Resume and Informational Interview Dos and Don'ts [9:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (225)After seeing a number of resumes and students for informational interviews, Bryan Blaise, Kevin Saghy, Joseph Tateoka and I wanted to share a few important how-tos.
RESUME DOs
- Limit your resume to one page
- Use bullets, not asterisks
- Link to your LinkedIn profile and/or website
- On your cover letter, add hyperlinks to relevant organizations, etc.
- Take the time to gear your resume toward the job you are applying for (a resume is not one-size fits all)
- Show that you are a great writer and can be concise
- Put your most important information upfront—think of the inverted pyramid you use for writing
- Work experience
- Relevant volunteer or internship experience
- Any other activities you’ve done that can play up a certain area of expertise or strength
- Where you went to school
- Your GPA (if it is good)
RESUME DON’Ts
- Don’t list your “connections," especially people you have only met once
- Don’t make margins smaller than 1/2 inch (and even that is pushing it)
- Font sizes shouldn’t go above 12-14 or below 9
- No word Art
- NEVER use emoticons or exclamation points
INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW DOs
- Do your research so that you are prepared to go in and ask good questions
- Arrive prepared—dress nice and have your resume printed out
- Even if you talk to multiple members of the team, you can still ask them the same questions—you may get different answers from different people
- Even though this isn’t a formal interview, remember that this is still your chance to impress the team—they often regroup after your meeting to talk about you and may decide to consider you as a candidate
- Use this as an opportunity to ask the questions you might not ask in a normal interview (For example, get feedback on your resume
Allie, great post and fun podcast. Sounds like you guys are doing a show and having fun, not just doing a “informational podcast.” All good advice of course, I can’t believe you guys have seen people use emoticons on their resume.
GPA 3.66 =)
I know one piece of advice I have received that seems to change depending on who I talk to is the recommended length of a resume. Some people have told me to make it one page and others have said to make it stand out and expand on areas even if it becomes multiple pages.
In the day and age of email does it really matter if your resume is more than one page? The whole one page theory came about when people didn’t use email and wanted to limit the physical space a resume would occupy.
What if your not a fresh college graduate and have relevant work history? If you are transitioning into a new direction you want to make sure people know you have been active in other (relative) areas.
Of course if you can get your resume to a page I would say to do it just because people tend to want it that way and no one wants to spend too much time reading over one resume. Not only does it show off writing skills and that you can condense information, you can always expand on areas in the actual interview if you are lucky enough to get one.
Also I agree on going ahead and taking the informational interview even if they make a point of saying it isn’t a job interview. You never know where things may lead and what can it hurt? Meeting people in your desired industry and showing you are willing to do things that aren’t necessarily immediately beneficial to you are all good things.
By the way in case employers are reading this I am currently looking to transition from radio/tv into digital so feel free to contact me for my 1 page resume with web link and no emoticons or exclamation marks! =)
As far as the one-page goes, I think that if you are just out of school, you should have a document/PDF version that is only one page in case this is what needs to be submitted, but then use a hyperlinked cover letter, LinkedIn and a personal site to show your personality and more information.
I have seen resumes go beyond one page from people with years of relevant work experience, but in general, the more concise you can be the better.
You all brought up some great points in this podcast. Recently, when I applied for several jobs nationally, I tailored a unique email cover letter to each potential employer. I then included a .pdf of my one page resume and a link to my online blog/portfolio. It was so much easier to have a webspace with all the information they needed, instead of mailing out pieces that had the potential to get damaged and/or never seen.
As far as the actual resume, I gave up bullets long ago. Unless they do not look like anything out of Microsoft Word, don’t use them. I designed mine in Illustrator, which made it easier for me to move elements where I wanted and add more of a designer-ly flair to the piece.
I also added a hint of color, which I think is a great idea for a designer. Not every bullet a different color, but subtle elements like this can help a resume stand out from the stack.
Also I disagree with the point about putting in hobbies or sports. If it’s relevant to the position (like a leadership opportunity), why not put that you were captain of the baseball team for two years in college? Employers, I hope, like to see people, not just numbers. I added things in an “extras” section that aren’t necessarily recommended, but that helped grab attention. Especially for designers, you need to stand out. In this field there are a lot of independent companies who don’t like stiffs and showing that you are a well-rounded person helps.
Also, the best question I’ve ever asked in an interview was “Why do you work here?” It literally stunned my interviewers the first time I asked. They had never been asked that question and it was a great opportunity to learn more about the company and strike up more conversation.
Good points, Stephanie. I think when Bryan mentioned not writing out a list of hobbies, he was thinking more along the lines of some of the less-leadership hobbies (i.e. going to the beach, which he has actually seen on a resume). If it is relevant, I definitely agree that it should go on there. This falls under number three on the list above: Any other activities you’ve done that can play up a certain area of expertise or strength.
I love the design ideas (using Illustrator, etc) for your resume, Stephanie. I echo, too, what Allie replied. There are things outside of former jobs and school that are great examples of strengths. However, shopping, going to the movies or beach and the like (what I’ve seen and referred to) just don’t scream leadership.