise not providing names or letters until requested. But if your references are unusually good, balance that pro against the possible cons. >likely provide good ref. letters.) Should I emphasize the fact that I got >several raises? >I was also wondering if I should bother with taking a night course in >Systems Analysis. SA is pretty much what I've been doing all these years, >so some have told me it would be a waste. It would look good on my resume, >but do I need it? If the jobs you are applying for need some skill X, and you can't make a convincing case that your job experience included a significant X function which you did well, then try to add the education in X. In your case, you should be able to make a case on the basis of job experience in X = SA. If you are currently between jobs, now would be a good time to shore-up any gaps in your educational background, so that you can say at an interview that while you were out of work you did something to enhance your professional abilities, rather than sat at home and watched TV :-). -------------------------------------- ****************************** Orville R. Weyrich, Jr., Ph.D. Certified Systems Professional Internet: orville%weyrich@uunet.uu.net Weyrich Computer Consulting Voice: (602) 391-0821 POB 5782, Scottsdale, AZ 85261 Fax: (602) 391-0023 (Yes! I'm available) -------------------------------------- ******************************